If you are trying to learn how to remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10, rest assured, you are not alone. While it’s a fairly decent browser, and the best one we’ve seen shipped with Windows 10, it’s not for everyone. If you are among the many who want to remove it, we have everything you need to know right here in this guide.
Microsoft started rolling out the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 a few years ago. While it’s a huge improvement over the old version that appeared when Windows 10 first launched, there is one thing about it that’s problematic. Since Microsoft Edge is installed automatically, there is no option to uninstall it or downgrade.
If you are using one of the best Windows laptops or the best PCs, there are definitely a lot of benefits that you can get by using Microsoft Edge. Its speed is competitive, integration with Windows 10 is smooth, privacy controls are simple, and an immersive reader feature lets you read content without all the usual ad clutter.
There is actually one easy way to remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10 assuming you are using Beta, Dev or Canary channels. You can remove it by opening the file settings app on your Windows 10 PC. Next, click on apps Then find your version of Microsoft Edge in the list of apps. Select it and click uninstall button and it will be removed from your computer. What this method will not do is remove the default version pre-installed on Windows 10.
How to remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10
- Opens command prompt
- Enter the current Microsoft Edge version in the folder
- Enter the force uninstall command
Tools and requirements
● System: Windows 10 operating system
● tools: keyboard and mouse
● Skill level: junior
1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
First you need to unlock command prompt on your computer as an administrator. If it’s not in the right-click Start menu, you’ll find it in File Windows system application folder.
To open as administrator, simply right-click on it and then select Run as administrator. You have to be at the command prompt for this, Windows PowerShell or PowerShell 7 doesn’t seem to work.
2. Remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10
Removing Microsoft Edge in Command Prompt is a two-step process. First, you need to navigate to the correct folder with this command:
cd %PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Microsoft\Edge\Application\xx\InstallerWhen entered, replace “xx” with the current version number of Microsoft Edge installed on your computer. You can find this information in the About section of Edge settings.
The command prompt will now change to show that you are in the folder you navigated to above. Now, enter this command:
setup --uninstall --force-uninstall --system-levelThere is no restart involved, Microsoft Edge will now be removed from your system. You can still see it in the Start menu, but it won’t open anything and the annoying “restore recommended” for web browsing will disappear in the Settings app.
3. Stop Microsoft Edge from reinstalling automatically
Knowing how to remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10 is only half the battle, if you don’t prevent it from automatically reinstalling, you may find that it has crept back during future updates. For most people, editing the registry is the easiest way to do this, but touching it always comes with a caveat. Making changes to the registry always involves risks and should be done with care.
Click the Search button on your desktop and search for Registry Editor. Open this and go to the next location. You can copy and paste this into the Registry Editor’s address bar.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MicrosoftRight-click on the “Microsoft” folder and select “New”, then “Key”. Name the key “EdgeUpdate” and right-click on it. Select “New” then “DWORD (32-bit) Value” and call this “DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium”.
Once created, double click to open the key and change its value to “1”. Click OK and it is safe to close the Registry Editor. Microsoft Edge should now no longer automatically be back on your computer.
Final thoughts: What to do if future Windows updates fail
Some of the newer Windows updates have seen issues with failed installs on devices that have removed Microsoft Edge. Fortunately, if you encounter this problem, there is an easy fix.
Go to the Program Files (x86) folder on your C: drive and locate the Microsoft folder in it. Open this and delete any folders related to Microsoft Edge.
You can now try to install your Windows update again and it should complete without issue. If you also followed the steps above, Microsoft Edge will not be reinstalled with it.