How To Disable Microsoft Edge? 3 Easy Methods!

Internet Explorer was the default browser in versions prior to Windows 10, but it lost popularity due to very highly praised competitors like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. With Windows 10, Microsoft launched the Edge browser with some extra features and is quite popular among users as a browser for really quick searches without putting too much stress on system resources.

However, even Microsoft Edge seems to fizzle out in front of the competing browsers, with many users wanting to know how to disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 10. Here I shall discuss 3 simple ways in which you can disable Microsoft Edge and stop it from running background processes.

How To Disable Microsoft Edge?

For any reason whatsoever, if you wish to disable Microsoft Edge, here are some simple methods that you can use to disable Microsoft Edge. Note that Microsoft Edge cannot be uninstalled directly, as is the case with many Windows 10 bloatware. Read here how you can get rid of Windows 10 bloatware easily.

Method 1: Rename System Apps Folder

Since Microsoft Edge is built deeply into Windows 10, you cannot use the traditional method of uninstalling applications to uninstall Edge. Instead, there are some workarounds that you can use to remove the app from your computer. One of these includes tricking Windows into thinking that the Edge browser installation files do not exist on your computer.

To rename the Microsoft Edge files, follow these steps:

1. Firstly, end all the tasks related to Microsoft Edge from the task manager (keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Open File Explorer. You can use the shortcut Win + E.
3. Navigate to the following folder:
   C:\Windows\SystemApps\
4. Here, locate and right-click on the following folder:
   MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe
5. For this folder, take ownership of the files inside. To do this, you can follow our article dedicated to taking ownership of files and folders in Windows 10.
6. Once you have the ownership of this folder, you will have to rename this folder. Press F2 while the folder is selected and rename this folder to anything you like.

You can add a suffix _OLD to the folder name if you do not wish to lose the folder by naming it something that you won’t forget. Restart your computer once you have successfully renamed the folder to check if you have disabled Microsoft Edge.

Method 2: Using Powershell

Another method that you can use to disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 is using the PowerShell. Simply follow these steps to uninstall Edge using PowerShell:

1. Open an elevated PowerShell from the Start menu or from the WinX menu.
2. Type the following command to get the details of the Edge browser:
   get-appxpackage *edge*
3. Take note of the entry next to the PackageFullName This is the value that you will use to uninstall Microsoft Edge from your computer.
4. Type the following command to remove Edge from your PC:
   remove-appxpackage <PackageFullName>

5. Restart your computer. Edge should be uninstalled from your computer.

Also read: How to remove Windows 10 bloatware.

Method 3: Disable Pre-Launch From The Registry

Finally, you can also disable Microsoft Edge from the Registry Editor as well. This is useful when you want to prevent Edge from running in the background, or stop Microsoft Edge from opening automatically. Simply follow these steps for the same:

Note: This is also how to stop Microsoft Edge from opening at startup.

1. Open a Run dialog by pressing Win + R.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor. There will be a UAC prompt, where click on Yes to launch the Registry.
3. Navigate to the following location, by pasting the path in the address bar of the Registry editor:
   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft
4. In the left pane under Microsoft, create a new key and name it the following:
   MicrosoftEdge
5. Create another key under MicrosoftEdge and name it the following:
   Main
6. Click on the Main key and create a new DWORD 32-bit value in the right pane.
7. Name this value as AllowPreLaunch.

8. Make sure that the value data for this DWORD is set to 0. If not, modify the data by double-clicking on the DWORD and make the necessary changes.
9. Next, navigate to the following key:
   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet
10. In the right pane, locate and double click on the DWORD entry that says EnableActiveProbing.
11. Change the Value data for this entry as 0 as well.

12. Close the editor and restart your computer.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it. Now you know how to disable Microsoft Edge by using one of the three methods provided above. Did you find this useful? Comment below if you did and to discuss further the same.