How to Completely Remove or Disable Microsoft Edge on Windows 11

Microsoft Edge is a system-integrated component of Windows 11, and on most versions of the OS Microsoft does not officially allow you to uninstall it — the Uninstall button in Settings is greyed out. As of 2026, the only exception is Windows 11 installs in the European Economic Area (EEA), where the Digital Markets Act forced Microsoft to make Edge fully removable through a normal uninstall flow. Everywhere else, you’ll need to combine a supported removal path (where possible) with registry edits and startup controls to keep Edge from coming back. This guide walks through every method that still works on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, in order of safety.

Before you start: what actually happens when you “remove” Edge

A few facts that make this cleaner:

• Edge ships as two components: the Microsoft Edge browser (Chromium-based) and Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. WebView2 is used by Outlook, Teams, the Windows 11 widgets panel, and parts of the Start menu. If you remove it, those apps will break. Leave WebView2 alone.
• Windows cumulative updates regularly reinstall Edge. Any removal needs to be paired with a block (Group Policy or registry key) or it will come back within a month.
• On Windows 11 Home, Group Policy Editor isn’t installed. You’ll need to use the registry equivalents covered below.
• Removing Edge doesn’t free much disk space (~250 MB). The main reasons people do it are to stop pop-ups nudging them back to Edge, to reclaim Start menu space, or to prevent Edge from hijacking default-browser settings after Windows updates.

Method 1: Uninstall via Settings (EEA only, or Windows 11 Insider builds)

If your Windows region is set to an EEA country, the standard uninstall path works:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Apps → Installed apps.
3. Search for Microsoft Edge.
4. Click the three-dot menu on the right and choose Uninstall.
5. Confirm the prompt. Edge is removed in under a minute; no reboot required.

Outside the EEA, the Uninstall option is greyed out and you’ll see “This app is part of Windows and cannot be uninstalled.” Skip to Method 2.

Method 2: Uninstall Edge from Command Prompt (works on all regions)

This uses Edge’s own bundled setup.exe to run a silent uninstall. It works on every retail SKU of Windows 11.

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find Microsoft Edge, click the three-dot menu, and select Modify (or Advanced options) to note the current version number — it will look like 131.0.2903.86.
2. Press Windows + R, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch Command Prompt as Administrator.
3. Change directory to the installer folder, substituting your version number:
   cd "%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Microsoft\Edge\Application\131.0.2903.86\Installer"
4. Run the uninstaller:
   setup.exe --uninstall --system-level --verbose-logging --force-uninstall
5. The Command Prompt window won’t give a success message — it just returns to the prompt. Check Installed apps; Edge should be gone.

If the command fails with “The directory name is invalid”: the version folder doesn’t match. Open C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application in File Explorer to see the exact version folder name and use that.

Method 3: Block Edge from reinstalling (critical follow-up step)

Without this step, Windows Update will push Edge back within one or two cumulative updates. Microsoft documents a supported registry key that prevents Edge from being reinstalled.

1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft.
3. Right-click the Microsoft key, choose New → Key, and name it EdgeUpdate. (Skip this step if the key already exists.)
4. With EdgeUpdate selected, right-click in the right pane and choose New → DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium and set its value to 1.
5. Reboot for the change to take effect.

This registry key is officially supported by Microsoft and is the same one enterprise administrators use. It prevents the Edge installer from running during Windows Update, but does not affect security updates for other components.

Method 4: Disable Edge at startup (if you can’t or don’t want to uninstall)

If you’d rather keep Edge installed but stop it from preloading, hijacking links, or running background processes, turn off its self-launch features.

1. Open Edge once, click the three-dot menu, then Settings → System and performance.
2. Turn off the following: Startup boost, Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed, and Use hardware acceleration when available (optional, reduces idle usage).
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, click Startup apps, find Microsoft Edge, and click Disable.
4. In Task Manager’s Processes tab, look for any Microsoft Edge entries and end them. They should not restart.

Method 5: Rename the Edge install folder (last-resort force disable)

If the Command Prompt uninstall fails and you don’t want to wait for a Microsoft-blessed method, renaming the executable’s parent folder prevents Edge from launching without actually uninstalling it. Warning: this can break Windows features that shell out to Edge (search suggestions, widget news feed). Use only if Methods 2 and 3 didn’t stick.

1. Close all Edge windows. Open Task Manager and end any msedge.exe processes.
2. Press Windows + R, paste C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge, and press Enter.
3. If you get Access denied, right-click the Application folder, choose Properties → Security → Advanced, click Change next to Owner, type your account name, click Check Names, then OK. Tick Replace owner on subcontainers and objects, apply, then grant your account Full control under the Security tab.
4. Rename the Application folder to Application_disabled.
5. Any shortcut or link that tries to open Edge will now fail silently. To reverse, rename the folder back.

Method 6: Third-party removal tools (community-tested)

Two open-source tools show up consistently in Reddit and GitHub threads for people who’ve tried everything else. Neither is signed by Microsoft — use at your own risk and only from the original repo.

• Edge Removal Tool (ShadowWhisperer / Remove-MS-Edge on GitHub) — a PowerShell script that stops Edge services, removes the Appx package for the current user and all users, and deletes the scheduled tasks that Edge creates for updates. Requires running PowerShell as Administrator with Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process first.
• Win11Debloat (Raphire on GitHub) — broader debloat script that includes an optional “Remove Edge” module and also blocks Edge-related telemetry. Well-maintained and has the largest community review.

Both tools are free and do not require Amazon or commercial downloads. Avoid any paid “Edge remover” utility — every method that actually works is available for free from Microsoft-documented commands or open-source scripts. [INTERNAL LINK: debloat Windows 11]

After removing Edge: set a new default browser

Windows 11 will keep pointing at Edge for some link types (Start menu search, widget news, Help links) until you set a different default browser.

1. Install your preferred browser first (Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Vivaldi, Arc, etc.).
2. Open Settings → Apps → Default apps.
3. Find your new browser in the list and click Set default at the top of its page. Windows 11 24H2 added a one-click “Set default” button, so you no longer need to set each file type individually.
4. Under Set defaults for file types, verify that .htm, .html, HTTP, and HTTPS point to your new browser.

Troubleshooting

Edge keeps coming back after the next Windows update

You missed Method 3. Apply the DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium registry key and reboot. If you’ve already been reinstalled, uninstall Edge again with Method 2, then apply the registry block immediately.

The Start menu or widgets panel is blank after removing Edge

You removed WebView2 Runtime by mistake. Reinstall it from Microsoft’s official download page (search “Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime”). It’s a different product from the browser and is safe to have installed.

Links from Outlook, Teams, or Start menu still open in Edge

Microsoft intentionally routes certain system links through Edge regardless of default-browser setting. The free tool MSEdgeRedirect (rcmaehl on GitHub) intercepts these and sends them to your default browser. It’s been maintained since 2021 and is widely considered the cleanest fix.

I get “This app can’t open” errors on unrelated programs

Roll back Method 5 (folder rename) if you used it — some UWP apps look for the Edge binary at load time. Renaming the folder back is enough; you don’t need to reinstall Edge.

I changed my mind — how do I reinstall Edge?

Delete the DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium value from the registry, then download the Edge installer directly from Microsoft’s Edge download page. It reinstalls cleanly and imports nothing from your previous profile unless you sign back in.

Which method should you use?

If you’re in the EEA, use Method 1 and stop there — it’s Microsoft-supported. Everywhere else, the safest combination is Method 2 + Method 3: uninstall from Command Prompt, then apply the registry block so it doesn’t come back. Use Method 4 if you want to keep Edge installed but invisible. Save Methods 5 and 6 for cases where the officially-documented paths fail, and always set a default browser (final section) as the last step so the rest of Windows 11 behaves properly.