Microsoft Edge is the built-in default web browser in Windows 10, replacing Internet Explorer. The latter is still available as Internet Explorer 11 for backward compatibility purposes, and there is currently no way to completely remove it from the operating system.
Most users who want to prevent Internet Explorer and Edge from opening automatically when their computers start up complain that these apps consume a lot of bandwidth, or they just don’t want to use it because they already have other preferred browsers.
Edge usually loads quite quickly when you log into a user account on a Windows 10 device, but it’s useful mostly for heavy browser users.
If you’re not using Edge or Internet Explorer, or prefer not to preload it on system startup, we’ll show you how to block any of them from loading every time you start your device.
- Disable the lock screen image with Edge.
- Change your default browser.
- Configure another program to open PDF files instead of Edge or Explorer.
- Don’t let Edge run as a background application.
- Check for malware.
- Check the Task Scheduler.
- Search for Cortana using your default browser or search engine.
- Disable Edge preloading in Group Policy.
- Re-register Microsoft Edge.
- Use file rename to disable Edge.
- Disable Edge from starting to use Registry Editor.
- Uninstall Edge using Registry Editor.
How to prevent Internet Explorer or Edge from opening automatically
- Separate the lock screen image with Edge.
- Change the default browser.
- Set another browser program to open PDF files instead of Edge or Explorer.
- Turn Edge off as a background app.
- Check for malware.
- Check the task scheduler.
- Make Cortana search using your default browser or search engine.
- Disable Edge preloading in Group Policy.
- Re-register Microsoft Edge.
- Use File Rename to disable Edge.
- Disable Edge from starting to use Registry Editor.
- Remove Edge using Registry Editor.
Unlinking the lock screen image to Edge
This is one of the reasons Microsoft Edge opens automatically. The lock screen image in Windows 10, especially in newer versions of the operating system, is associated with Edge, so you can change or disable this setting to fix the problem.
- To do this, you will need to change the Group Policy settings. Right-click Start> Run, type gpedit.msc in the Run dialog box and press Enter or click OK.
- In the Local Group Policy Editor, click User Configuration and then Administrative Templates.
- Double click Windows Components.
- Double-click Cloud Content.
- Double-click Don’t Offer Third Party Content in Windows Spotlight.
- Click Disabled and then click Apply to disable the setting.
Change the default browser
Changing the default browser will disable Internet Explorer and Edge so you can use your preferred browser.
- Click Start> Settings and select Applications.
- In the left pane, click Default Applications.
- Check if Internet Explorer or Edge is your default web browser and choose your preferred one. You can also unpin Edge or Internet Explorer from the taskbar to avoid accidentally clicking on it, which will open the browser.
Set another program to open PDF files instead of Edge or Explorer
If you open a PDF and it launches in Edge or Explorer instead of Adobe Reader or another PDF reader, you can change the setting to prevent Internet Explorer or Edge from opening automatically.
- Click Start> Settings> Applications.
- Click Applications Defaults and select Set Application Defaults.
- Click Microsoft Edge and select Manage.
- Under File Type and Associations, find .pdf and click Adobe Reader.
- Choose an application to open PDF files instead of Edge.
- This will stop Edge from opening the next time you try to open PDF files.
Turn Edge off as background app
Background apps not only consume bandwidth but also drain your device’s battery faster.
- To prevent Internet Explorer or Edge from launching as a background application and opening automatically, click Start> Settings> Privacy.
- Scroll down in the left pane to the Application Permissions section and select Background Applications.
- Toggle the toggle next to Microsoft Edge to turn it off.
Check for Malware
Sometimes Internet Explorer and Edge may open automatically if your PC is infected with malware, as such threats tend to hijack web browsers and open tabs without your intervention.
In this case, perform a full scan of your device with reliable antivirus or antivirus software, and check your web browser for specific malware. Check if the issue is resolved after scanning completes.
Check Task Scheduler and Task Manager
Task Scheduler can show you if any items open in Internet Explorer or Edge. You can check this by typing Task Scheduler in the search box and checking the tasks performed during system boot.
Also check Task Manager (CTRL + ALT + DELETE) for any running processes related to Internet Explorer or Edge and disable them to see if this is preventing the automatic opening of browsers.
Disable Edge Preloading in Group Policy
This is a new feature in version 1809 of Windows 10 that controls Edge preloading before the default browser loads, but users using Insider builds already have this feature.
- To disable Microsoft Edge preloading, right-click Start> Run, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
- In the Group Policy Editor, click Local Computer Policy> Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates.
- Double-click Windows Components, and then double-click Microsoft Edge.
- Double-click Allow Microsoft Edge to pre-launch on Windows startup, when the system is idle, and every time Microsoft Edge is closed.
- Select “Enabled” to activate it, and then select “Prevent” Prestart.
- Click Apply.
- Double-click Allow Microsoft Edge to launch and load the Start and New Tab pages when Windows starts and every time you close Microsoft Edge.
- Set the policy to Enabled and click Prevent Preloading.
- Click Apply.
- To do this, right-click Start> Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Re-register Microsoft Edge
- To do this, right-click Start> Windows PowerShell (Admin) .
Type this command and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$ ($ _. InstallLocation) AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}
- When the command finishes, close Windows PowerShell and check if Edge opens automatically on restart.
Use File Rename to disable Edge
Rather than completely deleting the Microsoft Edge folder from your device, you can rename the file directory to prevent Edge from accessing its installation files to start opening instructions on startup.
- Press Windows Key + I to open File Explorer and click This PC.
- Go to the C: Windows SystemApps folder.
- Find the MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder, right-click it and choose Properties.
- Take ownership of the folder, then right-click it again and choose Rename.
- Give it whatever name you want, but the original folder name must be part of it. For example, you can name it MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe_OLD.
- Restart your device and see if Edge is disabled.
- To do this, right-click Start> Run and type regedit in the Run dialog box. Hit Enter.
- In Registry Editor, paste this path into the address bar:
Computer HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Services NlaSvc Parameters Internet
Disable Edge from starting to use Registry Editor
- To do this, right-click on Start> Run and type regedit in the Run box Conversation. Hit Enter.
- In Registry Editor, paste this path into the address bar:
Computer HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Services NlaSvc Parameters Internet
- In the right pane, find EnableActiveProbing and double-click it to open its properties.
- Set the default to 0 and click OK to save your changes.
- Close Registry Editor and restart your computer to see if Edge boots on startup.
Remove Edge using Registry Editor
You can also prevent Internet Explorer or Edge from starting automatically from the Windows registry.
- Right-click Start> Run. Type regedit.exe in the Run box and press Enter.
- In Registry Editor, paste this path into the address bar:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Policies Microsoft MicrosoftEdge Home
- Right-click Main and select New> Dword (32-bit) value and name it AllowPrelaunch.
- Double click the AllowPrelaunch Dword and set the value to 0 if it is not zero by default.
- To do this, right-click Start> Run and type shell: startup in the Run box.
- Press Enter.
Delete edge in startup folder
- To do this, right-click Start> Run and type shell: startup in the Run box.
- Press Enter .
- If you find Microsoft Edge in your startup folder, uninstall it and check if Edge starts on restart.
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