How to Add or Remove Home Button on Toolbar in Microsoft Edge?

The Home button in a browser is an icon found on the toolbar in Microsoft Edge. This button lets you quickly return to a preset homepage. Depending on how you use your browser, you might want to add or remove this button. By default, the Home button is disabled. Users can enable or disable the Home button by following one of the methods described in this article. We’ve also included steps to remove the Home button, as well as instructions for disabling the Home button settings for standard users.

Add or Remove Home Button on Toolbar in Microsoft Edge
Add or Remove Home Button on Toolbar in Microsoft Edge

The Microsoft Edge settings method is the default way for any user on the computer to configure the Home button. However, the Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor methods will enforce your chosen setting in the browser, so users won’t be able to change it from the browser’s settings anymore.

1. Configure the Home Button in Browser Settings

The simplest and most common method is by using the built-in browser settings. In the Appearance section, you’ll find the Show Home button option. With this setting, you can enable or disable the Home button. You can also decide what happens when you click the Home button — it can either open a new tab or take you to a specific website.

  1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser by double-clicking the shortcut or searching for it in Windows search.
    Opening Microsoft Edge
  2. Click the Settings and more (Alt+F) button in the top right corner, then select Settings from the menu.
    Opening Settings of the browser
  3. Select the Appearance option from the left pane. Here, use the Show home button toggle to add or remove the Home button. When you change the toggle, you’ll notice the toolbar updates instantly.
    Changing the toggle option for the Home button
  4. If you add the Home button, you can decide what it does. Choose New tab page to have it open a new tab, or select Enter URL to have it open a specific website of your choice.

2. Configure the Home Button using Registry Editor

The Windows Registry is a database that stores settings for Windows and installed apps. It also saves changes you make to Microsoft Edge. This method is an alternative to using Group Policy Editor. If you’ve already used the Group Policy method, this setting will update automatically. If you use the Registry directly, just be sure to create any missing keys or values.

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog. Type “regedit” and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. If prompted by UAC (User Account Control), click Yes.
    Opening the Registry Editor
  2. If you want to create a Registry backup first, go to the File menu and choose Export. Name the backup file, select where to save it, and click Save.
    Creating a Registry backup
  3. In Registry Editor, go to:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
  4. If the Edge key doesn’t exist, right-click on Microsoft, select New > Key, and name it “Edge“.
    Creating the missing key
  5. Select the Edge key. In the right pane, right-click and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it “ShowHomeButton“.
    Creating the value for the Home button
  6. Double-click on ShowHomeButton. In the window that opens, set the value data to 0 to remove the Home button, or 1 to add the Home button to the toolbar.
    Changing the value data
  7. If your changes don’t take effect right away, restart your computer.
  8. To undo your change, simply delete the value you created in the Registry Editor.

3. Configure the Home Button with Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor contains a variety of settings you can easily configure. You just need to open the right setting and adjust it. However, policy settings for the latest Microsoft Edge (Chromium) may not be available on your system by default, so you might need to download the latest policy files.

Note: The Group Policy Editor is not available by default in Windows 10 Home edition. If you are using Windows 10 Home, please check our article on how to install the Group Policy Editor on Windows Home
  1. Open your browser and go to the Microsoft site. Choose your Microsoft Edge version and click the GET POLICY FILES button.
    Downloading the latest policy files
  2. Once the zip file is downloaded, extract it using WinRAR or a similar tool.
    Extracting the zip file
  3. Open the extracted folder, and go to “MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates\windows\admx“. Copy the “msedge.admx” and the relevant “msedge.adml” language file into “C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions“.
    Copying new policy files

    Note: The ADML language file is found in a subfolder labeled with your language code (such as “en-US”). Copy it from there to the same location as above.

  4. Hold down Windows + R on your keyboard, type “gpedit.msc” and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
    Opening the Local Group Policy Editor
  5. In Group Policy Editor, go to:
    Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Edge\Startup, home page and new tab page\
    Navigating to the setting
  6. Double-click Show Home button on toolbar to open its settings. To add the Home button, set the option to Enabled. To remove it, set to Disabled.
    Configuring the Home button
  7. Finally, click Apply or OK to save your changes.
  8. You can revert the setting to default any time by changing the option to Not Configured in step 6.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Arrows


Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.