How to reset Microsoft Edge browser in Windows?

Microsoft introduced a new browser in Windows 10, known as Edge Browser, due to a negative experience with its notoriously known web browser, Internet Explorer (IE).

There were many issues with Internet Explorer, and web designers had the worst experience with this one.

So, Microsoft took a step forward and introduced Microsoft Edge.

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Resetting Microsoft Edge is not like resetting other browsers. Edge is a built-in Windows browser application that cannot be removed or uninstalled. Whenever you try to uninstall it, an error will occur stating that it is an integral part of Windows and cannot be removed. Therefore, in order to reset it, you can use the following methods listed below.

Method 1: Resetting Edge Using Settings.

Since resetting the Edge browser is not possible in Windows 10, you can use the browser’s settings to revert it to the default settings. Follow the steps below.

1. Open the ‘More Actions’ menu in Edge by clicking on the (…) icon located at the top right side of the browser.

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2. After opening the tab, click on the Settings located at the end of the tab panel. In the settings panel, navigate to “Clear Browsing Data” and click on the button labeled “Choose What to Clear.

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3. Inside the Clear Browsing Data tab, check the boxes for Browsing History, Cookies and Saved Website Data, and Cached Data and Files, as shown in the picture below. After checking the boxes, click on the grey Clear button to reset the browser to its default settings. The clearing process will begin.

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4. After the clearing process is completed, open the Task Manager. You can open it by pressing Win + X and selecting Task Manager from the list. Inside the Task Manager, right-click on Microsoft Edge and select ‘Go to details.’

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5. Now, right-click on the exe and select ‘End Task‘. Do the same for anything named with Microsoft Edge. This will force-close the Edge browser services, and when you open the browser again, the entire browser will be reset.

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Method #2: Advanced Way.

If the above method doesn’t work for you, you can use the advanced method of deleting the core data of Microsoft Edge. For this purpose, navigate to the following folders mentioned below and clear everything inside that folder.

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe

The following code ‘%username%‘ should be replaced with your username. See the example below.

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Now, open PowerShell with administrative rights. You can open it by searching in the search box. Type the following code inside PowerShell and press Enter.

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}

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Now, open the Edge Browser, and it will be reset to its default settings.

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.