Fix: ‘Microsoft Edge is not responding’ issue in Windows

If your Microsoft Edge keeps going on not responding, it could be a result of using hardware acceleration or unwanted extensions. Hardware acceleration is a feature that lets you shift priority tasks from CPU to GPU. This feature can be helpful if you have a decent graphics card. Otherwise, it can cause Microsoft Edge to stop responding.

The second leading cause of this issue is using a lot of unwanted extensions when the browser is running. This can cause Microsoft Edge to consume high memory, CPU, and GPU resources, which can result in this issue.

1. Disable Hardware Acceleration

The first solution is about disabling hardware acceleration which often causes this issue. There is no doubt that hardware acceleration is a good innovation and is used by many applications nowadays.

However, it causes the application to get stuck or go on not responding because it requires decent GPU power as it shifts tasks from CPU to GPU, which can result in this issue if you don’t have a decent Graphics Card. So in this method, we will try disabling hardware acceleration by following the steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings by clicking the three dots from the top right.
   
2. Then, go to System and Performance from the left pane.
3. Here disable the option Use hardware acceleration when available.
   
4. Once done, click the Restart button for the changes to take effect.
5. Then check if Microsoft Edge is still going on not responding. If yes, then follow other methods.

2. Repair Microsoft Edge

You may have corrupted files of Microsoft Edge which is preventing Microsoft Edge from running correctly. In this case, you can try repairing Microsoft Edge, which will basically download Microsoft Edge just like you download other browsers. To do so, follow the steps:

1. Click the Start Menu and type Add or remove programs.
   
2. Open the settings and find Microsoft Edge.
3. Click the three dots and click Modify.
   
4. Click Yes when UAC prompts, then click Repair.
   
5. Wait for the downloading to be finished. Then, check if your issue is fixed.

3. Download Microsoft Edge from MS Store

You can also download Microsoft Edge from the MS Store if the issue still persists. This will download and install Microsoft Edge from scratch, which will fix the corrupted files this are causing this issue. To do so, follow the instructions:

1. Click Start Menu and type Microsoft Store to open it.
   
2. Then search for Microsoft Edge and click Install.
   
3. Once done, launch it and check if the problem is resolved or not.

4. Reset Microsoft Edge

It is possible that Microsoft Edge is not responding due to corrupted temporary data such as cache files. Resetting Microsoft Edge will clear the cache files and resets all the settings to default. However, it won’t remove saved passwords, history, favorites, or bookmarks. So feel free to reset Microsoft Edge by using the following steps to fix this issue.

1. Open Microsoft Edge and go to Settings using the three dots.
   
2. Then, go to Reset Settings from the left pane.
3. Click Restore Settings to their default values.
   
4. Then, click Reset to reset your browser.
   
5. Once done, check for the issue.

5. Remove Unwanted Extensions

If you have multiple unnecessary extensions running in the background, you should remove them because they consume high computer resources, which can cause Microsoft Edge to run out of memory and result in this issue. Follow the steps to remove the unwanted extensions:

1. Go to Microsoft Edge, and click on the three dots from the top right.
2. Select Extensions from the listed options.
   
3. Then, click Manage Extensions. Then, click Remove.
   
4. Repeat this step with all the extensions. Then, check if your issue is fixed.

6. Uninstall Windows Update

As per the reports from the affected users, installing a Windows update causes Microsoft Edge not responding issue. Hence, try uninstalling the Windows update by using the following steps:

1. Right-click the Start Menu and select Settings.
   
2. Go to Windows Update from the left pane.
3. Then go to Update History.
   
4. Scroll down to the bottom and click Uninstall updates.
   
5. Now if you know the update name that you think is causing the issue, simply uninstall it. If you don’t know, just randomly uninstall the update.
   
6. Once done, launch Microsoft Edge and check if your issue is resolved or not.

7. Create a new user account

If the issue still persists, you can create a new user account, which will recreate all the files, including built-in Windows applications files, which should fix this issue. To do so, follow the steps:

If the issue gets fixed after creating a new user account, then transfer all the data from the previous account to your new account by following the steps included in the article.

1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I keys together.
2. Now go to Accounts from the left sidebar.
3.  Then navigate to Other users.
   
4. Click Add account, then click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
   
5. Now click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
   
6. Here give your full name and click Next to create an account.
   
   Password is optional you can leave it blank if you want.
7. Once done, select the local account, and click Change account type.
8. Click on Standard user and select Administrator.
   
9. Once done, click OK, then press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and click Switch user, then select the account that you have created to sign in.
10. Once done, launch Microsoft Edge and see if the issue persists or not.

8. Switch to a different Browser

It is not necessary to use Microsoft Edge. Instead, you can use Chrome and Firefox. Both are one of the best browsers and kind of similar to Microsoft Edge. You can visit our article on the Best Browsers in 2023 to find the best one for you.