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.

edge 10

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.

edge1

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.

edge2

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.

edge3

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.’

edge4

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.

edge5

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.

edge6
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}

edge7

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.

Comments

33
    LO
    Luigi Oneto Oct 25, 2015

    After execution of steps in Method#2 I had to reboot the system in order to get Chrome connecting again to this site.

      KA
      K. Arrows Author Oct 25, 2015

      Thank you for letting us know.

    MD
    Marco Dolce Nov 4, 2015

    Thanks so much for your guide! I can resolve with Method#2.

    BH
    Bob Harris Nov 24, 2015

    Method 2 worked as advertised. Thanks

    HA
    harman Dec 16, 2015

    its not work for me i am trying method 2 the error is attached..

    thanx in advance

      KR
      Krishna Jan 22, 2016

      re-login into your account and then you should be able to delete the folder.

    HA
    harman Dec 16, 2015

    PS C:WINDOWSsystem32> Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}

    ForEach-Object : Cannot bind parameter ‘RemainingScripts’. Cannot convert the “Get-AppXPackage” value of type

    “System.String” to type “System.Management.Automation.ScriptBlock”.

    At line:1 char:59

    + … osoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Registe …

    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    + CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [ForEach-Object], ParameterBindingException

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CannotConvertArgumentNoMessage,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.ForEachObjectCommand

      KA
      K. Arrows Author Dec 16, 2015

      You’ve typed the command twice, should be once. Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}

      Reply
        HA
        harman Dec 16, 2015

        Thank you so much it’s work now??? Once again thanks

    BN
    Bill mike nelson Dec 18, 2015

    2nd method is the best .it really works.

      KA
      K. Arrows Author Dec 18, 2015

      Thank you for letting us know.

    TH
    Todd Haynes Dec 19, 2015

    second method worked and reset whole browser.

    MD
    Murray DeLee Dec 22, 2015

    Yes Method 2 works, however why do you think we should have to do this every time we use the Edge browser. It is a one time fix ONLY!!! Once you shut down Windows 10 and then come back the next day or hours later, Edge no longer works and you have to do it again. When are you going to just fix it and stop with these crazy quick fixes. Needless to say, I like the new browser. It is great with Netflix. Smooth streaming, but to have to keep doing this is just plain Stupid!

      KA
      K. Arrows Author Dec 22, 2015

      You keep doing it, because your computer keeps changing something, which needs to be diagnosed. I suggest doing a clean boot.

        MD
        Murray DeLee Dec 22, 2015

        When you say clean boot, not to sound stupid but how do I do that? Any help would be great, thanks in advance.

          KA
          K. Arrows Author Dec 22, 2015

          No worries, see steps here:

          http://appuals.com/best-guide-how-to-clean-boot-windows-10/

          Do a clean boot, then reset Edge again. Then reboot, and see if it works.

          MD
          Murray DeLee Dec 22, 2015

          Okay, I did what it said, not once, not twice but three times. It didn’t work at all. I then went and reset by doing my normal boot up and it works. However I did not shut down my computer yet, I suspect that it will cease functioning after I do that and then start up the system again. If it does, what would you suggest at that point. I mean I actual like the increased speed of Edge. I use it for Netflix and I get no lag like I do with Firefox. Again, thanks for your time. Murray

          KA
          K. Arrows Author Dec 22, 2015

          If you want, i can assist you directly. Please open this as a new question on http://equestions.net/ask

          MD
          Murray DeLee Dec 23, 2015

          I figured it out. It was not the browser. Believe it or not it was the internet connection. I was using the Netflix app for Windows 10 and it gave me an error message, I looked it up and it said wii for internet could not make the connection. I forget the exact code. At any rate, I logged off the internet and logged back on and all of a sudden Edge was working in all it’s splendor. I have no idea why this happened because at the same time, I was able to use Firefox. Any idea why that might happen? If so I will open a question on the link you sent. However I don’t think it was ever Edge giving me the problem.

          KA
          K. Arrows Author Dec 23, 2015

          There will be too many speculations, to be sure of what it was it would be best to troubleshoot it or have the exact error message.

    HS
    Hari Setiawan Dec 27, 2015

    process completed… but didn’n work,,, still “we can’t reach this page”… help please… I love this browser for sync my windows devices…

      KA
      K. Arrows Author Dec 27, 2015

      Then the issue must be something else. Please submit a new question with complete details on http://equestions.net/ask

        HS
        Hari Setiawan Dec 28, 2015

        Thanks 🙂

    WI
    Wilcoss Feb 21, 2016

    Hi, my problem is different, after 2 or 3 days, my edge reset itself back to default, I am beginnig to think that my its my Norton 360, and i lose my favorites, my home page its very annoying!

      KA
      K. Arrows Author Feb 21, 2016

      Run your system in a clean boot mode, and make sure there are no softwares running on your PC set to automatically clean cookies/cache. http://appuals.com/best-guide-how-to-clean-boot-windows-10/

    GR
    gregge Aug 14, 2016

    My Edge on 10 is stuck on this URL https://search.yahoo.com/?type=994519&fr=spigot_edge_hp and so far nothing I’ve tried has been able to get rid of it. I just did Method 2 and NO CHANGE. Edge opens to that URL and nothing will get rid of it. I also ran Malware Bytes, which found several things for Spigot and deleted them, which cleaned it out of IE, Chrome and Firefox. I guess Edge is “special”.

      KA
      K. Arrows Author Aug 14, 2016

      are you able to open any other site on edge?

        GR
        gregge Aug 14, 2016

        Yes. Just cannot change the start page.

          KA
          K. Arrows Author Aug 14, 2016

          Just tested, and create a video. Let me know if it helps.
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRES_P8pF0Q&feature=youtu.be

          KA
          K. Arrows Author Aug 14, 2016

          In short, you click the three dots, then you choose Settings -> A specific page or pages -> Custom -> delete Yahoo -> add Google -> click + sign.

          GR
          gregge Aug 15, 2016

          That does not work. Wouldn’t be trying second method if it did. None of the malware removers I’ve tried can fix it either. AdwCleaner, Malwarebytes, Superantispyware, Avast browser cleaner would not touch this hijack.

          Someone needs to write an Edge specific cleaner that finds and fixes all the new holes the new browser has provided for these a-holes to do their crap.

          KA
          K. Arrows Author Aug 15, 2016

          Can we do a remote session so i can see the issue? I’d love to see if i can fix it, and update the article. If you want me to remote in, please send me an email on kevinarrows@appuals.com

    JE
    jenny Sep 16, 2016

    how do I fix Microsoft edge it keeps saying not responding