Microsoft Edge—the inventory internet browser in Windows 11 and 10—generally launches even when you have a unique browser set as default. It might load alongside the working system at startup, preload varied background-related processes in the course of the login part, or present up by itself after a restart.
This put up particulars a number of methods to cease Microsoft Edge from opening robotically in your PC. If you employ Edge on a Mac, additionally, you will study to stop the browser from loading with out permission in macOS.

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How to Stop Microsoft Edge From Opening Automatically on PC
Despite its Chromium makeover, Microsoft Edge stays deeply built-in into Windows 10 and Windows 11, with a number of triggers and pre-configured settings that trigger it to load robotically. Work your approach by way of the record under to cease the browser from launching by itself.
Disable Microsoft Edge because the Default Browser
Suppose you employ an alternate browser resembling Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox in your PC. In that case, Microsoft Edge will proceed to open robotically everytime you click on on a hyperlink until you set your preferred browser as the default. In Windows 11:
1. Open the Start menu and choose Settings.

2. Select Apps on the sidebar. Then, decide the class labeled Default apps.

3. Scroll down the record and choose a third-party browser (e.g., Google Chrome).

4. Select your most well-liked browser for all web-related information varieties and protocols with the Edge brand—HTML, HTTP, PDF, and so on.

In Windows 10, the method is significantly simpler. Just go to Start > Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Web browser and choose a unique browser rather than Microsoft Edge.
Disable Microsoft Edge as a Startup Program
If the Microsoft Edge browser opens robotically quickly after booting into the Windows 10/11 desktop, the possibilities are that it’s arrange as a startup program in your laptop. Disable it through the Task Manager.
1. Right-click the Start button and choose Task Manager to open Task Manager.

2. Select More particulars.

3. Switch to the Startup tab.
4. Locate and choose Microsoft Edge.
5. Select Disable.

Remove Edge From Your Computer’s Startup Folder
If Microsoft Edge doesn’t seem as a startup program within the Task Manager, manually test for and take away the browser out of your laptop’s startup folder.
1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run field.

2. Type shell:startup and choose OK.
3. Locate and right-click the shortcut labeled Microsoft Edge inside your laptop’s Startup folder. Then, choose Delete.

Disable Windows Spotlight LockScreen Pictures
The Windows Spotlight ideas that you just see in your PC’s Lock Screen load in Microsoft Edge regardless of your default browser settings. If you generally choose them accidentally, think about disabling Windows Spotlight.
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select Personalization > Lock display.

3. Open the drop-down menu subsequent to Personalize your lock display and choose Picture or Slideshow.

Download and Install EdgeDeflector
Alternatively, you should use a third-party helper utility to load Windows Spotlight ideas in your default browser. It additionally prevents Edge from loading whereas interacting with varied working system parts such because the News and Weather widget in Windows 10.
Note: At the time of writing, Microsoft has blocked EdgeDeflector from running on Windows 11.
1. Download EdgeDeflector from GitHub and set up it in your PC.
2. Open the Start menu and go to Settings > Apps.

3. Select Default Apps > Choose default apps by protocol.

4. Scroll down and choose MICROSOFT-EDGE > EdgeDeflector.

Disable Microsoft Edge Startup Boost
Microsoft Edge makes use of a function known as Startup Boost to prelaunch within the background at login, thereby permitting for quicker entry to the browser. However, having Startup Boost lively is not sensible for those who want utilizing a unique internet browser. To cease Edge-related processes from pre-launching:
1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Open the Edge menu (the three dots subsequent to the deal with bar) and choose Settings.

3. Select System and Performance on the sidebar.

4. Uncheck the field subsequent to Startup enhance.

Disable Edge Pre-Loading through Local Group Policy Editor
If you employ Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro, an alternate approach to stop pre-launching entails modifying a few Edge-related insurance policies through the Local Group Policy Editor.
1. Press Windows + R to open the Run field. Then, sort gpedit.msc and press Enter.
2. Select the next folders on the Local Group Policy Editor sidebar:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components.
3. Select Microsoft Edge.

4. Double-check the setting labeled Allow Microsoft Edge to pre-launch at Windows startup, when the system is idle, and every time Microsoft Edge is closed.

5. On the pop-up window that exhibits up, activate the radio button subsequent to Enabled.
6. Open the Configure pre-launch pull-down menu and choose Prevent pre-launching.

7. Select Apply, then OK.
8. Locate and double-click Allow Microsoft Edge to begin and cargo the Start and New Tab web page at Windows startup and every time Microsoft Edge is closed.

9. Select Enabled.
10. Open the Configure pre-launch pull-down menu and choose Prevent faucet preloading.

Disable Edge Preloading through Windows Terminal
If you employ the Home version of Windows 10/11, you possibly can modify the system registry to stop Microsoft Edge from pre-loading at laptop startup. Instead of using the Registry Editor (regedit), probably the most handy approach is to run a few instructions through Windows PowerShell or Terminal.
1. Right-click the Start button and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin).
2. Run the next instructions one after the opposite:
- REG ADD HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftMicrosoftEdgeForemost /v AllowPrelaunch /t REG_DWORD /d 0
- REG ADD HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftMicrosoftEdgeTabPreloader /v AllowTabPreloading /t REG_DWORD /d 0
3. Exit Windows PowerShell or Terminal and restart your laptop.
Stop Windows From Restarting Apps Automatically
Windows 11 and 10 function the power to robotically reload varied inventory apps—together with Microsoft Edge—after a system restart. To stop that:
1. Open the Start menu and choose Settings.
2. Select Accounts > Sign-in choices.

3. Turn off the change subsequent to Automatically save my restartable apps after I signal out and restart them after I sign up.

Disable Edge Auto-Restart After System Update
You may stop Microsoft Edge from beginning robotically after a system replace. To do this, go to the identical display as above and switch off the change subsequent to Use my sign-in information to end establishing after an replace robotically.
Disable Microsoft Edge Tasks on TaskScheduler
The Task Scheduler in Windows 11 and 10 options a number of triggers that may trigger MS Edge to load robotically. To de-activate them:
1. Press Windows + R, sort taskschd.msc, and press Enter.
2. Select Task Scheduler Library on the sidebar.
3. Hold down the Control key and choose the next Edge-related duties:
- MicrosoftEdgeShadowStackRollbackTask
- MicroosftEdgeUpdateTaskMachineCore
- MicroosftEdgeUpdateTaskMachineUA
4. Select Disable.

How to Stop Microsoft Edge From Opening Automatically on Mac
Unlike on the PC, it’s fairly straightforward to stop Microsoft Edge from loading robotically on the Mac.
Disable Edge because the Default Browser
If Microsoft Edge opens robotically at any time when you choose a hyperlink in your Mac, set a unique browser because the default in your Mac.
1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.

2. Select General.

3. Open the pull-down menu subsequent to Default internet browser and set one other browser (e.g., Safari or Chrome) because the default.

Disable Edge as a Startup Program through Dock
If Microsoft Edge opens robotically at startup, you possibly can rapidly disable the browser as a startup program through the Mac’s Dock. Just Control-click the Microsoft Edge icon on the Dock, choose Options, and deactivate the Open at Login setting.

Disable Edge as a Startup Program through System Preferences
Alternatively, you should use the System Preferences app to stop Microsoft Edge from loading at startup.
1. Open the System Preferences app and choose Users & Groups.
2. Switch to the Login Items tab.
3. Highlight Microsoft Edge and choose the Minus button.

You Can Also Uninstall Microsoft Edge
Although Microsoft Edge is vastly superior in contrast to its non-Chromium model or the dreadful Internet Explorer, it falls in need of well-established browsers resembling Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. If merely stopping it from launching at startup isn’t sufficient, find out how to uninstall Microsoft Edge in Windows and macOS.