Having Microsoft Edge around on the computer can be a source of nuisance for some, with many users wondering how to uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.
Unlike the regular apps and software which are downloaded onto your PC, Microsoft Edge is different in that it is usually prepackaged with every Windows 10 edition. Hence, even if you were to go into your Windows Settings > Apps & features, you will find that Microsoft Edge, even if it is in the list, you can’t right-click to uninstall it.
There are multiple avenues to achieving this, and Microsoft doesn’t seem to make it a relatively straightforward process to remove Microsoft Edge.
However, as the saying goes, “never take no for an answer.”
Hence in this guide, we have collected together every working method that there is to uninstall Microsoft Edge for good from your device, and we will go over each step-by-step to help guide you to do the same. 🙂
If any of the methods are not working or has been stopped by Microsoft, then please feel free to comment below, and we will update this guide with other ways.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Using Third-Party Like Winaero to Uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows 10
- Using Windows Powershell
- Getting To The Core of Microsoft Edge
How to Uninstall Microsoft Edge: 3 Ways
1. Using Third-Party Like Winaero to Uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.
Perhaps one of the easiest ways. A third-party, popular, and robust solution like Winaero can make the process of removing Microsoft Edge off your machine relatively easy.
One of the biggest gripes users have when it comes to using third-party software like Winaero is whether it is safe to use, and it’s good that you are wary of installing third-party solutions. For Winaero’s case, it is a widely recommended software that is often talked about on the Microsoft Forums, and it’s for a good reason.
Winaero is an all-in-one application that helps tweak software that is pre-installed on machines that support Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and even Windows 7. We will show you in the next few steps on how to install Winaero and use it to uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows 10:
- Firstly, you will want to download and install the Winaero Tweaker software. When you are done downloading Winaero, extract it to your homepage such as your Desktop or anywhere else where you can easily access and reuse it.
- Next, you will need to locate the file downloaded called UninstallEdge.cmd. Right-click on UninstallEdge.cmd and then select to Run as administrator. This is the file that is responsible for executing the code to initiate the uninstallation process for Microsoft Edge and subsequently removing it entirely from your machine.
- The process may take some time, depending on your machine’s capabilities (for us, it took around 5 minutes). Once the process is complete, go ahead and restart your PC.
- Lastly, once your machine restarts back, try checking once again by using your Windows Search to see if Microsoft Edge has been uninstalled.
There you have it! Alternatively, there are other third-party solutions that happen to achieve the same results, but we advise you to always do your due diligence before installing any of them.
2. Using Windows Powershell.
If you don’t wish to install third-party solutions and at the same time you’re looking for even more quick solutions, then why not give this a try?
We will be using the Windows Powershell to copy-paste two lines of code that effectively remove Microsoft Edge altogether.
This is the method that we followed to uninstall Microsoft Edge, and it does work like a charm. 🙂
Here’s how you do it:
- Go ahead, open Windows Search (bottom-left), or pressing the Windows + S keys down together. Then type in “powershell”. Click on Windows Powershell.
- Next, from the Windows Powershell window, copy-paste the following line of code into it and then hit Enter:
get-appxpackage *edge*
- Now you should be able to see a couple of information regarding the location where Microsoft Edge is installed on your machine (InstallLocation) as well as the status (Status), version (Version) as well as its PackageFullName. All you need to do is type in the command
remove-appxpackage, hit the Space key on your keyboard, and then copy-paste the PackageFullName right after it (as shown below). Take note that the PackageFullName of the image may be different from what’s on your PC, so make sure to use your own PackageFullName. Hit Enter.
- Lastly, check again to see if Microsoft Edge has been uninstalled and completely removed from your machine.
Depending on specific builds of Windows 10, the effectiveness of this method is questionable as it may or may not work. Nevertheless, there is no harm in trying, and if this method doesn’t work, you may go ahead, either try Method 1 above or Method 3 below.
3. Getting To The Core of Microsoft Edge.
Disabling Microsoft Edge is a much better option than removing it entirely, especially if you ever wish to re-enable it back in the future easily.
With this method, as its name implies, we will be getting to the root of the Microsoft Edge files on your machine using File Explorer. Wherein which we have the options to remove as well as disable Microsoft Edge. To do as such will involve renaming a few Microsoft Edge related files.
We will show you step-by-step on how to do it:
- Using your File Explorer, copy-paste the following path into its address bar (as shown below):
C:\Windows\
- Next, go through the list of files in the folder and locate the Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder in particular. Once you’ve found it, right-click on it and then select its Properties.
- Now, from under the General tab, you will want to check the Read-only option right next to Attributes. Then hit Apply and OK.
- Next, go back and open the Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder and make sure this time from the View tab (above) that the File name extensions option is checked.
- Now, you will need to locate both the MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe files which should be in the Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder that you opened in Step 2. Rename these files MicrosoftEdge.old and MicrosoftEdgeCP.old, respectively. Renaming these files does not just change the extensions of the files but also changes the functionality of these files, which should render and disable Microsoft Edge. You can choose to remove these files as they are associated with Microsoft Edge, but it’s best not. For a safer way, try either Method 1 or Method 2 (above) to remove Microsoft Edge safely.
The great thing about this method is that you can easily enable Microsoft Edge back merely by following the Steps 1-5 and renaming MicrosoftEdge.old and MicrosoftEdgeCP.old back to MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe respectively.
Help! I cannot change the extensions of both MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe files?
This is a pretty common problem, and it is merely because you’ve not taken ownership of the file to have the permission to take such actions with the files. In other words, you will need administrator access.
Here’s what you do
- Go back to Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder by following Steps 1 and 2 (above) and then once again choose Properties.
- Now, instead of the General tab, select the Security tab and then click on the Advanced button.
- From under the Advanced Security Settings window that pops up, look for the Owner, and you should see a blue-colored link that reads to Change. Click on Change.
- On the window which pops up, select the Enter the object name to select box and enter Administrators. You can always make sure to Check Names to see if you’re using an administrator account to identify what’s your account name. Pretty handy feature! You may find that after clicking on Check Names that the Administrators that you entered into the box takes up a different name. Fret not, as this is normal. 🙂 Hit OK.
- Next, go back to the Advanced Security Settings window from Step 3, and then right next to Owner, you should find that that it should show up as Administrators. Congrats! It works. You will need to make sure that the box next to Replace owner on subcontainers and objects is checked. Once checked, hit Apply and OK to save the changes. Exit the Advanced Security Settings window.
- Now on your Properties window from Step 2, go back under the Security tab and then select the Administrators from the list under Group or user names and select Edit.
- What you will want to do here is make sure that you select the Administrators and then from under the Permissions for Administrators that you check the Allow box for Full control. Hit Apply and OK.
This should rectify the issue and allow you to change the extensions of both MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe files.
Alternatively
Since the above method can be tedious for some, you can also use the shortcut, which involves using the Command Prompt on your machine.
- Using Windows Search (bottom-left) search for Command Prompt. Right-click on Command Prompt from the search results and choose to Run as administrator. You can also press both your Windows + X keys and then select Command Prompt (Admin).
- Next, you will need to copy-paste the two lines of code below, one-by-one and making sure you hit Enter after you hit before entering the next:
takeown /f C:WindowsSystemAppsMicrosoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe
icacls C:WindowsSystemAppsMicrosoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe /grant administrators:f
- Once you’ve entered both, you should be able to proceed with changing the extensions of both MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe files and effectively disabling Microsoft Edge for good with the option to re-enable it anytime in the future.
And this wraps up our article for today. We hope that this guide has helped you uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. Thank you for reading this helpful article and for your continuous support. If you have questions related to this topic, please feel free to leave a comment below, and we will love to help you out. ❤
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