Why there are Two “Microsoft Edge” Entries in Default Apps

Though the legacy Microsoft Edge has been entirely replaced by Edge Chromium, even on Windows 10 21H2 computers, you may see two “Microsoft Edge” entries in Default Apps.

The first one in the above image is the New Microsoft Edge (Edge Chromium), and the second one showing a blank icon is the legacy Microsoft Edge. Since the binaries for the legacy Edge are removed from the computer, it’s showing up as a blank icon. So what you see is only the remnant entry.

Running the following PowerShell command would show that the package for legacy Edge exists on the computer:

get-appxpackage *MicrosoftEdge*

Output:

Name              : Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge
Publisher         : CN=Microsoft Corporation, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US
Architecture      : Neutral
ResourceId        :
Version           : 44.19041.1266.0
PackageFullName   : Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_44.19041.1266.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe
InstallLocation   : C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe
IsFramework       : False
PackageFamilyName : Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe
PublisherId       : 8wekyb3d8bbwe
IsResourcePackage : False
IsBundle          : False
IsDevelopmentMode : False
NonRemovable      : True
IsPartiallyStaged : False
SignatureKind     : System
Status            : Ok

No matter which Microsoft Edge you set as default in Default Apps, it always launches Edge Chromium. Regardless of the PowerShell output, on most systems, the binaries for the legacy Edge are removed, and the legacy Edge’s package folder contains only some XML files:

C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe

The system would any way launch the new Edge no matter which protocol you use: http, https, microsoft-edge.

However, there are exceptions! On some 21H1 and 21H2 systems, the binaries of the legacy Edge may still be intact. On those systems, the microsoft-edge: protocol may launch the new Edge Chromium but with the command-line parameters used by legacy Edge.

For instance, if you run the command microsoft-edge:https://www.google.com from the Run dialog or Command Prompt, it would launch Edge Chromium to the following Bing search page.

--disable-quic --edge-redirect=Windows.Protocol microsoft-edge:https://www.google.com

The --disable-quic is not a valid command-line argument for Edge Chromium. It’s applicable for legacy Edge only. It means that the microsoft-edge protocol association is still pointing to the old Edge.

Resolution

To resolve the issue of microsoft-edge: protocol redirecting to the legacy Edge application, you may remove the legacy Edge from Default Apps.

Download the following registry file (“remove_legacy_edge.reg”).

Double-click the Registry file to unregister legacy Microsoft Edge from Default Apps.

(Note that the registry file doesn’t remove any ProgIDs belonging to legacy Edge; it just removes the entries responsible for displaying it in Default Apps. Hopefully, the next Microsoft Windows 10 Feature Update will completely remove the Edge classic/legacy version.)

Once done, open Default Apps and set Microsoft Edge (Chromium) as the default browser.

Additional Information

Edge legacy and Edge Chromium – Running side by side?

When you install or receive the new Microsoft Edge on your Windows 10 device, it should replace Microsoft Edge Legacy. However, there are a few reasons why you might see the new Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Edge Legacy on your Windows 10 device simultaneously:

• You might have installed the new Microsoft Edge without administrator privileges.
• If your device is managed by your organization, your organization might have intentionally turned on the Microsoft Edge side-by-side experience.
• Contact your administrator for more information regarding the side-by-side experience.

See also: Why do I see two different versions of Microsoft Edge on my device?