How to Reset, Repair or Reinstall Edge Web Browser

Sometimes, web browsers may need a complete reset — to revert to the default settings especially in the aftermath and removal of a browser-based attack, search hijack, PUA, PUP or Adware infection. We recently saw how to reset Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox manually. This post tells you how to reset Microsoft Edge completely and start afresh.

Reset Microsoft Edge (Chromium)

Using the built-in Reset option

Microsoft Edge profile settings can be reset using the built-in Reset option. To reset your Edge profile, open this link in the browser:

edge://settings/resetProfileSettings

You’ll see the following message:

This will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history and saved passwords will not be cleared.

Click on the Reset button.

Note that the above method preserves your saved passwords, bookmarks, and history.

Reset Edge Chromium manually

You can reset your Microsoft Edge (Chromium) browser profile completely using these steps:

Note: The following method completely resets your Edge profile settings, cookies, bookmarks, history, saved forms and passwords, etc.

1. Open Microsoft Edge (Chromium) and open the about://version page.
2. Note down the Profile Path location. It may look like the following:

   C:\Users\ramesh\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default

3. Open the profile path location in File Explorer.
4. Close all instances of Microsoft Edge. This is important.
5. Rename the profile folder (e.g., Default to Default-OLD)
   
6. Start Microsoft Edge Chromium now. You’ll see the 1st start screen.
   

You’ve now reset your Microsoft Edge (Chromium) browser profile completely. The cookies, bookmarks, history, temporary internet files, local storage cache, and everything is now cleared. When you sync your data back, you’ll get back your bookmarks and other data (e.g., Settings, addresses, forms, passwords, extensions, and collections — if you’ve enabled syncing of those items).

Reset old Microsoft Edge

Clear Edge Browsing History and Cache

Every major Web browser has a reset option to restore default settings in a jiffy. For instance, Internet Explorer Options has a feature to quickly Reset Internet Explorer Settings in a couple of mouse clicks. Microsoft Edge doesn’t have a similar GUI option, yet. You can clear most of the stuff though, by deleting the following browsing history items via Edge Settings (Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Del):

• Browsing history
• Cookies and saved website data
• Cached data and files
• Download history
• Form data
• Passwords
• Media licenses
• Pop-up exceptions
• Location permissions
• Full-screen permissions
• Notifications permissions

Clearing the above, however, won’t reset other items such as your Favorites, search hijack registry entries and other browser settings. To clear those items, you’ll need to complete the comprehensive reset procedure described below.

Repair and Reset Edge via Settings (1709 and up)

In Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (v1709 Build 16299), you can Reset or Repair Edge via the Apps and Features page via Settings. Use these steps:

1. 1. Click Start, click Settings. Or use Winkey + i to open Settings.
   2. Click Apps, and under Apps & Features
   3. Select Microsoft Edge, and click Advanced Options.
   4. In the “Storage usage and app reset” page for Edge, click Repair to repair Edge without losing the app’s data.
   5. If you want to reset Edge so that your cookies, browsing history, and cache are reset, click the Reset button. Note that favorites will be preserved.

      

As said earlier, these two options are available if you have Fall Creators Update (or higher) installed.

Reset Microsoft Edge Manually (v1703 and earlier)

Step 1: Clear Edge user data folders

Resetting Edge may be necessary if its performance is sluggish despite clearing the cache. No reset option exists up in the Creators Update and earlier builds. If you’re running the earlier builds, you can use the following method to complete reset the Edge web browser for your user account.

Note: The following procedure will reset Microsoft Edge settings & data completely. Items that are cleared include the Reading list, Favorites, Web Notes, Developer Tools preferences, Cache, Cookies, ePub Bookmarks, and other data and preferences for Edge.

• Close all instances of Microsoft Edge
• Open the following folder:

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe

The above folder stores the entire user content related to Microsoft Edge, including the Favorites database file Spartan.edb. It’s advisable to backup all sub-folders above to a different location. It’s worth noting that as of Windows 10 Redstone 2 (aka Creators Update), Microsoft Edge has an option to import or export favorites to a HTML file.

• Delete all the sub-folders under Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe directory after backing them up to a safe location.

Step 2: Delete Microsoft Edge registry key to clear user settings

Pretty much every user preference or setting configured via Edge’s user interface is stored in the registry. Let’s say, you dismiss Edge’s multiple tabs close warning dialog box with the “do not show again” checkbox enabled. This preference is stored in the registry.

You can delete the following registry key to revert back the factory default settings for Microsoft Edge. It can be useful in the case of search hijacks or PUA infection in Microsoft Edge.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppContainer\Storage\microsoft.microsoftedge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\MicrosoftEdge

Download reset-edge-registry-settings.zip, unzip, and run the enclosed registry file to reset Edge registry settings. If you want to do that manually, use these steps:

1. Start the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and navigate to the above location.
   
2. Right-click MicrosoftEdge key and choose Export. Save it to a .REG file.
3. Right-click MicrosoftEdge key and choose Delete.
4. Exit the Registry Editor.
5. After clearing the Microsoft Edge data folder, you’ll have to reinstall Edge using PowerShell. That would regenerate the Microsoft Edge user data folders which we deleted earlier.

Reinstall Microsoft Edge using PowerShell

Start PowerShell.exe as administrator, and execute the following command:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

This reinstalls Microsoft Edge.

Edge is now reset and reloaded.

Starting Microsoft Edge would now load the First-run or the Welcome page.