How to Uninstall, or Disable Microsoft Edge on Windows 10?

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Normally I the best way is just ignore Microsoft Edge and go on to use other browsers such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. But after experiencing an issue where a program keeps opening Edge no matter what browser I set as default, yes, it would sometimes be better to completely disable, remove or uninstall Microsoft Edge in Windows 10.

As we know, Microsoft Edge is the default browser for Windows 10. It comes pre-installed as a Windows main components in Windows 10 installation. Obviously, Microsoft wants us to use Microsoft Edge as our default browser, thus, there is no option in “add or remove program” or anywhere in the setting to disable or uninstall Microsoft Edge in Windows 10. We’ll have to remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10 manually using the harder ways.

There are other methods to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Windows 10. They should all work to refrain other software from ever opening Edge again.

How to Disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 10

It’s much easier just to disable Microsoft edge in Windows 10 than removing it completely. As I’ve mentioned above, there's no default option available to disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 10.

The trick here is to rename the Edge’s folder in order that the system and other software couldn’t recognize or find the executable file from its changed path.

To disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 10, follow the steps given below:

Open This PC or Windows Explorer.
Navigate to C:\Windows\SystemApps. Replace C:\ if your Windows 10 was installed in some other drive of your device.
Look for the Microsoft Edge folder, Rename it to any name. For example, Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_disabled.
Restart your computer.
Now that the folder is renamed, any request involving opening Microsoft Edge will fail as the file does not exist in its original path. Therefore, Microsoft Edge will not be used as if it is disabled in Windows 10.

Please keep in mind that the renaming process requires admin privilege to do so. So, make sure you’re logged in with the administrative account before you attempt to rename the Edge folder, else, it won’t allow you to rename the Edge folder.

Also, make sure that all the Microsoft Edge windows and instances are closed and no service relates to Microsoft Edge is currently running while you are renaming the folder. Otherwise, the renaming will fail and will return an error that reads “the action can’t be completed because the folder or a file in it is open in another program”.

How to uninstall Microsoft Edge from your device

If you don’t want Windows to have the ability to open the Microsoft Edge window, the renaming method above to disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 should be sufficient to do the job. If for some reason you would like to completely uninstall Microsoft Edge from Windows 10, you will have to use a tool called Unlocker.

When you navigate to C:\Windows\SystemApps and attempt to delete the entire folder of Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe, it will fail with an error message that says “You require permission from TrustedInstaller to make changes to this folder”.

In order to bypass the permission, here you will need the Unlocker tool. Unlocker will be able to unlock the folder from any permission locking and allow you to delete the folder.

Download Unlocker from iobit.com and install it. When the installation is done, navigate the Microsoft Edge folder in C:\Windows\SystemApps --> Right-click Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder. Select Unlocker from the context menu.

Under Choose an action drop-down menu, select Delete. Then, click on OK. If it requires you to restart your PC, do so. The Microsoft Edge folder will then be deleted from your device.

This method to uninstall Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 should last until the next Windows Update. When Windows Update kicks in, it will scan for missing system files and attempt to install them. Since Microsoft Edge is a part of Windows 10 system files, when it is unable to detect the Edge because you’ve removed Microsoft Edge from Windows 10, Windows Update will automatically install another copy of Microsoft Edge to it's older location.

You will then have to follow the steps shown above as per your need.
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