Updated April 6, 2025
Keeping your web browser clean and free of adware and junk can be daunting. With malicious extensions and corrupt website ads, maintaining your browser's safety can be tough. So here is how to clean up and reset Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft recently decided to revamp its Edge browser and start all over completely. Well, kind of. The original Edge browser was poorly received and did not get much support from third-party developers. It had problems all the way around.
Everyone has heard the phrase "If you can't beat them, join them". Microsoft did just that with Edge. Since Google uses the open-source browser project Chromium as a base for Chrome, Microsoft decided to do the same thing with Edge.
Cleaning up and resetting Edge
Some of the settings inside Edge are the same as those in Chrome. You can even use extensions from the Chrome Web Store (more about this later in this article). However, there are some differences between the two browsers.
All settings for cleaning up and resetting Edge are in the Settings and more pull-down menu in the upper-right hand corner (three horizontal dots).
The first place we want to go to is Settings. You will find seventeen (17) categories: Profiles - Privacy, search, and services - Appearance - Copilot and sidebar - Start, home, and new tab page - Share, copy, and paste - Cookies and site permissions - Default browser - Languages - Downloads - Accessibility - System and performance - Family safety - Printers - Phone and other devices - Reset settings - About Microsoft Edge.
Profiles
The first category is Profiles, which is where you set up synchronizing your data across devices. As with other browsers, you can sync your data like passwords, payment information, address, etc. You can also import data from another browser here.
Privacy, search, and services
The second category is Privacy, search, and services, and it has several essential sections. These include Tracking prevention, Delete browsing data, Privacy, Required diagnostic data, Optional diagnostic data, Personalization & advertising, Security, and Search and connected experiences. Let's take a look at each separately.
Tracking prevention. This is how Edge handles cookies, and the default settings are recommended. You can turn off tracking prevention or completely block all cookies; it is your choice. You can also view the sites you block/allow tracking and turn tracking prevention on or off when using InPrivate mode.
Delete browsing data. As the name implies, this is where you clear the data from Edge. Like other browsers, you can choose what to delete when you close Edge.
On the right-hand side of Clear browsing data now is a button labeled Choose what to clear. When you click on it, a dialog box with several choices will appear.
I go here when a customer calls and tells me that they are having issues with a website not displaying correctly.
On top is the Time range, and below it are all of the different options. I usually set the time range to All time and leave the default selections checked. That often gets a website to work correctly again. Remember that if you clear any passwords or autofill data, it is gone for good, so be careful.
When you click on Choose what to clear every time you close the browser, you bring up a page with several selections. These are personal preferences, but I like clearing the cookies and cache when I close a browser. It is your choice.
Privacy. There are two (2) selections here: Send "Do Not Track" requests and Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved. Again, these are personal preferences, but I would turn on the Do Not Track requests and disable the saved payment feature.
The following three (3) sections, Required diagnostic data, Optional diagnostic data, and Personalization & advertising are personal preferences, so the choice is yours.
The next section is Security. The default settings are completely acceptable. There is a button that you can use to Clear all previously allowed sites and you can provide an alternate DNS service provider if you would like.
Next is Search and connected experiences. The default settings for all of these sections should be perfectly fine. The only one I would look at is the Address bar. Malicious websites and extensions will try to change the default search engine used by a browser. If you do not recognize the search engine being used or want to change it, go into the Manage search engines section and make the changes.
Appearance
The third category is Appearance and is mainly for personal preference. The only area I would look at is the URL under the Home button in the Customize toolbar section. If there is a web page you do not recognize, Edge may have been hijacked. Go ahead and remove any unwanted URL's.
Copilot and sidebar
The next section is Copilot and sidebar. Again, personal preferences are applied here.
Start, home, and new tab page
The next category is Start, home, and new tab page. Here we have some more personal preferences. The one place I would look at for browser hijacking is the When Edge starts and the Home button categories. Again, if you do not recognize or remember adding a page listed here, delete it.
Share, copy, and paste
The next section is Share, copy, and paste. Again, personal preferences are applied here.
Cookies and site permissions
The next category is Cookies and site permissions. This where you set the default actions for different media (JavaScript, images, pop-ups, etc.), hardware (camera, microphone, etc.), and other miscellaneous settings. The default settings are recommended.
Default browser
The next category is Default browser. As the name implies, you can set Edge as your default browser here. Two settings might be of interest if you still use Internet Explorer (IE); Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer (IE mode) and Internet Explorer mode pages. A lot of people still use IE because a website they go to requires ActiveX and since Edge has an IE mode built-in, you just have to enable it.
Languages
The next section is Languages. Again, personal preferences are applied here.
Downloads
The next section is Downloads. Again, personal preferences are applied here.
Accessibility
The following section is Accessibility. Again, personal preferences are applied here.
System and performance
The next category is System and performance, and there is one significant setting here. As with Google Chrome, Edge can continue to run in the background even after you close it. It can also run background apps when Windows starts up. I have seen adware/malware use this setting to run the browser when Windows starts.
I recommend you turn off the Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed feature until you get prompted by an app to enable it.
Family safety
The next category is Family safety. This is part of the Microsoft Family Safety program. You can learn more about it in my blog: How to setup Family Safety for Windows using Microsoft accounts.
Printers
The next category is Printers. The link inside opens the Printers & scanners section inside of the Settings app.
Phone and other devices
The next category is Phone and other devices. This just elaborates on the synchronizing feature discussed in the Profiles category.
Reset settings
The second to the last category is Reset settings. With a couple of clicks, you can reset Edge back to its original default settings. Everything but your favorites, history, and saved passwords will be deleted. Remember, if you reset the settings, you will have to go back and do all of the customization again.
About Microsoft Edge
The last category is About Microsoft Edge. When you open this category, Edge will check for updates. Other than what version of Edge you are running, that is all in this category.
Extensions
The last place we want to check for browser corruption is the Extensions. Go back to the Settings and more pull-down menu, select Extensions, then select Manage extensions. This will open a new tab. Extensions extend the functionality of Edge and usually are perfectly safe. You can install extensions from either the Microsoft Store or the Chrome Web Store.
But there are malicious extensions that want to use your browser for other things, like crypto-mining, for example, behind your back. If there are any extensions listed in the Installed extensions that you do not recognize or do not remember installing, go ahead and disable them. If you do not need or want them, click the Remove link under the extension name.
Repair Edge
When it comes to Edge, the only option you have is repairing it. Since it is built into Windows, you do not have the option of uninstalling it, only repairing it. To repair Edge go to System > Apps > Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features (Windows 10) and scroll down until you find Microsoft Edge. Then click on the three (3) horizontal dots to the right and select Modify.