Almost all major web browsers out there come with an option to reset browser settings to their defaults with a click. This is true for Microsoft’s own Internet Explorer browser as well. But the new Edge browser from Microsoft doesn’t offer a reset all settings to their defaults option for some reason.
The reset to default functionality comes in handy when the browser is not working as it is supposed to. Since Microsoft Edge is a built-in web browser, there is no proper way to reinstall Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 to fix issues.
Luckily, even though there is no reset option offered in Edge, there is a manual way to reset Microsoft Edge settings to their defaults.
NOTE: Users who don’t want to go through this lengthy procedure can use a third-party tool called Edge Reset Button to reset Edge browser settings.
IMPORTANT: You might lose your favourite, settings, history and passwords saved in Microsoft Edge.
Resetting Microsoft Edge settings to their defaults
Step 1: Close Microsoft Edge, if it’s running. If you have saved passwords in Edge, it’s a good idea to backup or export passwords from Microsoft Edge.
Step 2: Open File Explorer. Click the View tab and then check Hidden items checkbox to see all hidden files and folders.
Step 3: Navigate to the following directory:
C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Packages
Where “C” is the drive where Windows 10 is installed, and UserName is your account name.
Step 4: Locate Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe, and open it up by double-clicking on it.
Step 5: Select all files and folders inside Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder and press Delete key to delete all content. If you see any confirmation dialog, click Yes button.
If you are unable to delete the AppData, let it be there.
Step 6: Close running programs. Reboot your PC once.
Step 7: We now need to re-register Microsoft Edge. To do so, open Windows PowerShell with admin rights by typing PowerShell in Start/taskbar search, right-clicking on Windows PowerShell in search results, and then clicking Run as administrator option.
Click Yes button when you see UAC prompt.
Step 8: In the PowerShell window, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter key to execute the same.
cd C:\Users\YourUserName
In the above command, replace YourUserName with your account user name. Also, if Windows 10 is installed on a drive other than “C”, please replace “C” with the correct drive letter.
Step 9: Finally, copy and paste the following command into PowerShell window and then hit Enter key.
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}
That’s it! You just reset Microsoft Edge browser to default.
If Edge is not opening or working even after resetting it, try resetting your Windows 10 PC.
