How To Reset Edge Browser To Default

To reset Edge browser to default, open the browser, click the three-dot menu, select "Settings," navigate to "Reset settings" in the left sidebar, click "Restore settings to their default values," and confirm by clicking "Reset." This process fixes performance problems, crashes, or unwanted changes while keeping your favorites, passwords, and history safe. If you’d rather switch entirely, you can change which browser opens links by default instead.

Before you reset Edge browser to default settings

Knowing what changes and what stays helps set expectations before you begin. When you reset Edge through its settings, the following items are affected:

• Your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs are restored to their default values.
• All extensions are disabled.
• Temporary data, such as cookies and site data, is cleared.

The following items are preserved and will not be deleted during this process:

• Your favorites (bookmarks).
• Your browsing history.
• Your saved passwords.

If you are looking to change which program opens web links, you may want to know how to set Edge as your default browser. That is a separate setting managed through your operating system, not through a browser reset. A browser is the software you use to access the internet, and resetting it fixes issues without affecting your core data.

Method 1: Reset Edge through its own settings

This is the primary, user-friendly method to restore default settings from within the browser's menu.

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the three-dot menu (Settings and more) in the top-right corner.
3. Select "Settings" from the drop-down menu.
4. In the Settings panel, navigate to "Reset settings" in the left sidebar.
5. Click "Restore settings to their default values."
6. A dialog box will appear. Confirm the action by clicking the "Reset" button.
7. Close and relaunch Edge for the changes to take effect.

Method 2: Reset or repair Edge via Windows Settings

Use the system's Apps settings to either repair Edge without data loss or reset it to defaults. The "Repair" option reinstalls Edge without affecting your browser data or settings. The "Reset" option performs a more thorough restoration.

1. Open Windows Settings (press Windows Key + I).
2. Navigate to "Apps" and then "Installed apps."
3. Find "Microsoft Edge" in the list of installed apps and click on it.
4. Click "Advanced options."
5. Under the "Reset" section, you will see two options:
   • Click "Repair" to reinstall Edge while keeping your data and settings unchanged.
   • Click "Reset" to restore Edge to its default configuration. A confirmation dialog may appear; confirm your choice.
6. Close and relaunch Edge after the process completes.

Method 3: Perform a complete reset by clearing Edge data

If a soft reset through settings does not resolve the issue, this advanced method provides a full, clean reset by closing all Edge processes and deleting the browser's data folder.

1. Close all Microsoft Edge windows and processes. Ensure no Edge tasks are running in the background (check Task Manager if needed).
2. Open File Explorer and type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft into the address bar, then press Enter.
3. Locate the "Edge" folder inside this directory.
4. Delete the "Edge" folder. This removes all browser data, including any corrupted files.
5. Restart Microsoft Edge. It will recreate the necessary data files with default settings.

This method clears everything, so your favorites, history, and passwords will be removed. Use it only when other methods have failed.