Can you fully delete the Edge browser? Should you?

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LANGALIST By Fred Langa The answer is yes, no, and maybe, depending on exactly what you’re trying to do and what risks you’re willing to take. You’ll
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abbodi86, lmacri

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It is more than a little annoying that even though I have configured Firefox to be my default browser clicking on links for information (e.g., in Settings) will bring up Edge instead of my browser of choice.

Will “neutering” Edge stop this intrusive behavior?

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I use Chrome as default bowser. Never seen Edge open links.

Try EdgeDeflector

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If only I was as lucky!

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I have Firefox as my default browser, and when I click on links in Settings, they’re always opened in Firefox (whether or not Firefox is actually open at the time), not Edge, so it’s obviously possible to avoid the intrusive behaviour you mentioned, somehow

All I’ve done (that I can recall) is to set Firefox as the default browser in Apps/Default Apps/Web Browser

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That’s what I did also.  But Edge still opens for links in Settings.  Uggh!

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I’ve just gone back and tried a few more links, and… surprise surprise, a lot of mine don‘t respect the default browser setting after all

I guess I must have just been lucky with the first few I clicked…

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I took a look at the associations between file types, protocols and apps.  There are still a few that are associated with Edge but naturally Windows 10 won’t let me change them to Firefox in the UI.  Typical MS behavior.

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I’m using Edge Defelector.
Search the Forums here for information and download  the link.
You use it as the default protocol instead of the Edge browser in Default Apps\Protocol (link).
Seems to work.

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I’ve been using Edge as my primary browser for quite some time now. Wny?

Functionally, I’ve not found anything it cannot do that Chrome or Firefox can (and I have both installed).

Mainly, however, it is this: Microsoft makes money selling you software; Google makes money selling you.

1 user thanked author for this post.

RockE

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Everyone uses your personal data for its own profit, including Microsoft.

 

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/study-reveals-android-phones-constantly-snoop-on-their-users/?sa=1#cid21363

 

Keep you personal settings as tight as possible, basically answer NO to every question raised on the internet

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anonymous wrote:

Everyone uses your personal data for its own profit, including Microsoft.

Any examples of Microsoft profiting from your personal data?

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• advertising ID
• tailored experiences (personalized tips, ads)

Microsoft is paid for showing ads and for promoting software (via Store for example).

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Can you fully delete the Edge browser?

You could previous to 21H1 september cumulative udate and neutralise it’s function leaving room for less intimidating browsers.

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msedgewebview2 is core part of Windows 11 new UI, it shoud not be removed

the regular Edge Chromium browser itself can be safely removed

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One more thing Edge does in Windows 10 — it’s the default way to display PDF documents. I know, that’s easy to fix, but it’s one more argument against totally removing Edge.

Personally, I use Chrome Beta from Google, but if a link or an app calls up Edge, I don’t scream and curse — much. Firefox is a good browser for some sites in Linux, but I don’t like it for Windows.

-- rc primak

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IMHO, the Answers are Yes and Absolutely. Edge is not a good browser. We have completely removed it from ALL PCs here and we have experienced zero negative side effects that we are aware of. No Chromium based browser will ever be installed here.

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anonymous wrote:

Edge is not a good browser.
…
No Chromium based browser will ever be installed here.

What’s bad about Edge/Chromium?

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MHCLV941, rc primak

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I wonder if one could replace the contents of

“C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe”

with the contents of a different browser’s executable directory, and rename it to ‘msedge.exe’.

The idea would be to trick the system into running your preferred browser when it thinks it is launching Edge.

???

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See https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/removing-built-in-apps-from-win10-2004-20h2-21h1/ (Also pertains to 21H2)

Try MSEdgeRedirect
https://github.com/rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect/releases

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anonymous wrote:

IMHO, the Answers are Yes and Absolutely. Edge is not a good browser. We have completely removed it from ALL PCs here and we have experienced zero negative side effects that we are aware of. No Chromium based browser will ever be installed here.

Please specify where “here” is so those of us not operating on an emotional level can avoid it.

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WSJahnTee wrote:

I wonder if one could replace the contents of

“C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe”

with the contents of a different browser’s executable directory, and rename it to ‘msedge.exe’.

The idea would be to trick the system into running your preferred browser when it thinks it is launching Edge.

???

Feel free to try it out and report back.

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<span class=”bbp-author-name”>MHCLV941</span> wrote: “Feel free to try it out and report back.”

Hmphf. I was hoping to pique someone else’s interest and they would try it out.

I did. It “kind of” works, somewhat.

Win 10 21H2.

In C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge:

– renamed Application to xxxApplication

– copied “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox” to “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge”

– renamed  “Mozilla Firefox” to “Application”

– In the renamed “Application”, renamed firefox.exe to msedge.exe

Now if I click Start and type Edge + enter, Firefox opens.

However… As expected, other squirrelly things happen, such as: clink the weather icon in the task bar, then click a link to a news article –> a ‘Choose an application to open microsoft-edge link’ dialog pops. (note the hypen…) If you select the Firefox icon  called msedge.exe, and Choose, a blank page opens.

I stopped here.

I hope this will pique someone else’s interest and they will finish investigating!

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Latest (?) Edge Annoyance, just discovered after the update to browser v. 112 — because I almost never use Edge and never liked it: the intrusive and distracting Search Bar that stays-resident-on-the-desktop after the browser is closed.  Apparent cure here: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/203448-disable-microsoft-edge-desktop-search-bar-startup-windows-10-a.html

But clicking on their download link just brought up a copy of the article page, so I copied and saved the Reg code to a Reg file and just used that.  Seems to have worked — so far.

[Comments here are older, but wasn’t sure whether or not this reached a level to qualify as a Public Defender tip ?]

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If you dismiss the search bar it won’t appear again when updating Edge.

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