In this tutorial, we will show you how to disable the Edge bar in Microsoft Edge on a Windows 11/10 computer. Edge bar (formerly known as Web Widget) is a Microsoft Edge feature that you can use to check weather information, stock quotes, see news headlines, search the web and open webpages in the Edge browser, and more. You can easily enable and use the Edge bar in Microsoft Edge as there is a dedicated page under Settings of Microsoft Edge for it. But those who don’t use the Edge bar and want to disable it can try a simple trick that we have covered in this tutorial.
After you have disabled the Edge bar in Microsoft Edge, Open Edge bar, automatically open Edge bar when the computer starts, etc., options will be greyed out on the Edge bar Settings page – and, you will see a message that your browser is managed by your organization. Also, you won’t be able to launch the Edge bar from its Settings page, the More tools section available in the Settings menu, etc. This change can be permanent for as long as you want. You can also enable the Edge bar in Microsoft Edge anytime you need it.
How to disable Edge bar in Windows 11/10
To disable the Edge bar in Microsoft Edge on a Windows 11/10 computer, you need to use a Registry trick. Therefore, we recommend you backup your Windows Registry before trying that trick. When it is done, you need to use the following steps:
- Open Windows Registry Editor
- Jump to Microsoft key
- Create an Edge key
- Create a WebWidgetAllowed value
- Re-launch Microsoft Edge.
Let’s see all these steps in detail.
Use the Search box of Windows 11/10, type regedit, and then use the Enter key to open Windows Registry Editor.
After opening the Registry Editor, jump to the Microsoft name Registry key using the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft
In the Microsoft key, you have to create a new Registry key, and name it Edge.
Now use the right-hand section of the Edge Registry key. Open the right-click menu there and click on the DWORD (32-bit) Value option present under the New section of right-click menu. After creating the new DWORD value, rename it to WebWidgetAllowed.
Finally, restart the Microsoft Edge browser if you have opened it. This will completely disable the Edge bar and all its options.
When you want to enable the Edge bar again, you can follow the steps covered above, and then remove the Edge Registry key. After that, restart Microsoft Edge, and you can turn on or launch the Edge bar once again and use all its options.
I hope this helps.
Also read: Edit an image before downloading in Microsoft Edge using Built-in Image Editor.
How do I stop the Microsoft Edge toolbar?
If you want to customize the toolbar in Microsoft Edge, then you can access the Appearance setting present on the Settings page of Microsoft Edge. There is a Customize toolbar section where you can adjust various settings like the show/hide Home button, Extensions button, Favorites button, History button in the toolbar, toggle show sidebar, show/hide tab actions menu, Math Solver button, hide title bar while in vertical tabs, and more.
Read: Difference between Microsoft Edge Bar, Edge Sidebar and Edge Office Bar explained
How do I turn on the bar in Microsoft Edge?
If you want to turn on the Edge bar option in Microsoft Edge, then you can do this using the following steps:
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser
- Type
edge://settingsin the address bar - Press the Enter key
- Click on the Edge bar setting available on the left section
- Click on the Open Edge bar option.
When the Edge bar is opened, you can bring it up on top of any opened application using the Win+Shift+F hotkey. And, to close the Edge bar, either click on the Close icon available on its floating sidebar or right-click its system tray icon, and use the Quit option.
Read next: How to use Microsoft Edge Drop to Share files.
