This post will help you if your Microsoft Edge browser won’t open on Windows 11/10. This might have happened after upgrading Windows 11/10 to a new version or for any other reason. This post will help you in any of the following scenarios –
Microsoft Edge opens and closes after some time
Microsoft Edge opens but only a blank screen is visible with Microsoft Edge logo in the center and then the window closes
Microsoft Edge doesn’t open certain webpages, or
Edge browser is not opening at all, etc.
Microsoft Edge won’t open on Windows 11/10
If Microsoft Edge is not working or opening on Windows 11/10, you can try the fixes mentioned below in this post:
- Clear browsing data
- Update Microsoft Edge
- Close background processes of Microsoft Edge using Task Manager
- Reset Microsoft Edge Settings
- Scan your PC for virus or malware
- Repair Microsoft Edge Chromium.
Do note that since you cannot launch Edge browser normally, you may need to start Windows in Safe Mode or perform Clean Boot. and then try to launch Edge. You may also need to run Edge browser in Safe Mode by executing the following command in CMD:
start msedge –inprivate
Go through the list and see which of them may apply in your case.
Edge browser not opening
1] Clear browsing data
If Microsoft Edge opens but you can’t open webpages or it stops after some time, then clearing browsing data of Microsoft Edge might help fix it.
You will be able to select the time range (All time, last 7 days, last 24 hours, etc.) and items to clear. You can clear Cached images and files, Cookies and other site data, browsing history, Hosted app data, etc. When the clearing process is completed, re-launch Microsoft Edge.
If this method does not work for you, you may need to use Disk Cleanup Tool or a freeware like CCleaner to delete all the browser cache.
2] Update Microsoft Edge
Sometimes, an older version of a program also causes problems like the program won’t work properly or keep on crashing. The same could be the reason in the case of Microsoft Edge. Therefore, updating Microsoft Edge to the latest version is helpful.
- Launch Edge browser
- Press Alt+F hotkey to open Settings and more menu
- Access Help and Feedback
- Click on About Microsoft Edge.
Alternatively, you can type edge://settings/help in the address bar and press enter to open the About page.
On that page, it will automatically check for updates, download and install them. After updating, re-launch Microsoft Edge, and your problem should be gone now.
Fix: Microsoft Edge High Memory Usage.
3] Close running processes of Microsoft Edge using Task Manager
It might be possible that some processes of Edge browser are running in the background which might be causing this issue that Microsoft Edge won’t open or keeps crashing. So, you just need to find and end those running processes.
For this, open Task Manager, and access the Processes tab. Scroll down to find any running process of Microsoft Edge. Select that process and use the End task button. Repeat the same if there are other running processes of Edge browser.
After that, open Microsoft Edge, and see if it works properly.
Read: Microsoft Edge won’t close
4] Reset Microsoft Edge Settings
Corrupt settings might also cause Microsoft Edge to stop working properly. If this is the case, then you should reset Microsoft Edge to default settings.
It will reset the new tab page, pinned tabs, default search engine, clear cookies, startup page, etc. Your saved passwords, browsing history, and favorites are not deleted by this option. Only settings are cleared to their default values.
If this method does not work for you, then in your normal mode, ensure that Edge processes are all closed via the Task Manager as mentioned above.
Then open File Explorer and navigate to the following folder:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data
Locate the profile folder named as Default. Rename it to Default-old.
Close Explorer and now see if you can start Edge.
When you do this, the browser settings and user preferences will have got reset.
5] Scan your PC for virus or malware
Virus or malware corrupts system files as well as make programs unstable. If some malware has infected Microsoft Edge or your system, then you must perform a thorough scan to find and delete viruses and malware.
You must always install some good antivirus software for your PC. Also, you must enable real-time protection for your PC by accessing the settings of your antivirus program. Your antivirus program must also be updated to the latest version.
6] Repair Microsoft Edge
Windows 11
To reinstall or repair the Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 11, do the following:
- Press Win+I to open Windows 11 Settings
- Select App settings
- On the right side, click on Apps and features
- Search for Edge in the Apps list
- When Microsoft Edge appears, click on the 3-dotted link
- From the flyout select Modify
- Finally, click on Repair to start the reinstallation of the Edge browser.
Windows 10
If nothing works, then you should repair Microsoft Edge via Settings and see.
Open Settings > Apps > Apps and features and search for Edge. Press Modify.
In the box that opens, click Repair.
This will repair Edge, and you will see a new icon placed on the desktop.
Alternatively, you could download Edge and run the installer.
If you are not much into troubleshooting and want to get it quickly resolved, this suggestion is good. If you have enabled history sync, it should not take much time to get you started with it.
Hope these options will work for you.
