How to Fix Microsoft Edge Not Opening?

Microsoft Edge is a popular web browser that comes pre-installed on Windows 10. It offers a sleek and modern interface, as well as a variety of features such as built-in Cortana integration and a reading mode. However, like any other software, it can sometimes encounter issues and fail to open. If you’re facing this problem, don’t worry, as we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll discuss some troubleshooting steps to fix Microsoft Edge not opening.

Why Is Microsoft Edge Not Opening?

Before we dive into the solutions, let’s first understand why Microsoft Edge may not be opening in the first place. There could be several reasons for this, including:

• Corrupted or outdated browser files
• Conflicting software or extensions
• Network connectivity issues
• Outdated Windows 10 version
• Corrupted user profile

Now that we know the possible causes, let’s move on to the solutions.

Solution 1: Restart Your Computer

Sometimes, a simple restart can fix many software-related issues, including Microsoft Edge not opening. This is because restarting your computer clears the memory and closes any conflicting processes that may be preventing the browser from opening. So, before trying any other solutions, try restarting your computer and see if it resolves the issue.

Solution 2: Clear Browsing Data

If restarting your computer didn’t work, the next step is to clear your browsing data. This includes cookies, cache, and history, which can sometimes get corrupted and cause issues with the browser. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots in the top-right corner.
2. Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
3. In the Settings menu, click on “Privacy, search, and services” in the left sidebar.
4. Under “Clear browsing data”, click on “Choose what to clear”.
5. Check the boxes next to “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files”.
6. Click on “Clear now” to clear your browsing data.

Once the process is complete, restart your computer and try opening Microsoft Edge again.

Solution 3: Update Windows 10

An outdated Windows 10 version can also cause issues with Microsoft Edge. To check for updates, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen.
2. Click on the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
3. In the Settings menu, click on “Update & Security”.
4. Click on “Check for updates” and wait for the process to complete.
5. If there are any updates available, click on “Download and install” to update your Windows 10 version.

Once the update is complete, restart your computer and try opening Microsoft Edge again.

Solution 4: Reset Microsoft Edge

If the above solutions didn’t work, you can try resetting Microsoft Edge. This will reset the browser to its default settings and can fix any issues caused by corrupted or outdated files. To reset Microsoft Edge, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu and type “Apps & features” in the search bar.
2. Click on “Apps & features” from the search results.
3. In the Apps & features menu, search for Microsoft Edge and click on it.
4. Click on “Advanced options” under the app name.
5. Scroll down and click on “Reset”.
6. Click on “Reset” again to confirm.

Once the process is complete, restart your computer and try opening Microsoft Edge again.

Solution 5: Create a New User Profile

If none of the above solutions worked, the issue may be with your user profile. To check if this is the case, you can create a new user profile and see if Microsoft Edge opens in the new profile. To create a new user profile, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu and click on the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
2. In the Settings menu, click on “Accounts”.
3. In the left sidebar, click on “Family & other users”.
4. Under “Other users”, click on “Add someone else to this PC”.
5. Follow the prompts to create a new user profile.
6. Log into the new user profile and try opening Microsoft Edge.

If Microsoft Edge opens in the new user profile, it means that the issue is with your old user profile. You can either continue using the new profile or try fixing your old profile by following these steps:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to “C:\Users\OldProfileName”.
2. Copy all the files and folders from the old profile folder.
3. Navigate to “C:\Users\NewProfileName”.
4. Paste the files and folders into the new profile folder.
5. When prompted, click on “Replace the files in the destination”.
6. Log out of the new profile and log back into your old profile.
7. Try opening Microsoft Edge again.

Solution 6: Disable Extensions

If you have any extensions installed in Microsoft Edge, they could be causing conflicts and preventing the browser from opening. To check if this is the case, you can try disabling all extensions and see if Microsoft Edge opens. To disable extensions, follow these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots in the top-right corner.
2. Select “Extensions” from the drop-down menu.
3. Click on the toggle switch next to each extension to disable them.
4. Once all extensions are disabled, restart your computer and try opening Microsoft Edge again.

If Microsoft Edge opens, it means that one of the extensions was causing the issue. You can then enable the extensions one by one to identify the problematic one.

Solution 7: Reinstall Microsoft Edge

If none of the above solutions worked, you can try reinstalling Microsoft Edge. This will remove any corrupted or outdated files and install a fresh version of the browser. To reinstall Microsoft Edge, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu and type “PowerShell” in the search bar.
2. Right-click on “Windows PowerShell” from the search results and select “Run as administrator”.
3. In the PowerShell window, type the following command and press Enter:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}

1. Wait for the process to complete and then restart your computer.

Conclusion

Microsoft Edge is a great web browser, but like any other software, it can sometimes encounter issues. If you’re facing the problem of Microsoft Edge not opening, try the solutions mentioned in this article. If none of them work, you can contact Microsoft support for further assistance. We hope this article helped you fix the issue and get back to browsing with Microsoft Edge.