Microsoft will finally let Windows 10 and 11 users uninstall the Edge browser, but only if you live in the European Union. Although you can alter regional settings to delete Edge from Windows 10 or 11 in other countries, it is a relatively complex solution that might scare off an inexperienced user. Luckily, there is now an app to automate the process.
MSEdgeRedirect, a popular third-party app for fixing Edge-related annoyances in Windows, has been updated to version 0.7.5.1. It is now available for download from GitHub with a dedicated "Europe Mode" and a few extra bug fixes.
According to the developer, Europe Mode in MSEdgeRedirect changes your device region to one of the supported countries where uninstalling Edge does not require messing with the operating system"s internals. It should also enable additional liberties, such as turning off web search, third-party search providers, Narrator scripting extensions, and more.
Modifications made by MSEdgeRedirect should survive Windows updates and work as a permanent solution. A future MSEdgeRedirect update will bring another method that involves changing ownership and modifying one of the system files so that Windows thinks your real country is a member of the European Union, thus allowing you to uninstall Edge with a few clicks while leaving regional settings intact.
Finally, here are the bug fixes version 0.7.5.1 introduces:
- Adds Europe Mode (1 of 2 Methods Implemented)
- Adds Stock Decoder (not yet used, thanks @whamer100)
- Improves Installer UX Flow
- Removes leftover legacy files
- Removes Darksky for Weather (thanks Apple...)
- Adds rounded corner support (not yet used)
- Adds StartPage for Image Search
- Adds Locale Support for Windy.com
- Fixes bug where Edge would not close
- Adds Locale Support for Weather.com
- Cleans up some forgotten allocated resources
- Adds Placeholder support in Custom Search URLs (use %query%)
- Adds support for any Ie_to_edge_stub.exe location
- Adds Placeholder support in Custom Image Search URLs (use %query%)
- Adds Recursion Failure Logging to help debug for 1.0.0.0
- Adds Unsafe Flag Block Logging to help debug for 1.0.0.0
- Restores being able to Redirect Bing Chat instead of just disabling
- Fixes Recursion Prevention making assumptions about command line parameters
- Adds Placeholder support in Custom Weather URLs for Latitude, Longitude, and Locale (use %lat%, %long%, and %locale% respectively)
- Fixes --win-session-start and other command line parameters being handled as webpages
- Fixes Active Mode File Handling (except for PDFs). Local files attempting to open in Edge will now open in Edge
You can download MSEdgeRedirect from its repository on GitHub.
Important: Always mind the potential risks of modifying your Windows installation using third-party apps or scripts. Back up important data before proceeding. Alternatively, you can remove Microsoft Edge from Windows 10 and 11 using a method that relies on manual registry modifications.