Recently, after updating the Windows 10 operating system, many users reported that Edge failed to start and kept shutting itself down without any prompts. There can be many reasons for this issue. Start the solutions from the top and work your way down. Note: Edge crashing after the Fall Creators Update (1709) is addressed at the end of the article.
Solution 1: Clean Booting your PC
If it is the first time you are having a problem with Microsoft Edge, it is recommended to restart your computer. If it doesn’t bring any improvement, we can try Clean Booting. This boot allows your PC to turn on with a minimal set of drivers and programs. Only the essential ones are enabled while all the other services are disabled.
Solution 2: Disabling Trusteer Rapport
Trusteer Rapport is a security software designed to protect confidential data from malware and phishing. It has intensive anti-phishing methods implemented and it protects users from almost all kinds of attacks. It immediately alerts suspicious activities and always makes sure that the website is safe before you enter your credentials. It seems that after the Windows update, Trusteer Rapport started conflicting with Microsoft Edge. Its “Early Browser Protection” policy somehow conflicts with Edge and doesn’t allow it to start. We can change the policy or disable Trusteer Rapport and check if Edge works as expected.
Note: You can try uninstalling Trusteer Rapport if changing the policy doesn’t work. It is strongly advised that you check your edge after uninstalling Trusteer before proceeding with the following solutions.
Solution 3: Running System File Checker
System File Checker (SFC) is a utility present in Microsoft Windows which allows the users to scan their computers for corrupt files in their operating system. This tool has been there in Microsoft Windows since Windows 98. It is a very useful tool for diagnosing the problem and checking if any problem is due to corrupt files in windows. We can try running SFC and see if your problem gets solved. You will get one of the three responses when running SFC.
Windows didn’t find any integrity violationsWindows Resource Protection found corrupt files and repaired themWindows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some (or all) of them
If an error was detected and was fixed using the above methods, restart your computer and check if the taskbar started working normally.
Solution 4: Reinstalling Edge
If the repairing of Microsoft Edge doesn’t work, we can try reinstalling it. Since Edge is installed by default on Windows 10, it cannot be uninstalled using the conventional method we use for other applications. We have to navigate to the file location of Edge, take ownership, and deleting the folders. Then we can install Edge again using Powershell.
Solution 4: Changing the Group Policy (Post 1709 Update)
The solutions listed below are written for post-1709 (Creators Fall Update) which caused a lot of problems for edge users. Another aspect that seems to conflict with the Edge browser was the GPO settings regarding “Allow extensions”. It seems that after the update, this setting is not configured properly and causes Edge to crash randomly. We can try editing the policy and check if this fixes anything.
Solution 5: Editing the Registry (Post 1709 Update)
Another workaround for the same problem (Allow extensions) is to edit the registry. This solution is recommended for users who don’t have GPE installed on their machines. This will perform the same functionality as the previous solution. However, you can still give it a shot of the previous one didn’t work. You can even delete the registry value after backing it up by right-clicking the “MicrosoftEdge” folder (at the navigation panel at the left side of the window) and selecting “Export”. This way you can always revert changes if things don’t go as expected.
Solution 6: Adding a Registry Key using Command Prompt (Elevated) (Post 1709 Update)
If all the above solutions don’t work, we can try adding a key using an elevated command prompt into your registry. Do note that this process requires administrator account so don’t try executing it in a limited one. We will add a registry key to users in this method. Make sure to backup or create a restore point before attempting this method. If things don’t work out, you can easily restore the previously saved session of your OS.
Solution 7: Resetting Edge Settings
Another thing to try before we move on to more technical and tedious solutions is resetting Edge settings completely. There are numerous instances where because of some minor problems or technicalities, Edge doesn’t open as expected. The settings are mostly internal and get initialized automatically. These settings may sometimes have some bad configurations which might be conflicting internally. You can easily reset Edge settings using the steps below:
Solution 8: Power-cycling your Computer
Another thing to try is power cycling your computer completely. Power cycling is an act in which you completely restart your computer by removing the power cord as well. This will remove all the temporary settings that your operating system has stored and will reinitialize them. If Edge is not opening because of this, it will be fixed. Save all your work and shut down your computer. Now, take out the power cord from your PC or the battery from your laptop. Press and hold the power button for about 15 seconds before starting your computer again and checking if the issue is resolved and you can use Edge properly.
Solution 9: Creating a new User Account
Another thing which we can try is creating a new user account in your computer. Every Microsoft service is connected to the account you are accessing it with. Its configurations and preferences are bound to the local account. Here, if you have issues with your user account, it can cause Edge not to start as expected. After creating a new user account, restart your computer and log into it and check if Edge works properly.
Solution 10: Reinstall Windows
If none of the above methods work, we can consider reinstalling Windows completely. Edge is pre-installed in Windows and when you reinstall it, everything gets refreshed and gets reinitialized as well. This will erase all your System drive files so make sure you backup all your preferences and other data before proceeding. After repair installing Windows, log into your new account and enjoy Edge. You can restore your data back after you verify that Edge is working as expected.
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