Microsoft Edge Chromium can be very good compared to its predecessor with better performance and wider cross-platform usability. But you can’t get past the fact that there are other Chromium-based browsers that are ahead in terms of polish and functionality. After trying this, you might be wondering how to completely uninstall Microsoft Edge Chromium from your PC or Mac.
If you don’t like Microsoft Edge Chromium, prefer an alternative web browser, or want to go back to the legacy version of Microsoft Edge, remove it. A complete uninstall also helps you fix serious browser problems. So let’s see how you can do that.
But first, it’s worth looking at your browsing data (especially passwords and bookmarks) and what you need to do to back it up. If that’s not relevant in your case, feel free to skip to the actual uninstall process below.
Backup your browsing data
Are you signed in with a Microsoft account? If so, your data is safely stored in the cloud. And if you want to reinstall Microsoft Edge Chromium later, you’ll get all that data the moment you sign in again.
But before you go ahead and uninstall the web browser, it’s worth taking a moment to go to Edge Settings > Profiles > Sync to verify that the types of browsing data you want to keep safe is actually set to sync with your Microsoft account.
In cases where you don’t have a Microsoft account, your browsing data will remain intact during the uninstall process by default. Regardless, setting your browser to sync to the cloud is a better way to protect your data.
Alternatively, you can choose to export your data for safekeeping, at least your bookmarks and passwords. That’s fine if you don’t intend to create a Microsoft account or plan to switch to another browser anytime soon.
For bookmarks, go to the Edge menu > Favorites > Manage Bookmarks, and then click Export Bookmarks to generate an HTML file. Importing them into any browser is then quite easy. Simply open your browser’s import tool (usually found in your browser’s settings) and then select the HTML file.
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To export your passwords, go to Edge Settings > Profiles > Passwords to generate a CSV file. But passwords are quite difficult to import into another browser. For example, Chrome only allows you to import passwords after you enable the experimental Password Import flag.
However, having a CSV backup should help. You can choose to open it at any time and view your password list manually.
Remember: At the time of writing, browsers like Chrome and Firefox do not offer a way to directly import browsing data from the Chromium version of Edge.
Uninstall Microsoft Edge Chromium — Windows 10
Uninstalling Microsoft Edge Chromium from Windows 10 is quite easy. You can remove it like any other program on your PC. Uninstalling the browser will also restore the legacy version of Edge. But don’t expect any of your browsing data to be there in the old browser.
Step 1: Open the Start menu, type apps and featuresand then click Open.
Step 2: Scroll down to the Apps and features list, select Microsoft Edge, and then click Uninstall. Click Uninstall again on the confirmation popup.
Step 3: Check the box next to ‘Clear your browsing data too?’ if you plan to completely uninstall the browser and don’t want to leave any browsing data behind. Again, click Uninstall.
And that is. Are you ready. If you decided to keep your browsing data local, but later change your mind, start by browsing to the following location:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft
Copy and paste the file path above into the address bar of a File Explorer window. Just make sure you replace it [username] with your Windows 10 username. Press Enter to visit the location.
Finally, right-click the folder named Edge and then click Delete to remove the remnants of Microsoft Edge Chromium. If your data isn’t synced with a Microsoft account, or if you haven’t manually exported your bookmarks or passwords, you’ll lose them permanently.
Uninstall Microsoft Edge Chromium: macOS
Uninstalling Microsoft Edge Chromium on your Mac doesn’t require much effort. Just put the program in the trash like you would delete any other program. But you might want to deal with some remaining files and folders manually afterwards.
Step 1: Open the Finder, and then click Applications.
Step 2: Find Microsoft Edge, right-click the icon, and then click Move to Trash.
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Step 3: Enter your macOS profile password, and then click OK.
This should remove Microsoft Edge Chromium from your Mac. However, the files and folders on your Mac that contain your data and browsing preferences will still remain.
If you also want to remove them, open the Finder, click Go on the menu bar, and then click Go to Folder. then write ~/Library and click Go.
Once the Library folder appears on the screen, carefully delete the four folders and the PLIST file located in the following locations:
- Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge
- Library/Caches/Microsoft Edge
- Library/Application Saved State/com.microsoft.edgemac.savedState
- Library/WebKit/com.microsoft.edgemac
- Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.edgemac.plist
To delete a folder or file, right-click the item, and then click Move to Trash. Note that you will permanently lose your browsing data if you haven’t synced it to a Microsoft account or exported it manually.
smooth and without edges
As you can see, removing Microsoft Edge Chromium from your PC or Mac is not the most difficult thing to do. Just remember to sync or export your browsing data if you’re looking for a full wipe, and you should be fine.
So, did everything go well? And why did you decide to uninstall Microsoft Edge Chromium? Leave a comment and tell us.
Next: How exactly does Microsoft Edge Chromium compare to Google Chrome? Discover.