Yes, you can turn off Edge completely on Windows 11.
Yes, you can turn off Edge completely on Windows 11.
Thanks for explaining. I think most people are referring to the browser itself. I believe removing it from "Apps" only deletes the browser, not the WebView 2? In the US, the uninstall option is hidden. In Europe (and IoT), it’s enabled and simply clicking "Uninstall" works. My concern is always that it won’t cause any visible problems right now. But when something like 26H2 appears, it might depend on what was removed and could lead to a broken system. Will this issue affect you? Possibly yes, possibly not. I installed IOT on a test machine and removed Edge there—it worked as expected. IOT also doesn’t receive future updates (besides security or quality fixes) and doesn’t have AI enabled at all. So it’s less likely to face problems from missing updates because Edge is gone. With my 30 years of Windows experience, I know stability often matches how much you mess with the OS. Changes can sometimes cause problems months later. XP was the worst when I tried registry cleaners and got endless tips on optimizing Windows. I’m not sure how often I reinstalled XP. At work, IT usually locks it down and we rarely run into issues. With Windows 11, I once used a "shutup" tool and spent hours later trying to fix things because some services were shut down that I actually needed. I also ran optimization scripts, but the outcome was similar—most features aren’t unnecessary, though they might be useful for something you plan to do soon. Now I just switch to W11 and make a few manual adjustments using a cheat sheet. That gets me close to 99% of what those "magic scripts" claim, and I can reverse any changes if needed. On the matter: just turning off Edge’s automatic startup and avoiding features that start it should be enough.
The only solution to fully eliminate Edge is to switch to Linux...
Well, if an MS update breaks something, it is very hard to proof what caused the problem. If a user ever ever ran such script, edited the registry, or used an app that did "things", you kind of lose the right to point the finger at MS unless you have solid proof it was them. Same with all the MB software, RGB software, fan control software and other github stuff. While you can't proof each of them screws up something, there eis a correlation between users having "issues with Windows" and users "installing any random software". Less software without a true purpose = better. There is a reason a phone tends to have fewer problems, they usually lock down the system pretty good. Edit: Are we actually to unfair to MS? You can't remove Safari on a Mac, and you can't remove Chrome on Android (plus a whole lot of apps you can't uninstall on phones, worse on Samsung). And this isn't whataboutism, but I never hear people complaining about literally everyone else. And Linux isn't a good counterexample since they let you remove literally anything inc. things really needed for the OS. Now here is a head scratcher: there is a Linux version of MS Edge and apparently some people hate Windows enough to suffer through Linux, but for some reason like Edge.
You can turn off the Startup Boost in Edge Settings. This should stop background tasks from running it. I’m unsure about removing it, even though it’s possible, because of potential side effects.
Feeling attacked is funny, hehe. P.S. I actually don’t hate Windows.