7 Best Ways to Fix Slow Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 and Windows 11

With sleep tabs, Edge Collections, Tab groups, and more, Microsoft’s newest browser, Edge, feels bloated and slow at times. If you’re experiencing the same, it’s time to step up the Microsoft Edge experience on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Microsoft is forcing the default Edge browser left and right on Windows. And for good reasons. The Edge browser is Chromium-based, works with all Google Chrome extensions, and has unique features to rival the competition. A slow Microsoft Edge can force you to look for alternatives. Before doing that, check out the tips below to fix slow Edge browser on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Restart Microsoft Edge

Microsoft can trick you into allowing you to launch the Edge browser during startup. When you open Microsoft Edge, the browser may be running in the background. You have to use the Task Manager and turn off all Microsoft Edge related services. Here’s what you need to do.

Stage 1: Press the Windows key and search for Task Manager.

Step 2: Press Enter and open Task Manager.

Stage 3: Browse through all Microsoft Edge services and click the End Task button at the bottom.

Launch Microsoft Edge and start browsing the web.

2. Disable Microsoft Edge on Startup

Automatically launching Microsoft Edge at Windows startup can slow down the overall experience. On Windows, you need to stop Microsoft Edge from opening at startup. Here’s how.

Stage 1: In Windows 10 or Windows 11, open the Settings app (use Windows + I keys).

Step 2: Go to the Applications section and select Startup.

Stage 3: Disable the Microsoft Edge toggle from the menu below.

3. Preload New Tab Page

Microsoft Edge’s new tab page can be quite resource-intensive. Loads your favourites, Bing wallpaper, Microsoft News, and more. Installing everything from scratch can be slow at times.

You have the option to disable the new tab page preload for a faster experience. Follow the steps below.

Stage 1: Open Microsoft Edge on Windows.

Step 2: Click the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and open Settings.

Stage 3: Go to Start, home and new tabs from the left sidebar.

Step 4: Disable the preload new tab page option for a faster experience transition.

Restart Microsoft Edge and you will see faster loading time for new tab.

4. Use Balanced Tracking Prevention

Microsoft Edge allows you to enable Strict tracking prevention. It blocks most trackers on all sites and therefore some parts of the sites may not work. It leads to long load times and occasional glitches.

For a smooth browsing experience, you need to revert to the Balanced approach.

Stage 1: Open Microsoft Edge Settings.

Step 2: Select Privacy, search and services.

Stage 3: Select the recommended Balanced option to avoid tracking.

5. Delete Cookies and Site Data

Normally, we do not recommend performing this step. However, overloading cookies and cache data can slow down Microsoft Edge on Windows. You need to delete such data from the Edge Settings menu. Here’s how.

Stage 1: Go to Microsoft Edge Settings.

Step 2: Select Cookies and site permissions.

Stage 3: Select Manage and delete cookies and site data.

Step 4: Click on All cookies and site data.

Step 5: Select Remove All and you’re ready.

6. Remove Irrelevant Edge Extensions

With all Chromium extensions support, it’s pretty easy to populate Microsoft Edge with dozens of extensions. Some may be outdated, develop incompatibility and cause slower Edge load times.

Pinning a single extension for this behavior is difficult. It is best to remove all extensions in Microsoft Edge except the password manager.

Stage 1: From the Edge home screen, click on the three-dot menu at the top.

Step 2: Select Extensions.

Stage 3: Uninstall extensions from the menu below.

7. Update Microsoft Edge

An outdated Microsoft Edge build can cause a slow browsing experience on Windows 10 or Windows 11. Microsoft updates the Edge browser in the background. You can also go ahead and manually install the latest browser version on the computer.

Go to Microsoft Edge Settings and open the About menu. Install the latest version of Edge on Windows and restart the application.

Speed ​​Up Microsoft Edge on Windows

You should also check the internet speed of your Wi-Fi. Use the 5GHz frequency and turn off other streaming activities from the background. This will also help web pages load faster than before.