Internet, Networking, & Security > Browsers How to Reset Microsoft Edge Restore Edge’s original state without uninstalling By Jeremy Laukkonen Jeremy Laukkonen Facebook Twitter Writer Shoreline Community College Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles . lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 4, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Browsers Microsoft Chrome Safari Firefox What to Know Click the menu icon (three horizontal dots) > Settings > Reset Settings > Restore settings to their default values > Reset.To remove personal data, go to Settings > Privacy...services > Choose what to clear > select All time > check each box > Clear now. This article explains how to reset Microsoft Edge to its original state without uninstalling the application and how to delete personal data, including passwords. How to Reset Microsoft Edge Settings Resetting Microsoft Edge is a two-part process that begins with restoring the browser settings. This process restores the settings to the same state they were in when you originally installed the application, but it doesn’t delete personal data like passwords. Before you reset Microsoft Edge, make sure you have backed up or synchronized your local data like passwords, favorites, profiles, and anything else you don’t want to lose. To prevent Edge from automatically restoring everything from the cloud, you can navigate to Settings > Profiles > Sync and click Turn off sync. Here’s how to reset Microsoft Edge: Open Microsoft Edge, and click the menu icon (three horizontal dots) in the upper right corner. Click Settings. Click Reset Settings in the left pane. Click Restore settings to their default values. Click Reset. How to Clear Your Browsing Data, Passwords, and More When you reset Microsoft Edge, a lot of things are left in place. Your passwords, browsing history, cached files, and profile are all still in place. You can clear your cache by itself or delete individual passwords if that’s all you need to do, or you can remove everything all at once. If you don't sign out of Edge before performing this procedure, you will clear stored data from the cloud and all of your other devices in addition to the device you are currently using. If you only want to reset Edge on the device you're using, sign out first. Here’s how to reset all of those things and leave Edge in the same state it was when you first installed it. Open Microsoft Edge, and click the main menu (three horizontal dots) icon in the upper right corner. Click Settings. Click Privacy, search, and services in the left pane. Click Choose what to clear in the clear browsing data section. Click the dropdown menu and select All time. Place a check mark in every box. Click Clear now. Your data will be cleared the moment you click Clear Now. Make sure you actually want to clear everything before performing this step. Why Reset Microsoft Edge? When you reset Microsoft edge, all changes that have been made to the browser settings since you installed it are removed. If you experience any bugs with browser settings, or your browser just isn’t working correctly, resetting it will often fix the problem. What to Do Before Resetting Microsoft Edge Before you reset Microsoft Edge, keep in mind doing so will remove all of your personal data and undo any changes that have been made to the browser settings. If you want to have access to your data and custom settings after resetting, then you should consider backing up your passwords, favorites, browser settings, and anything else you want to keep If you have chosen to sync data between Edge on other platforms, make sure each thing you want to keep has synchronization turned on. Everything you choose to synchronize will be available from the cloud after you finish resetting the browser. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit