The new version of Edge browser will be installed automatically by Microsoft on your computer. But there is a tool to prevent it. Here is how to use it.
Microsoft is about to roll out the new version of its Edge web browser. This important update, which should start from January 15, 2020 and last several weeks, will be done in the background on all machines running Windows 10 in version 1803 (April 2018 update) and higher, without the user cannot oppose it. The new version of the browser will permanently replace the old one, which will no longer be available on the machine.
If there is no real reason to oppose the arrival of the new Edge, much more efficient than the old one (it is based on a Chromium base), it is quite possible to prevent Microsoft from forcibly installing it on your computer.
The Redmond firm provides a utility, in principle intended for professionals and companies, to stop the deployment of the browser by means of an update. Here is how to use it.
1. Download the utility
First, download the utility offered by Microsoft to block the forced installation of the Edge browser.
- Download Microsoft Edge Blocker Toolkit for Windows (Free)
The downloaded file in .exe format will extract multiple files to your computer. So create an empty directory that you will name Edge Blocker on your machine.
2. Extract the files
Double click on the file you just downloaded, named MicrosoftEdgeChromiumBlockerToolkit.exe
In the window that displays the terms of use for the tool, click Yes.
Then click on Browse and select the directory you have just created to extract the files contained in MicrosoftEdgeChromiumBlockerToolkit.exe and validate by pressing OK.
In total, your Edge Blocker directory should have four files.
3. Open the command prompt
Click the Start menu and search for Command Prompt by entering the first letters of its name. Right click on Command Prompt and choose Open as administrator.
4. Navigate to the directory
You should now navigate to the Edge Blocker directory you created from the command prompt.
You can easily copy the directory path by placing the mouse cursor in the file explorer address bar.
In the command prompt, type cd PathToYourDirectory and validate by pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.
In our case, for example, we enter :
cd C: Users Lenovo Downloads Edge blocker
5. Start the blocker
Once in the correct directory, you need to run the blocker from the command prompt. Just type EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd
The utility should then display in the command prompt the list of all possible actions. To block the installation of Edge on your machine, type EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd / b and press the Enter key.
A Blocking deployment of Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) on the local machine message should then appear, confirming the success of the operation.
However, you can go back and authorize the automatic deployment of Microsoft Edge (Chromium version) on your computer again, by replacing the EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd / b command with EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd / u, where b means block, and u , unblock.
Keep in mind that even if you have blocked the automatic installation of Edge on your machine through updates, there is nothing to prevent you from installing it manually later by downloading and running the browser installation file.