4 Ways to Stop Internet Explorer From Opening Edge

Quick Tips

• Internet Explorer may automatically redirect you to Microsoft Edge when it is unable to display a website that uses modern technologies.
• An effective way to stop Internet Explorer from opening or redirecting to Edge is to disable third-party browser extensions.
• Setting Internet Explorer as the default browser on Windows or uninstalling Edge from your computer can help with the issue.

Method 1: Rename the BHO Folder

Internet Explorer (IE) uses the Browser Helper Object (BHO) policy stored on your Windows PC to redirect you to Microsoft Edge. One of the simplest ways to prevent IE from opening Edge is to rename the BHO folder on your system. Here’s how to do that.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type the following path in the Open field and press Enter.

%programfiles(x86)%\Microsoft\Edge\Application

Step 2: In the File Explorer window, you should see a folder named with the version number of Edge installed on your PC. Double-click on it to open it.

Step 3: Select the BHO folder and press F2 to rename it. Rename the folder to BHO.old or something similar.

Method 2: Modify Internet Options

Another way to stop Internet Explorer from opening or redirecting to Edge is to disable third-party browser extensions. To do this, you will need to modify your Internet Options using these steps:

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type in control panel, and select the first result that appears.

Step 2: Use the drop-down menu in the top right corner to change the view type to Large icons and click Internet Options.

Step 3: In the Internet Properties window, switch to the Advanced tab. Uncheck the Enable third-party browser extensions option and hit Apply, followed by OK.

Method 3: Change the Default Browser in Windows

Such random redirects can also occur if you have set Microsoft Edge as the default browser on Windows. To avoid this, use the following steps to set Internet Explorer as the default browser.

Step 1: Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app and click on Apps.

Step 2: Select Default apps from the left sidebar. Click on your current default browser in the right pane and select Internet Explorer from the list.

Method 4: Uninstall Microsoft Edge

Still no luck? If so, you can consider uninstalling Microsoft Edge from your Windows PC to solve the problem. This can be helpful if Edge isn’t your preferred browser anyway.

Unlike other apps and programs, you cannot uninstall Edge using the Settings app or Control Panel. Instead, you need to use Windows PowerShell to remove the browser.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type in Windows powershell, and select Run as Administrator.

Step 2: Type the following command in the console and press Enter.

get-appxpackage *edge*

Step 3: Highlight the text next to PackageFullName and press Ctrl + C to copy it.

Step 4: Run the following command to uninstall Microsoft Edge.

Remove-appxpackage [PackageFullName]

Replace [PackageFullName] in the above command with the package name copied earlier.