Block Windows 10 from preloading Microsoft Edge on Start
Microsoft Edge is the default web browser of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system. It replaced Internet Explorer as the default browser even though Internet Explorer 11 is also still available on devices for backwards compatibility reasons.
Microsoft Edge loads quite fast when you run it on Windows 10 devices after sign in to a user account. If you check the Task Manager, you may notice that several Microsoft Edge processes run on the system even before you start the browser manually.
The processes that you may see are MicrosoftEdge.exe, MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe, and MicrosoftEdgeSH.exe. All three are listed as suspended and the only reason they do get launched on the system is that Edge will open faster because of the preloading that is involved.
May be useful to users who use Microsoft Edge actively. If you don't use Microsoft Edge or prefer that the browser is not preloaded during system start, you may block it from being loaded.
The feature is new in Windows 10 version 1809, the soon-to-be-released next feature update of Windows 10. If you run Windows 10 Insider Builds you have the option available to you already on the device.
Note: The Group Policy Editor is only available in professional versions of Windows 10. Check the Registry section below for a method that works with any edition of Windows 10. Run winver to check the version of the operating system.
Disable the preloading of Microsoft Edge in the Group Policy
Windows 10 version 1809 introduces two new policies to control the preloading of Microsoft Edge and Start / New Tab content before users load the actual browser.
- Tap on the Windows-key, type gpedit.msc, and hit the Enter-key to load the Group Policy Editor if you are on a professional version of Windows 10.
- Go to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Edge.
Allow Microsoft Edge to pre-launch at Windows startup, when the system is idle, and each time Microsoft Edge is closed
Double-click on the policy to open the configuration. You can set it to not configured, enabled, or disabled.
Set the policy to enabled to activate it and pick "prevent pre-launching" to disable the preloading functionality built-into the operating system so that Microsoft Edge starts faster when you run it.
You can undo this at any time by either selecting "allow pre-launching", or by switching the state of the policy to disabled or not configured.
Effect: Microsoft Edge won't be preloaded on sign-in to the Windows system, when the system is idle, or when it is closed by users of the system.
Allow Microsoft Edge to start and load the Start and New Tab page at Windows startup and each time Microsoft Edge is closed
The second preloading preference determines whether Microsoft Edge may preload the browser's Start and New Tab page content. It is a bit older as it is present in Windows 10 version 1803 as well.
To disable this preloading, set the policy to enabled and select "prevent preloading" from the configuration menu that becomes available when you enable the policy.
You can undo the change at any time by setting the policy to "allow tab preloading", or by changing the state of the policy either to disabled or to not configured.
Effect: Microsoft Edge won't preload the New Tab page or the Start page when you do.
The Registry keys
You may configure the preloading options in the Windows Registry directly. The option works on all editions of Windows 10 including Windows 10 Home.
- Tap on the Windows-key, type regedit.exe, and hit the Enter-key to open the Registry Editor.
- Confirm the UAC prompt that is displayed.
- To disable the preloading of Microsoft Edge:
- Paste the following address into the address bar of the Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MicrosoftEdge\Main
- Right-click on Main and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
- Name it AllowPrelaunch.
- Double-click on the new Dword and set it to 0 if it is not set to 0 by default.
- To disable the preloading of New Tab Page and Start content by Edge:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MicrosoftEdge\TabPreloader
- Right-click on TabPreloader and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
- Name it AllowTabPreloading.
- Double-click on the name and set its value to 0.
A value of 0 means preloading is disabled, a value of 1 that it is enabled.
You can use the following Registry script to disable both Edge preloading features right away. Please note that this works only on Windows 10 version 1809 and newer.
Download the file with a click on the following link: edge-disable-preload.zip
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help