Is there a good Edge de-bloater out there?

It seems no matter how many times I adjust the sliders (privacy or otherwise), I still get annoying little pop-ups reminding me to do this or do that, or make it the default browser, or push notifications, or collaborate with friends, etc...etc... - - Especially after an Edge update. It seems to be the most intrusive browser out there.

I don't want to remove Edge because I still need it for work, but is there some way to trim away all this hassle nonsense?

I know Chris Titus now has a de-bloater for Edge but I'd like to hear other people's thoughts before I do anything. Thanks

Winaero Tweaker recently added a bunch of options regarding Edge.

As @antspants said...






I don't use EDGE so I can't vouch for the fact that any of this works or not.
But if you use backup software, you can test these settings.

Here's how to do these things... manually...



I downloaded this, the latest version of Winaero Tweaker on July 3rd 2024.
Winaero Tweaker 1.63.0.0


@cheaterslick

Things about Winaero I can vouch for...

1. You can Export / Import / or Reset All of your Winaero settings.
2. I probably only use about 30 Winaero settings, and the ones I use, do work.
3. Every item on the left side, has a link on the right side, showing how to do that setting manually.


Here's an up-to-date pic of all Winaero Tweaker's settings (v 1.6.3.0.0)...




LOL. It just took 25 minutes to make this pic.
If anyone wants to grab this pic and use it, for themselves, or to post... feel free.

antspants said:

Winaero Tweaker recently added a bunch of options regarding Edge.

View attachment 104990

Click to expand...

So those are the settings you use for Edge?

I've never used it before. I assume Winaero Tweaker starts up through msconfig on bootup. Yes?

cheaterslick said:

So those are the settings you use for Edge?

I've never used it before. I assume Winaero Tweaker starts up through msconfig on bootup. Yes?

Click to expand...

Yes Edge.
Nope, it doesn’t have to be running, it’s basically just a UI for registry settings/tweaks.

Open it, pay attention, read the tweak info, go slow, move ahead, try to detect it, It's not too late, to whip it, whip it good…

When you use a registry tweak in Winaero, it's a good idea to:

(1) Bookmark it so that you can find it again easily if you want to reverse a tweak
(2) The Bookmarks




After you're happy, you can export the tweaks (3) so that next time you install Windows, you can install Winaero and import the tweaks to reapply them.



Sometimes when you apply a setting, at the base of the window you will be asked if you want to sign out so the tweak can be applied (4) or if you want to do it yourself later. You need to pay attention for if this appears.

Personally, I think it's a good idea to sign out in this situation each time that message appears.
If you bank up changes (I'll do it myself later) and sign out, all changes that required a sign out will be applied at once, which might make things harder if something isn't to your liking or something causes problems (never has for me)
At least then you will know which setting it was that caused an issue and can then be reversed.




A good feature in Winaero Tweaker is the registry compiler (Merge).

If you have been collecting registry tweaks from here (or elsewhere) you can add them to this merge tool (5) and Merge them into one registry file (6) and save the file. So when wanting to apply your tweaks, perhaps on a fresh install of Windows, running the reg file you compiled will apply the merged registry tweaks all at once.






You can reset all tweaks back to default (7)



There are other features, I am sure.

Remember, take it slow.

Since you have Windows Pro there's also multiple settings you can change from GP:

Search -> Edit Group Policy

Administrative Templates - > Windows Components - > Microsoft Edge



Bloatware wise, another visibly impactful change - can be achieved with a simple Extension:

Why not go the whole hog and remove Edge completely with REVO Uninstaller? Edge may return bit REVO will nix it quickly and with one click.

I do not get all of that stuff with Edge, it is just a matter of going through all the settings.
Having Chrome as a second Browser is good practice.
Also being careful when Browsing as that can add unwanted stuff.

The bloatware app mentioned does not do more than what can be done from Edge settings.
It's an annoying second manager, I'm the manager for Edge settings.

kelper said:

Why not go the whole hog and remove Edge completely with REVO Uninstaller? Edge may return bit REVO will nix it quickly and with one click.

Click to expand...

I think because the original poster said.

"I don't want to remove Edge because I still need it for work"

pparks1 said:

I think because the original poster said.

"I don't want to remove Edge because I still need it for work"

Click to expand...

I did read the whole thread but missed that bit!

@cheaterslick

Why do you need Edge? Just curious.

kelper said:

@cheaterslick

Why do you need Edge? Just curious.

Click to expand...

Speaking for myself. I work in IT myself and I need different browsers so that I can check that a solution works properly across the browsers most likely to be used by our company and our customers.

kelper said:

Why do you need Edge? Just curious.

Click to expand...

I didn't make the rules. It's actually a requirement to use it in order to log into company websites. I'd just as soon get rid of it if I could.

Helmut said:

The bloatware app mentioned does not do more than what can be done from Edge settings.
It's an annoying second manager, I'm the manager for Edge settings.

Click to expand...

And what settings do you use? Besides going into the Settings menu and turning sliders on or off?

Sometimes updates reverse those sliders, or add new bullsh*t that I again have to disable.

The group policy changes mentioned in post #7 look promising too, but again, updates can reverse some of that. That's sort of why I'm interested in Winaero where I can apply changes easily in one fell swoop, without going into the Edge Settings menu all the time. Which also does little about those pop-up annoyances I mentioned in post#1

cheaterslick said:

I assume Winaero Tweaker starts up through msconfig on bootup. Yes?

Click to expand...

No. It doesn't run at boot and has no real-time function.
Winaero Tweaker just does registry edits... via a simple check box.
It's a lot easier than manually editing the registry.

Once a registry edit is done... that's it. It stays done.



Like all registry edits, you sometimes need to reboot to apply the changes.
Some registry edits require that you restart Explorer. Some require signing out and then back in.
Some require a reboot.
Me... I just reboot for all registry edits.

Winaero will tell you in the lower left corner if a reboot is necessary.
Some registry changes can't be applied while Windows is running. Hence the need to reboot.


But... like any tweaking, it's a good idea to make a fresh backup before you start changing things.





"JAIL" meaning... having to reinstall Windows and all your programs.