Can't remove or uninstall Extensions in Microsoft Edge

Some users have reported that they can’t remove or uninstall extensions in their Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 11/10. While some users found a suspicious “Apps” name extension that is added in the browser without their knowledge, which they can’t remove, others found that they can’t uninstall extension(s) because the Remove button is greyed out or disabled or not present. The following message can also be seen for an extension that can’t be removed in the Edge browser:

This extension is not from any known source, and may have been added without your knowledge.

Thankfully, there are some working solutions to fix this issue. We have included such solutions in this post.

Why won’t my Microsoft Edge allow uninstall?

If you are unable to uninstall or remove an extension from the Edge browser, then it can happen because the extension is malicious or added by some malware. It is also possible that if some Registry entry or policy is configured related to the extension that prevents changes, then you won’t be able to uninstall an add-on or extensions from Microsoft Edge.

How do I remove malware extension from Edge?

First, access the Extensions page of Edge browser where all the installed extensions are present. Check if the Remove option is available for the malware or malicious extension. If yes, use that option to remove it. If you can’t see that option, then you should remove any third-party antivirus or malware removal tool from your PC, and perform a full scan using Windows Security as third-party security tools may cause issues. Restart your PC and see if you can remove the malware extension from your Edge browser.

Can’t remove or uninstall extensions in Microsoft Edge

If you can’t remove or uninstall extensions in Microsoft Edge on your Windows 11/10 PC, then use the fixes covered below:

Remove the unwanted Registry entries
Delete the MicroApp folder
Delete the ExtensionInstallForcelist Registry key
Reset Microsoft Edge.

Let’s check these solutions.

1] Remove the unwanted Registry entries

This solution has helped some users and it may also work for you. If some malicious extension is installed (say Apps) that can’t be removed from the Edge browser, then it could be possible that it has created its Registry entries. You need to find and remove such Registry entries to solve the issue. It is advised to backup Windows Registry before making any changes to it.

First, find the extension ID. Open the Extensions page (edge://extensions) and select the problematic extension. Now you will see the extension ID in the Omnibox or address bar of the browser. Note the extension ID.

Next, open the Registry Editor window, and access the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Policies\Microsoft

Under that Microsoft Registry key, check if you have an Edge name Registry key. If yes, expand that key.

You may find multiple sub-keys. Now look for the extension name or extension ID that is associated with the extension that you can’t remove. If you see such a key and/or value, right-click on it, and use the Delete option to remove that entry.

Do the same by accessing the following paths:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

In case you want to remove all the applied policies for the Microsoft Edge browser, then you can delete the Edge Registry key directly. This will also help you solve Your browser is managed by your organization message for the Edge browser.

Restart the PC and see if the malicious extension is gone or you can use the Remove option to delete the extension.

2] Delete the MicroApp folder

This fix worked for one of the affected users. After deleting the unwanted Registry entries, access the Local folder for your user profile and delete the MicroApp folder (if available). For this:

Use the Win+R hotkey to open the Run Command box
Type %localappdata% in the text and press Enter
This will open the Local folder
Look for the MicroApp name folder there. If you find it, delete that folder.

Restart your computer.

3] Delete the ExtensionInstallForcelist Registry key

This solution worked for me personally and it is one of the best solutions to try if you can’t uninstall or remove some Edge extension(s). If there is an ExtensionInstallforcelist Registry key present that contains String values in which extension IDs of installed extensions are added, then the Remove button for all such extensions is vanished.

In place of that, you will see Managed by your organization message for all such extensions. And, removing that Registry key helped me uninstall all such extensions as the Remove option was back there. Here are the steps:

Open the Registry Editor window
Access the Edge Registry key. The path is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

Expand the Edge key
Right-click on the ExtensionInstallForcelist Registry key
Select the Delete option
In the confirmation box, press the Yes
Restart your PC.

Now access the Extensions page in the Edge browser and you will notice that the Remove button is visible again.

4] Reset Microsoft Edge

If your problem is not solved, then reset the Microsoft Edge browser. Doing this will reset all settings to default, turn off extensions, clear temporary data, etc. If the problem is caused by existing settings, this should fix the issue.

I hope this will be helpful.