Microsoft has announced the release for their newer version of Microsoft Edge. It is based on the Chromium engine that powers Google Chrome. This new version will start rolling out to the general public shortly. This new browser will replace the legacy Microsoft Edge browser based on the EdgeHTML engine using the Windows Update delivery structure
Edge Blocker Toolkit
If you are not ready to install this new version of Microsoft Edge, Microsoft has your back. Microsoft has released Edge Blocker Toolkit which will help you in stopping the download of the Microsoft Edge browser based on Chromium on your computer.
Block automatic installation of Microsoft Edge Chromium browser
Start by downloading the latest build of Blocker Toolkit from the servers of Microsoft.
This toolkit contains the following components:
- Executable blocker script (.CMD)
- Group Policy Administrative Template (.ADMX + .ADML)
Run the executable file and extracts the contents to a folder.
Open the Windows Command Prompt with Admin level rights.
Navigate to the folder where you extracted the Blocker Toolkit.
Execute the following commands in the given sequence to block the download of the Chromium Microsoft Edge web browser on your computer:
EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd /B EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd [] /B
The update is now blocked and will not be download on or after January 15, 2020.
Now, if you decide to give the update a try and wish to download it, you need the Blocker Toolkit again.
Open the Windows Command Prompt with Admin level rights.
Navigate to the folder where you extracted the Blocker Toolkit.
Execute the following commands in the given sequence to allow the download of the Chromium Microsoft Edge web browser on your computer:
EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd /U EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd [] /U
The update is now unblocked and will be downloaded on your Windows 10 system.
Disable automatic delivery using Group Policy Editor
The Group Policy setting is created under this path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Template > Windows Components > Windows Update > Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) Blockers
If your PC has the Group Policy, you can use the Group Policy Editor to make the changes.
Prevent Edge installation using Registry Editor
While the company has released an Edge Blocker Toolkit to block the automatic installation of Microsoft Edge, it is mostly meant for use by businesses. If you, as an individual home user, would for some reason, want to prevent the new Edge from being pushed on to your PC via Windows Update, here is what you can do.
Please note that making changes to the Registry Editor incorrectly can have serious consequences. We highly recommend you to create a system restore point before proceeding further.
Press Win+R in combination to open the ‘Run’ dialog box. Type ‘regedit.exe’ in the empty field of the box and press Enter key to open the Registry Editor.
When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following path address –
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate
Here, switch to the right-pane and create a new 32-Bit DWORD value.
Name it as DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium.
Kindly note that even if you are running a 64-bit edition of Windows, you must still create a 32-bit DWORD value.
Now, to configure its value and block the delivery of Edge via Windows update, double-click on the entry.
In the Edit String box that appears, set the value to 1 in decimals to block Edge Chromium delivery.
If you would like to unblock this feature, simply go back and delete the entry or change the value data to 0.
Once done, close and exit the Registry Editor.
Hereafter, the Edge browser will not be delivered or installed via Windows Update on your Windows 10 PC.
Hope this tip helps you.
