How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Automatically Opening Links in Windows
Honestly, one of the most annoying things I ran into was how Windows seems dead set on forcing links to open in Edge — even when it’s not my default browser anymore. You click a link, and suddenly, Edge pops up out of nowhere, which is super frustrating, especially if you’re trying to keep Chrome or Firefox as your main browser. I remember spending hours trying to figure this out, and honestly, it’s not as straightforward as just changing your default browser.
The crux of the issue is that Windows assigns the HTTP and HTTPS protocols, plus maybe a few others, directly to Edge by default. So no matter what you set as your default browser, those protocol handlers sometimes stubbornly stay attached to Edge. Changing these associations is a bit hidden in the settings, and if it’s not there or doesn’t seem to take, you might need to go a bit deeper — like registry edits or CLI commands.
Getting to the Right Settings — The Default App Menu
Start by clicking the Start menu and then hitting the gear icon for Settings. If you prefer shortcuts, Win + I opens it quickly. Once you’re in, click on Apps — yeah, Microsoft made this part tricky on purpose, it seems. Then select Default apps from the sidebar. Here’s where you can choose which app handles each kind of file or protocol.
To find the protocol handlers, there’s a bit of a workaround — because Microsoft doesn’t make this super obvious. Use the search box in this menu and type “Edge.” It’s weird—they don’t always label things directly, but this will highlight the options related to Microsoft Edge. From here, you’re looking for options linked to HTTP and HTTPS. They might still be set to Edge, even if you’ve picked a different default browser.
Changing the Protocol Handlers to Your Browser of Choice
Click on HTTP. You should see a pop-up with the current default — usually Microsoft Edge — and an option to pick another app. Click that, and a list of browsers installed on your system should appear. If your preferred browser isn’t immediately listed, you can click Look for an app in Microsoft Store or Choose another app to browse manually. Usually, browsers like Chrome or Firefox are stored in C:\Program Files (x86)\ or C:\Program Files\. For Chrome, it’s typically C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe. Just find the EXE, select it, and then click Set as default.
Do the same for HTTPS. Sometimes, Windows resets these protocols separately after big updates, so it’s worth double-checking every couple of weeks or after installing cumulative updates. After setting both HTTP and HTTPS to your preferred browser, clicking links should finally respect your choice and open there instead of Edge.
Stopping Edge from Running in the Background or Launching at Startup
If Edge keeps popping up unexpectedly, even after fixing the protocol defaults, you might want to prevent it from running in the background. Go to Settings > Apps > Startup and see if Microsoft Edge is listed. If it is, toggle it off. This stops Edge from launching automatically when Windows starts. You can also go to Settings > Privacy > Background apps and disable Edge from running in the background altogether.
Want to go even further? You can open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look at the Processes tab for things like msedge.exe or MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe. Killing those helps, but be cautious — apparently you can disable Edge’s update processes or even change policies via Group Policy Editor if you’re on Windows Pro or Enterprise. But honestly, toggling in Settings works for most people unless Edge keeps relaunching.
Advanced Fixes — Command Lines and Registry Edits
If all else fails or you want a cleaner solution, you could try setting defaults through PowerShell commands or registry tweaks. For example, using PowerShell, you can run something like:
Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Associations\UrlAssociations\http\UserChoice' -Name 'Progid' -Value 'ChromeHTML'
This sets HTTP links to open with Chrome (assuming the correct ProgId). But I found that sometimes Windows resets these during updates or system changes, so it’s not foolproof. Be cautious with registry tweaks — a wrong step can mess up other stuff. Honestly, switching defaults via the GUI is less risky and typically enough.
Final Verdict — Your System, Your Control
This took me way longer than it should’ve to figure out, but now I can click links without triggering Edge every time. The key is changing the protocol handler defaults for HTTP and HTTPS to your preferred browser. Also, making sure Edge isn’t set to run at startup or in the background helps. It’s kinda ridiculous how much Microsoft likes to hide these options or reset them after updates, but persistence pays off.
Double-check these things after major Windows updates because defaults tend to get reset. And if Edge is still a pain, you can even uninstall or disable it with PowerShell commands like Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge — just be aware that might cause Windows to act weird or lose some stability if you go too far.
Anyway, hope this saves someone else a weekend. It’s annoying at first, but once you get it set up right, it’s smooth sailing from then on.