Fix CAPTCHA Endless Loops in Edge on Computer

You click the checkbox, the images load, and then the challenge resets to the start. A CAPTCHA can keep refreshing instead of completing when Edge blocks the scripts, cookies, or tracking requests the verification page needs.

Start by testing the site in an InPrivate window, then check cookies, JavaScript permissions, tracking prevention, and the data stored for that site. Disabling extensions for one test often shows the cause.

In this guide, I have covered:

Why a CAPTCHA gets stuck in an endless loop in Edge

You solve the images, the box turns green, and then the challenge resets to the start. That loop usually means the CAPTCHA page could not finish something behind the scenes: a script it needs, a cookie it set, or a request Edge blocked.

The fix depends on which piece is missing, so start with the least disruptive checks. You do not need to reset all of Edge, and you should not leave an important security setting switched off just to get one form submitted.

If the same loop appears on several websites, look at an extension or a browser-wide privacy setting rather than one site’s data.

Test the affected website in an InPrivate window

Is the loop your profile’s fault or the site’s? An InPrivate window runs without your usual cookies and extensions, so a single attempt usually answers that question.

1. Click the menu in Microsoft Edge.
2. Select New InPrivate window.
3. Open the site that loops and run the CAPTCHA again.

A challenge that works in InPrivate points to your regular profile: stale site data, a blocked cookie, or an extension. If it still loops in InPrivate, the problem sits in browser-wide settings, so keep reading.

TIP: InPrivate does not load your normal extension set by default. If the challenge succeeds there and fails in a regular window, test extensions before you touch cookies.

Microsoft’s community forum has a thread about Cloudflare CAPTCHA loops in Edge if you want to compare symptoms.

Allow cookies for the CAPTCHA website

Most CAPTCHA widgets use cookies to confirm that the browser finishing a challenge is the same one that started it. If Edge blocks cookies for the site, the widget can load and then fail to register your answer.

1. Click the menu, then select Settings.
2. Select Privacy, search, and services.
3. Select Cookies.
4. Confirm that Allow sites to save and read cookie data (recommended) is turned on.
5. Open Allowed to save cookies and click Add site.
6. Type the site address and save the exception.
7. Close the settings page, reload the site, and run the challenge again.

Not ready to open cookies for the whole site? Check whether the challenge sits inside an embedded frame. An exception for the domain hosting the widget is sometimes enough.

Blocking all cookies can break pages that rely on them. Microsoft’s own guidance says some sites will not display correctly when cookie data is blocked.

Check JavaScript for the site

The challenge box appears but never accepts your answer? JavaScript may be blocked for that site. The widget needs it to run, so Edge can load the challenge shell and still fail to complete it.

1. Click the menu, then select Settings.
2. Select Privacy, search, and services.
3. Select Site permissions.
4. Select All sites in the permissions list.
5. Select JavaScript and set it to Allow for the affected site.
6. Reload the page and retry the CAPTCHA.

You can jump straight to the setting by typing edge://settings/content/javascript in the address bar. Do not block JavaScript across the board as a workaround, because other parts of the page will stop working too.

Remove old site data for the website

Stale cookies or cached files can leave Edge and the CAPTCHA provider out of sync. Clearing data for one site is safer than wiping everything, and it keeps your other logins intact.

1. Click the menu, then select Settings.
2. Select Privacy, search, and services.
3. Select Cookies.
4. Select See all cookies and site data.
5. Search for the site name or domain.
6. Open the menu next to the matching entry and choose Delete.
7. Close the settings page, reload the site, and try the CAPTCHA again.

Deleting a site’s cookies signs you out of that site. Have your password ready before you clear anything.

If you cannot pin the problem to one site, move on to the broader cleanup below.

Clear Edge browsing data

Chasing several CAPTCHA domains one at a time is slow. When site-level checks change nothing, a wider cleanup is the faster move.

You’ll know it worked when the challenge completes on the first try, with no reset back to the start. Reopen the site in a normal window and start a fresh challenge. If the loop is gone, the removed data was the cause.

Clearing cache and cookies leaves your browsing history alone. If you want that gone too, the steps to delete browsing history in Edge on computer and mobile are separate.

Disable extensions that can block verification scripts

Ad blockers, privacy add-ons, script blockers, and antivirus browser tools all sit between Edge and the page. Any of them can block the request that completes a challenge, even when the page itself loads fine.

Reload the site and test the CAPTCHA again. You’ll know it worked when the challenge completes with extensions off and breaks again once you re-enable one. That extension is your loop.

Turn extensions back on one at a time and retest after each, so you can name the culprit instead of guessing. Leave a conflicting extension disabled only when you trust the site and understand what it was blocking.

Lower Edge tracking protection for the affected site

Strict tracking prevention blocks more requests than Balanced, and some sign-in and verification systems look like trackers to it. If the CAPTCHA only fails while Strict is on, this is worth a test.

1. Click the menu, then select Settings.
2. Select Privacy, search, and services.
3. Select Tracking prevention.
4. Switch to Balanced temporarily if you are on Strict.
5. Reload the site and test the CAPTCHA.
6. If it works, open View site information from the address bar and set a tracking prevention exception for that site.

Microsoft calls Balanced the recommended setting for most people. Strict gives broader protection and can affect video playback or sign-in, so treat it as a diagnostic step and use a per-site exception instead of lowering protection everywhere.

Still looping after the exception? Check the page’s permissions directly.

Check for a site-specific permission or blocked request

Sometimes the loop comes down to a single blocked permission or tracker on one page. Edge keeps that information behind the padlock, and reading it takes a few seconds.

1. Open the site that shows the CAPTCHA.
2. Click the padlock or tune button in the address bar.
3. Select View site information.
4. Review the permissions for cookies, JavaScript, and pop-ups.
5. Select Trackers to see what Edge blocked on this page.

Change a permission, reload the page, and start a new challenge rather than clicking the old CAPTCHA image again. A new challenge reads the updated browser state, while a stale one keeps failing.

What to do if the CAPTCHA still loops

Nothing above worked and you are staring at the same checkbox. Restart Edge after changing permissions or clearing data: it closes the open tabs and starts the browser with your updated settings.

1. Close all Edge windows.
2. Open Edge again and return to the affected site.
3. Try one fresh CAPTCHA challenge.
4. If it still loops, test the site in another browser or on another device.

Do not keep solving challenge after challenge once the page has started looping. If the loop appears on every site, keep your broadest change (extensions disabled, or a lower tracking setting) and confirm which one restores normal behavior.

RELATED: View Site Information and Configure Settings in Microsoft Edge on Android