How to Fix: Microsoft Edge Not Responding?

Ever since the Edge browser switched over to the Chromium source engine, it witnessed a massive rise in popularity. Until that point, Microsoft offered a lag-free and handy user interface, but it lacked all those goodies that Chrome had to offer.

So as soon as users got to know about the browser jumping ships over to the Chromium Engine, there was no second thought involved. A large chunk of users straightaway made Edge their go-to browser.

While it seems to have addressed most of the underlying issues, there was one problem that some users had to go through- the occasional hanging of the browser. Even across the Microsoft Support Forum, there have been numerous complaints regarding the same.

If you are also getting bugged by this issue, then fret not. This guide will show you various methods to fix the Microsoft Edge not responding problem.

Restart Browser

Your first action should be to close the browser and then restart it. However, if it is currently hung and you cannot hit the cross button.

Here are the steps to force quit the Edge browser and restart:

1. Keypress Windows + D shortcut to go to the Desktop Home Screen.
2. From there, invoke the Task Manager via Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut keys.
3. Select Microsoft Edge from the list and hit End Task.
   It shall close the browser.

Relaunch it and check whether the Microsoft Edge not responding issue has been rectified.

Once you launch the browser, you will get a pop-up if you want to restore the earlier tabs. Hit OK, and all your tabs open during the previous session will be restored.

Close Background Apps

If many apps and their services run in the background, it might harm your system. And this, in turn, would lead to a slowdown of the running apps, including your browser.

The best bet, in this case, is to close all those resource-hungry background apps.

Here are the steps to close the background apps for the Edge browser:

1. Launch the Task Manager via Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut key combinations.
2. Switch to the Memory tab and heavy resource-consuming app.
   They would be highlighted with a darker color.
3. Select unused and click on End Task command.
   
4. Once all these apps have been closed, we recommend you close the browser.

Now, relaunch the Microsoft Edge browser and verify whether the not responding issue has been fixed.

Disable Extensions

Extensions, especially those related to Java Scripts or site trackers, are among the most common culprits for breaking the website or, sometimes, even the browser. The safest approach, in this regard, would be to disable all those extensions.

Here are the steps to disable the extensions in the Microsoft Edge browser:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge and head over edge://extensions/.
   It will display the list of all the installed extensions.
2. Disable the toggle to turn off the extension process.
   
3. Now re-enable them, one at a time, until you can re-create the issue.

As and when that happens, check out the last enabled extension and then remove it from your PC right away.

Once the said extension has been uninstalled, restart the browser. Now check if it fixes the Microsoft Edge not responding issue.

There are always two sides to a coin; the same is valid with extensions. On the one hand, they tend to add more features to your browser, but on the flip side, they are usually the most significant reason behind various browser-related issues.

So always think twice before trying out an extension, especially if it’s from an untrusted developer.

Update Microsoft Edge

Using an old or outdated browser usually leads to quite a few performance and security issues. That is why it is highly recommended to use the latest browser version.

Here are the steps to update Microsoft Edge to the latest version:

1. Launch the Edge browser and head to edge://settings/help.
2. Edge will automatically check for the available update and, if found, will download it and install it immediately.
   
3. After the installation, restart your browser and verify if the Microsoft Edge not responding issue has been fixed.

However, if you cannot use the browser to carry out the update process, there’s an alternate way out. You should download the latest Edge setup file and proceed with the on-screen instructions to install. It shall automatically update your browser within a few seconds.

Delete Edge Data

If a lot of temporary data accumulates over time, then a slow and sluggish browsing experience is on the cards. To rectify this problem, consider deleting the stored data.

Here are the steps to delete the data from the Edge browser:

1. Launch the Edge browser on your PC.
2. Bring up the Clear Browsing Data dialog box using Ctrl + Shift + Del shortcut keys.
3. Select Cookies and Other Site Data and Cached Images and Files.
   
4. Finally, hit the Delete key and wait for the data to be deleted.

Once done, see if you can use the browser now. If the issue is still persistent, here are some other workarounds worthy of your attention.

Deleting the data would sign you out of various sites. Likewise, the deleted cache would take the website a few seconds to load. However, these are one-time issues and will automatically rectify once the data is re-populated.

Repair Edge Browser

The Edge browser has a repair feature that checks for underlying issues, missing files, and other related errors. Once the scanning is complete, it will fix all the issues it encountered.

Here are the steps to repair the Edge browser on Windows:

1. Head over to the Start menu and search Apps & Features.
2. Select the Microsoft Edge browser and then click on the Modify button that appears.
   You shall now get the User Account Control prompt.
3. Click Yes (make sure you are signed in as an administrator).
4. Now click on the Repair button and wait for the process to complete.
   
5. Once done, launch Microsoft Edge and check whether the not responding error has been fixed.

The best part of this fix is that you don’t need to interact with the browser even once. So this could be the correct fix for users who cannot access their browsers.

Reset Microsoft Edge

If none of those mentioned above methods managed to spell out success, then you should consider restoring the browser to its default state, exactly how it came ‘out of the box.

Here are the steps to reset the Microsoft Edge browser on the computer:

1. Launch Edge computer browser, and go to edge://settings/resetProfileSettings.
   It shall bring up the Reset Settings dialog box.
2. Hit the Reset button.
   

The browser will now revert to its original state, and the issue will also be fixed. The above process will reset your pinned tabs and start-up pages. However, your data would remain intact.

Bottom Line: Edge is not Responding

So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the Microsoft Edge Not responding issue. We have shared seven different fixes for the same.

In my case, restarting the browser gave me a one-time relief. However, the issue was fixed after deleting the browser data and then using the Edge repair feature.

On that note, do let us know in the comments section which method worked out for you.