Microsoft Edge the default web browser on Windows 11, is now based on the Chromium platform to offer world-class performance and compatibility with your favorite websites and extensions. The company regularly updates the Edge browser with new features, the latest bug fixes, and security improvements that not only optimize the Edge browser performance but also address performance issues to make it a perfect alternative to Google Chrome. But still, sometimes you may experience Microsoft Edge running slow on Windows 11, the Edge browser not responding or very slow to load web pages. Here we have a few tips to improve the performance of the Microsoft Edge browser or Speed Up Microsoft Edge on your Windows 11 PC.
A sluggish web browser may force you to look for alternatives, Before you do that check out the tips here
Why is Microsoft Edge running very slow on Windows 11?
There are a number of reasons that may affect Microsoft Edge browser performance. If you have a number of open tabs that not only slows down the edge browser but also impacts system performance as well. You might have issues with the browser cache and cookies that slow Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 and 11. Older browser versions, lack of storage or Certain extensions might also cause issues.
Here are some tips to speed up Microsoft Edge:
- Keep Edge updated: Make sure you have the latest version of Edge installed.
- Limit the number of open tabs: The more tabs you have open, the more memory and processing power Edge will need.
- Clear browsing data: Regularly clear cache and cookies to free up disk space and improve browsing speed.
- Disable unnecessary extensions: Too many extensions can slow down Edge, so disable the ones you don’t need.
- Enable hardware acceleration: Go to Edge Settings > System > Use hardware acceleration when available, and turn it on.
- Use a content blocker: Ad and script blockers can speed up page loading times by reducing the amount of content that needs to be loaded.
- Reset Edge settings: If none of the above works, try resetting Edge to its default settings
How to Speed Up Microsoft Edge on Windows 11
Update the Edge browser with the latest version, Clear cache and browsing history, or remove malicious extensions is very helpful to fix when the Edge is Slow or Lagging on Windows 11. Also, you can repair Microsoft Edge and Disable the Preload New Tab Feature to Restore your browser to full speed.
Let’s first Restart your Computer, which kills the background process refreshes the operating system and free up system resources. It not only optimizes system performance but also speeds up the Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 11 as well.
If the edge browser won’t open after clicking a few times open the task manager using ctrl + shift + Esc. Move to the process tab, locate all Microsoft Edge services there right click on it and select end task. Now try to open the Edge browser.
Next, open the Microsoft Edge browser and press Shift + Esc simultaneously to open Edge Task Manager. Look which process consumes more resources there, select it and click on End process.
Check Your Internet Connection
If you notice web pages loading slow on Microsoft Edge, first check and make sure you have a stable working internet connection. You can check internet speed at speed.com or speedtest.net. If you are using VPN or connected to VPN server that might slow your internet speed and result Microsoft Edge slow page load or the browser not responding. Let’s disconnect from VPN, and check if this helps.
If you have good download and upload speed the next thing you need to check is whether the internet connection is stable on your computer.
- Press Windows key + R, type ping google.com -t and click ok
- Check continuously getting ping replay from Google server or not, If the replay break between you need to troubleshoot the internet connection first.
Update Microsoft Edge
Whenever you experience problems with apps or browsers the first thing you need to check and make sure the latest software version is installed on your computer. The company regularly updates the Microsoft browser with new features, security improvements, and the latest bug fixes. If you have an older version of the Edge browser installed or the browser or not been updated for a long time you may experience different problems include Edge running slow on Windows 11.
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser on your computer,
- Click on the dotted menu, from the context menu select Help & feedback then About Microsoft Edge,
- Or you can open Edge browser, type edge://settings/help in the address bar and press the enter key,
- This will automatically check for the latest updates for the Microsoft Edge browser, if available it automatically downloads and gets installed there.
In addition, check for and install the latest Windows updates on your device as well.
Clear cache and browsing history
Similar to other browsers Microsoft Edge also store cache and cookies data to make the browsing experience faster. But if you have not cleared the browser cache for a long or the data is corrupted due to some reason it may chunk the browser performance. Let’s clear the edge browser cache and browsing history to optimize the browser performance.
You can also use cookie cleaner software to clean your browsing data quickly
- Open Microsoft Edge and click on the dotted menu Choose Settings.
- Click on Privacy, search, and Services on left then locate Clear browsing data and click on Choose what to clear.
- Or you can type edge://settings/clearBrowserData in the address bar and press enter key to open the same window
- A new popup window opens with options to select and remove browser cache and cookies, browsing history and more
- Here select the time range between the last hour to all time, Select All time and check the boxes for all the available data and Click the Clear now button.
Delete Edge extensions
Edge extensions improve the browsing experience by adding some extra functionality. but
in some instances, Edge Extensions can obstruct page loading time on Windows 11. If you have a number of edge extensions enabled let’s disable or remove them that probably improve the browser speed.
- First, open the Edge browser, Click the Menu icon and choose Extensions.
- Now click on Manage extensions to display all installed and enabled Edge extensions list,
- Disable all extensions by clicking the toggle switch icon.
- In addition, there are Remove options to completely delete the Edge extension from there.
Disable the preload of the new tab page
Microsoft Edge introduced a feature to preload the new tab page that includes your favorites, Bing wallpaper, Microsoft News, and more. But loading everything from scratch sometimes slows the browser performance, let’s disable preloading the new tab page for a faster experience.
- Open the Edge browser, click on the three-dot menu, and select settings from the context menu,
- Click on Start, home, and new tabs from the left sidebar.
- Scroll down and Disable Preload the new tab page for a faster experience toggle.
- Restart Microsoft Edge, now check you will see a faster load time for the new tab.
Reset the Microsoft Edge browser
If none above solutions work for you still HOW-TOMicrosoft Edge Acting Slow? Reset the browser to bring it back to the default settings.
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser then navigate to settings,
- Click on Reset Settings and tap on Restore settings to their default values.
- Click on Reset again to confirm the deletion
- Now close and relaunch the Edge browser and open any web pages to check if it’s faster now.
Run system file checker utility
In addition, if problems on your Windows 11 computer or if due to any reason windows files are corrupted you may experience apps won’t open or not respond to problems. The same things applied to Microsoft Edge as well.
- Press Windows key + S and type cmd, Right click on the command prompt select run as administrator,
- Type the command sfc /scannow and press enter key to scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with the correct one from a cached copy.
- Once the scanning is complete 100% reboot your computer and check Apps open normally on Windows 11 include the Edge browser and perform well.
Here is a video Guide how to speed up Microsoft edge on Windows 11 and make it load web pages faster.
Also read:
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- Windows 11 Restarts Automatically? Try These 9 Fixes
- 7 ways to Repair & Restore Corrupted Files in Windows 11