Microsoft Edge Shortcut Keep Appearing on Your Desktop? 5 Fixes to Try

Frustrating, especially if you don’t use it

While Microsoft Edge has made great strides in recent years, many users still prefer other browsers like Google Chrome or Firefox. However, Microsoft forces Edge onto its users in many ways, including by placing its shortcut on your Desktop—even after you’ve tried to delete it.

In this tutorial, we’ll explain what to do if Microsoft Edge keeps adding its shortcut to the Desktop.

5 Ways to Stop Microsoft Edge Shortcut Appearing on Desktop

Here’s what to do if Microsoft Edge keeps appearing on your Desktop. These fixes should work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

You can use the Registry Editor to prevent Windows from adding the Microsoft Edge shortcut to your Desktop. Here’s how:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdgeUpdate]

“CreateDesktopShortcutDefault”=dword:00000000

“RemoveDesktopShortcutDefault”=dword:00000001

Note:Before making changes to yourregistryfiles, we recommend making a backup in case anything goes wrong.

If you disable the Edge startup process, you can effectively prevent the application from adding its Desktop icon shortcut. To do so:

Note:Did you knowEdge continues running in the backgroundby default, even after you close it? The good news is that you can change that behavior.

If you set the Microsoft Edge browser as your default, you grant it several permissions that allow it to do things like add a Desktop shortcut. By making another browser your default, you remove these permissions.

If you own Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro Edition, you can access theGroup Policy Editorand prevent Edge from running on its own or reinstalling after a Windows update.

You can also use the Group Policy Editor to prevent other users from adding Edge to the Desktop:

Note:This option may not be available on Windows 10.

Microsoft Edge runs several scheduled tasks in the background after you start up your PC. For example, it might check for updates (or add its shortcut to the desktop). To prevent this:

Organize Your Desktop

There’s no doubt that the Chromium-based Edge browser is an improvement on Internet Explorer. But constantly seeing the Microsoft Edge icon return to your Desktop can be frustrating, especially if you don’t even use the Edge web browser.

Hopefully, this tutorial has helped you stop Edge from creating Desktop shortcuts so that you can keep everything nice and organized.

Jake Harfield is an Australian freelance writer whose passion is finding out how different technologies work. He has written for several online publications, focusing on explaining what he has learned to help others with their tech problems. He’s an avid hiker and birder, and in his spare time you’ll find him in the Aussie bush listening to the birdsong.Read Jake’s Full Bio

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