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Prevent uninstallation of Microsoft Edge stable #1286
Description
Update
I propose an updated and better implementation:
If the user tries to uninstall Edge, warn them that Edge is a dependency and uninstalling it might cause system issues. Allow them to override the warning and proceed with uninstallation.
Description of the new feature/enhancement
I request that WinGet must block uninstallation of Microsoft Edge stable since the browser is basically tightly integrated to the OS and uninstalling it might cause OS instability including but not limited to issues like failed Windows Updates and broken features.
Proposed technical implementation details (optional)
I do not have any code snippets to share at this moment. But a technical thing I suggest is printing an error message when winget uninstall Microsoft.Edge (or any similar command to uninstall the stable version of Microsoft Edge) is used. Maybe something simple like "WinGet does not support uninstallation of this app".
Activity
Masamune3210 commentedon Jul 15, 2021
I say leave it. if you are smart enough to know how to manually uninstall it using a shell, you are probably smart enough to figure out how to re-register it too
Trenly commentedon Jul 15, 2021
I tend to agree that if users want to be able to remove it, they should be able to. However, I don't think it should be without warning. I could easily see a young tech enthusiast who always uses Google Chrome or Firefox thinking they would be smart and uninstall Microsoft Edge, not realizing how many windows features depend on edge.
I would propose that in this specific case, the user be warned that Edge is a dependency for Windows features, and removing it may cause system instability or remove access to some features, requiring a confirmation before proceeding with the uninstall
Masamune3210 commentedon Jul 15, 2021
That I will agree with being a good idea, not everyone is ready to learn by burning down their boat so to speak
zhangzp9970 commentedon Oct 31, 2021
I have just uninstalled MS edge using winget, I'm now finding a way to reinstall it as a system app
zhangzp9970 commentedon Oct 31, 2021
Just download one from MS store and everything will be back.
lackovic commentedon Dec 10, 2022
Uninstallation of Microsoft Edge fails with exit code 93.
I agree with Kaleb Luedtke (@Trenly) on this.
pratyakshm commentedon Dec 15, 2022
I agree with Kaleb Luedtke (@Trenly).
I've changed my stance since I originally posted the issue. The user must have as much control over their device as possible.
I propose an updated and better implementation:
If the user tries to uninstall Edge, warn them that Edge is a dependency and uninstalling it might cause system issues. Allow them to override the warning and proceed with uninstallation.
luckybear97 commentedon Mar 29, 2023
EDGE DEV >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> EDGE
crazy that we need two browsers just cause it's the default APP!
cpprust commentedon Mar 31, 2023
Despite setting Firefox as my default browser, Microsoft Edge still opens when I press on my desktop.
To try and fix this issue, I have decided to remove Microsoft Edge.
If I need to reinstall it, I can still use the command
winget install microsoft.edge. (So I think it should be safe?)Unfortunately, I am not able to remove it via
winget uninstall microsoft.edge.pratyakshm commentedon Apr 2, 2023
cpprust (@cpprust) does it throw any error if you try to run:
?
luckybear97 commentedon Apr 2, 2023
Don't work, they patched it. Technically you still can remove the files manually, but yeah, I don't want to take risk
2 remaining items
denelon commentedon Apr 3, 2023
WinGet isn't involved in blocking any packages from removal. It's just calling the default "uninstall" step reported in the registry associated with Windows Apps & Features. I know there was a bug related to permissions for some of the MSIX based preinstalled packages. We've made a fix for that, but it isn't out in a stable release yet.
pratyakshm commentedon Apr 5, 2023
Understood. This is on Windows client side then.
Thanks for the information!
Taky0nDon commentedon Sep 26, 2023
I just uninstalled Edge Stable earlier today, found with issue while trying to figure out what error 93 was.
3xploiton3 commentedon Nov 24, 2023
winget uninstall Microsoft.EdgeWebView2Runtime
Found Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime [Microsoft.EdgeWebView2Runtime]
Starting package uninstall...
Uninstall failed with exit code: 93
winget uninstall Microsoft.Edge
Found Microsoft Edge [Microsoft.Edge]
Starting package uninstall...
Uninstall failed with exit code: 93
lackovic commentedon Nov 26, 2023
Kaleb Luedtke (@Trenly) in light of the changes in Windows to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Economic Area where Microsoft states that they have added the ability to uninstall Microsoft Edge, in the EEA, how is the uninstallation of Edge with winget going to look like? Will it be allowed only in Europe and others will continue to see the error message?
Demitrius Nelon (@denelon) has the fix been released? I am still seeing the unhelpful message
Uninstall failed with exit code: 93:Kazlehoff commentedon Jan 31, 2024
Googling Uninstall failed with exit code: 93 brought me here. guess why.
its crap like this that makes me wish linux was better for a daily driver for me. :(
metamec commentedon Mar 23, 2024
Yet another Microsoft application making Microsoft winget a pain to use.
I'm using this for now to ignore it.
winget pin add Microsoft.EdgeWebView2Runtimejimmy-zhening-luo commentedon Aug 14, 2024
I'm not going to lie... former Microsoft employee here, and I got here because I was trying to uninstall Microsoft.Edge and wanted to know what error 93 was ;)
(That said, I already had a suspicion that uninstalling Microsoft.Edge would break Windows but hoped beyond hope that Edgium, WebPlat, WinINet, WinHTTP, and friends finally had enough separation from the rest of Shell/NT after all these years.)
For future readers who find this thread, trust me, you do not want to uninstall Microsoft.Edge or the WebView Runtime, even though that's what I was trying to do. (Frankly as someone who also worked on AAD(EntraId?TFS?VSO?VSTS?ADO?AzureBoard?)/OneAuth at one point, I have no idea why I thought it'd be a good idea to try to uninstall the webivew lolol.)
Forget about warnings or configurability, I think period, Microsoft Edge should not be uninstallable.
Root Cause
Why is that? Does Microsoft hate you? Are we the Evil Empire ™? Maybe so re: the latter, definitely not re: the former (I think most of the folks I worked with did genuinely love our users). No, rather, you can thank your local congressperson and Department of Justice official for their brilliant performance in United States of America v. Microsoft Corporation, 253 F.3d 34 regarding the "bundling" of Internet Explorer with Windows, and the public/private API hell that emerged from it. You can choose to believe however that everyone at Microsoft is Bad At Building Operating Systems, as a proud former Windows eng I'm not even sure I'd argue with you on that, but I'd certainly challenge you to find a counterpoint of someone who is "good at building operating systems" (Terry Davis perhaps, certainly nobody at Apple nor Linux Corporation).
lackovic commentedon Aug 15, 2024
As per my earlier message, Microsoft stated this year in February "for compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) [...] we’ve added the ability to uninstall Microsoft Edge, in the EEA".
abowen commentedon Dec 8, 2024
You need to use WinUtil, go to Tweaks section, and select Remove Microsoft Edge down the bottom left, then run.
It's bunch of scripts to successfully uninstall Edge
https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil
I would have been fine leaving it on my PC but I set Firefox as my default browser, and Microsoft apps choose to ignore that
So now I'm removing it on principle from every PC I support
jimmy-zhening-luo commentedon Dec 12, 2024
Marco Lackovic (@lackovic), Ah I didn't know that. I'm surprised that's a DMA compliance item. Thanks for correcting me on this though, that's an important exception -- I retract my opinion that Microsoft Edge should not be uninstallable.
leo60228 commentedon Nov 10, 2025
Worth noting: if both the MSI and Store versions of Edge are installed, either can be uninstalled. (To make
winget upgrade --id Microsoft.Edgework on a fresh installation, you actually need towinget install --id Microsoft.Edge --forcethen uninstall the stock Edge...)