What to do if the Microsoft Edge shortcut keeps appearing on the desktop?

delete Microsoft Edge Windows still shows the shortcut on the desktop after the shortcut?Don't worry, your computer is not compromised.

Fortunately, there's no need to manually delete Edge desktop shortcuts over and over again.Here are some helpful tips that should help you solve the problem quickly.

1. Prevent Microsoft Edge open at startup

By default, Microsoft Edge runs every time you start your Windows computer.Several users on the Microsoft forums reported that they worked around this particular issue by preventing Microsoft Edge from opening on startup.Therefore, this is the first thing you should try.

You can use Task Manager to see all the apps configured to run at startup and disable Edge from there.Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Press Win + X to open the "Power User" menu.

2. Select Task Manager from the menu that opens.

3. Select Startup Applications from the left pane.

4. Locate and select Microsoft Edge in the list.Right-click it and select Disable from the context menu.

You should also go to the Startup folder on your Windows computer and delete any shortcuts labeled Microsoft Edge.

2. Edit the registry file

Another way to prevent the Microsoft Edge shortcut from reappearing on the desktop is to edit the registry file.

It is important to note that making incorrect changes to registry files may cause serious damage to the system.Therefore, it is a good idea to back up all registry files or create a restore point before proceeding.

Even if you're familiar with Registry Editors, make sure you follow the steps carefully so you don't accidentally mess with the Windows Registry.

Please use the following instructions:

1. Press Win + R to open the "Run" dialog.

2. Type regedit in the text box and press Enter.

3. Select Yes when prompted by User Account Control (UAC).

4. Using the left pane, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft.

5. Right-click Microsoft Key and select New > Key.Name it EdgeUpdate.

6. Right-click the EdgeUpdate key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.Renamed to CreateDesktopShortcutDefault.

7. Double-click the newly created DWORD and enter 0 in the Value data field.Then click OK.

8. Inside the EdgeUpdate key, create another DWORD and name it RemoveDesktopShortcutDefault.

9. Double-click the RemoveDesktopShortcutDefault DWORD and enter 0 in the Value data field.

10. Click OK.

Close the Registry Editor window and restart the computer.After that, check if the problem is resolved.

3. Modify Group Policy settings

If the problem persists after editing the registry file, you can try modifying the Group Policy settings.Group Policy Editor is only available on Professional, Education, or Enterprise editions of Windows.

Follow the steps below to modify Group Policy settings:

1. Press Win + S to open the search menu.

2. Type gpedit.msc in the search box and press Enter.

3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), select Yes.

4. In the Local Group Policy Editor window, use the left pane to navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Edge.

5. Double-click the "Allow Microsoft Edge to pre-launch when Windows starts, when the system is idle, and every time Microsoft Edge closes" policy in the right pane.

6. Select the Disabled option.

7. Click Apply, and then click OK.

8. Likewise, disable the "Allow Microsoft Edge to start and load Start and New Tab pages when Windows starts and every time Microsoft Edge closes" policy.

Restart the computer again and check if the problem is resolved.

4. Remove Microsoft Edge as default browser

Another reason why the Microsoft Edge shortcut keeps showing up on the Windows desktop is because you have set it as your default browser.

Try changing the default browser on your Windows PC to something other than Microsoft Edge and see if that fixes the problem.

5. Restrict other users from creating desktop shortcuts

If you share your computer with other people, they may create shortcuts to Edge without your permission.If you don't want this to happen, you can use Group Policy Editor to prevent other users from creating desktop shortcuts.

Here are the relevant steps:

1. Click the search icon on the taskbar to enter the search menu.

2. Type edit group policy or gpedit in the search box and select the first result that appears.

3. Using the left pane, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.

4. Double-click the "Prevent desktop icon changes" policy in the right pane.

5. Select the Enabled option.

6. Click Apply, and then click OK.

After making the above changes, other users will not be able to create, modify or delete your desktop icons.

6. View scheduled tasks

It could be that a scheduled task is causing Windows to repeatedly create a desktop shortcut for Edge.To check this possibility, you need to look at the tasks in the task scheduler application.

Check for automatic tasks in the Task Scheduler using the following steps:

1. Right-click the "Start" icon and select "Run" from the menu that appears.

2. Type taskschd.msc in the box and press Enter to open the Task Scheduler application.

3. Select the Task Scheduler library in the left pane to view the list of tasks in the middle pane.

4. Locate and select any Edge-related tasks.

5. Click the Disable option in the right pane.

Additionally, you can restrict others from creating and running tasks in Task Scheduler by modifying Group Policy settings or registry files.

7. Uninstall Microsoft Edge from your computer

If none of the above tips help, you may consider uninstalling Microsoft Edge to resolve the issue.This might be useful if Microsoft Edge is no longer your browser of choice.

Prevent Microsoft Edge from appearing on the desktop

If shortcuts for Microsoft Edge keep appearing on your desktop for no apparent reason, this might confuse you.Hopefully one of the above fixes has helped resolve the issue permanently and you can rest easy.