Microsoft Edge runs slow? We got the best fixes for that

by Ivan Jenic

Troubleshooting Expert

April 6, 2020

22 Comments

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According to various tests, Microsoft Edge is a very fast browser, even faster than Chrome. But, some users reported that for some reason, Microsoft Edge on their computers runs very slow.

So, we prepared a couple of solutions to help those who are facing this issue to use Microsoft Edge at its full speed.

Here are some more scenarious where you can apply these solutions, as well:

• Microsoft Edge very slow to respond
• Microsoft Edge slow loading pages
• Microsoft Edge not loading pages

What do I do if Microsoft Edge is slow on Windows 10?

Table of contents:

1. Use a faster browser
2. Clear cache and browsing history
3. Set the new location for temporary files
4. Reset Hosts file
5. Check your Internet connection
6. Delete Edge extensions
7. Reset Microsoft Edge
8. Run the SFC scan

1. Use a faster browser

If you notice that Edge continues to react very slowly, then before proceeding with the troubleshooting steps below, you should consider switching to a different browser instead.

If the Chromium engine is why you chose Edge, then we wholeheartedly recommend you give Opera a try. It looks amazing and lightweight, and it is among the fastest browsers in the world.

The looks can be further enhanced thanks to the wide array of visual customization tools, and the toolset can also be enriched with the vast library of extensions

Besides speed, Opera also prides itself with the privacy it offers its users, providing them with a built-in ad-blocker, and even a VPN that doesn’t have a daily traffic quota.

Opera

Navigate your favorite webpages instantly with zero waiting times with the help of this ultra-fast web browser.

Free Visit Website

2. Clear cache and browsing history

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on the dotted menu
2. Choose Settings
3. Under Clear browsing data, click on Choose what to clear
4. Choose Browsing history and Cached data and files and click on Clear

You can also use some third-party software to clean your browsing data. If you decide to do that, we recommend you CCleaner, because it’s extremely simple to use, and very effective as well.

You just have to open the program, check Internet cache, and other internet files, under Microsoft Edge (you have to do that only once), and hit Analyze, and then Clean when the analysis is finished.

But to clean Edge files with CCleaner, you have to download the latest version of the software.

This utility is very lightweight, and using it doesn’t require any knowledge except knowing basic English. Simply choose what you want to scan or clear, and then confirm what to delete and what to keep.

CCleaner

If your web browser is running slowly because of cache build-up, simply use CCleaner to clean everything up.

Free trial Visit website

3. Set the new location for Temporary Files

1. Open Internet Explorer (not Edge)
2. Click on the Gear icon, and select Internet Options
3. On the General tab, under Browsing History, go to Settings
4. On the Temporary Internet Files tab, click on Move folder…
5. Choose the new location for Temporary Internet Files folder (like C:\Users\yourname)
6. Then set the Disk Space to use 1024MB and click OK
7. Open Microsoft Edge, and see if the browsing is now faster.

3. Reset hosts file

1. Open File Explorer, and paste the following into the search bar:
   • %systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc
2. Now, right-click on hots file, choose Open with, and choose Notepad
3. Replace the text from the file with the following text:
   • # Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.
     #
     # This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
     #
     # This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
     # entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
     # be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
     # The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
     # space.
     #
     # Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
     # lines or following the machine name denoted by a ‘#’ symbol.
     #
     # For example:
     #
     # 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
     # 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
     # localhost name resolution is handle within DNS itself.
     # 127.0.0.1 localhost
     # ::1 localhost
4. Close Notepad, and save the changes

Editor’s Note: This article continues on the next page.