How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Creating Desktop Shortcuts

This article explains how to stop Microsoft Edge from automatically creating a desktop shortcut on your Windows 11 desktop.

Microsoft Edge browser is the default browser in Windows 11. But you can switch to preferred or favorite browser whenever you want. Edge is based on Chromium, which is the same code that powers Google Chrome and many other browsers today.

Why does this happen? Microsoft wants you to use Edge. Every time Edge gets an update, it automatically creates a desktop shortcut if one doesn’t already exist.

What happens when you delete it? The shortcut comes back. When Edge updates again, Microsoft creates a new shortcut automatically. You can stop this from happening. Here’s how.

How to Stop Edge from Creating Desktop Shortcuts

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

First, open the Windows Registry on your computer.

Step 2: Navigate to the Correct Folder

Go to this folder location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\Update

If you don’t see the EdgeUpdate folder, right-click on the Microsoft folder. Then create a new subfolder called EdgeUpdate.

Step 3: Create a New Value ⚠️ Requires Admin Access

On the right side of the window, right-click in the empty space. Select New and then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Type this name for the new value:

RemoveDesktopShortcutDefault

Step 4: Set the Value

Double-click on RemoveDesktopShortcutDefault. In the box that opens, enter 1 as the value.

Setting it to 1 stops Edge from creating desktop shortcuts.

Setting it to 0 allows Edge to keep creating shortcuts automatically.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer

Restart your computer to apply these changes. After you restart, Edge will no longer create desktop shortcuts automatically.

Summary

Microsoft Edge automatically creates desktop shortcuts every time it updates. This can be annoying if you don’t want shortcuts on your desktop. You can disable this behavior by opening the Registry Editor and adding a value called RemoveDesktopShortcutDefault and setting it to 1. After you restart your computer, Edge will stop creating these shortcuts. If you ever want Edge to create shortcuts again, you can change the value back to 0.

Frequently Asked Questions