• Windows
  • Browsers

Edge is installed whether you use it or not, and it stores like Chrome

The browser that comes with Windows keeps a full profile even on a machine where nobody opens it. Where it is and what is safe.

4 min read

Edge ships with Windows, updates itself, and keeps a profile even on machines where it is only ever opened by accident. It is built on Chromium, so its storage is identical in shape to Chrome's.

Where it is

$root = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\Edge\User Data"
Get-ChildItem $root -Directory -EA SilentlyContinue | ForEach-Object {
  $s = (Get-ChildItem $_.FullName -Recurse -Force -File -EA SilentlyContinue | Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum
  [PSCustomObject]@{ MB = [math]::Round($s/1MB); Profile = $_.Name }
} | Sort-Object MB -Descending

The parts that are specific to Edge

  • Collections. Saved pages and images, stored locally in the profile.
  • Sleeping tabs and startup boost. Behaviour rather than storage, but both keep the browser running in the background where it can keep caching.
  • WebView2. A shared runtime other applications use, installed separately under Program Files and updated independently.
  • Enterprise sync data, on a managed machine, which follows the account.

WebView2 is not Edge

A folder called Microsoft\EdgeWebView is the runtime other applications embed to show web content, and removing it breaks those applications rather than the browser. Teams, Office and a growing number of desktop apps use it. It is small next to a browser profile and it is not something to clear.

If you do not use Edge at all

It cannot be fully uninstalled on most Windows installs, and fighting that is not worth the space. What you can do is sign out so it stops syncing, clear its data once, and turn off startup boost so it is not running in the background. The profile stays and it stops growing.

The same layout everywhere

Chrome's folders are identical in structure, and so are Brave, Vivaldi and Opera. Learn it once and every browser on the machine is the same job.

Common questions

Where does Edge store its data on Windows?

Under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data, with a folder per profile, in the same Chromium layout as Chrome.

Can I uninstall Edge to free space?

On most Windows installs it cannot be fully removed, and the effort is not worth the space. Signing out, clearing its data once and turning off startup boost stops it growing.

What is the EdgeWebView folder?

The WebView2 runtime that other desktop applications embed to display web content, including Teams and parts of Office. Removing it breaks those applications, not the browser.

Does Edge use space if I never open it?

Some, because it updates itself and keeps a profile. It is far smaller than a browser in daily use, and it is worth clearing once rather than worrying about.

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