How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Importing Data

Turning off the Import browsing data is the first step

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Many users have expressed concerns about Microsoft Edge unexpectedly importing Chrome browsing data. The discovery was made when Edge autonomously launched with all the previously opened Chrome tabs after a system reboot triggered by the recent Windows 11 update, KB5034204.

To stop Microsoft Edge from importing data, first, you need to sign out from the Microsoft account from the Edge browser, then disable the Always have access to your recent browsing data each time you browse on Microsoft Edge setting.

How do I stop Microsoft Edge from importing data?

1. Sign out from the Microsoft Account

  1. Press the Windows key, type edge in the search box, and click Open.Edge - How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Importing Data
  2. Locate the Profile icon from the upper left corner and click the Settings icon.Sign out from account
  3. Click Sign out and close the browser.
  4. Once you have signed out, click the three dots next to Profile 1 and select Remove to delete the current profile.

2. Disable the Import data option

  1. Press the Windows key, type edge in the search box, and click Open.Edge - How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Importing Data
  2. Click the three dots icon from the top-right corner, then choose Settings.Edge Settings - How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Importing Data
  3. Go to Profiles, then click Import browser data.Import data
  4. Next, go to Import data at each browser launch and click the Edit preferences option.Edit preferences Import data
  5. Make sure the Always have access to your recent browsing data each time you browse on Microsoft Edge setting is disabled.Import data 2

3. Delete other data from Edge

  1. Launch the Edge browser, click the three dots icon from the top-right corner, and then choose Settings.Edge Settings - How to Stop Microsoft Edge from Importing Data
  2. Go to the Privacy, search and services tab, locate Clear browsing data now, and click the Choose what to clear button.Clear browsing data
  3. Now select All time for Time range, checkmark all the options in the list, then click the Clear now button.Choose what to clear - Stop Microsoft Edge from Importing Data
  4. Next, type in the following in the address bar and hit Enter : edge://favorites
  5. Select all the items and click Delete.Delete Favorites
  6. Copy & paste this path into the address bar and hit Enter: edge://settings/passwords
  7. Check the passwords one by one and click Delete to remove them.Delete passwords  - Stop Microsoft Edge from Importing Data
  8. Type the following paths in the address bar one by one, and hit Enter. Once you reach there, inspect & remove the data from the browser:
    • edge://settings/addresses
      edge://settings/payments

Clearing browsing data is one of the best options to keep your browser working in perfect condition and address issues like Edge not working on Windows 11.

4. Add a registry entry

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run window.Regedit RUN COMMAND - stop edge from importing data
  2. Type regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor. Click Yes on the UAC prompt.
  3. Before making any changes to registry values, let us first take a backup. Go to File, select Export, then save the .reg file in an accessible location.fILE - EXPORT
  4. Navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft
  5. Locate Edge; if you can’t see the key, right-click Microsoft, select New, then Keyand name it Edge.Name the key Edge
  6. Now, right-click Edge and choose New, then select DWORD(32-bit) Value. Name it ImportBrowserSettings.DWORD -
  7. Double-click the DWORD, set the Value data to 0, and click OK.ImportBrowser settings
  8. Similarly, to disable other settings, you need to add a DWORD for them and follow Step 6 to create; here are the names that you use for DWORD:
    • Browsing history – ImportHistory
    • Extensions – ImportExtensions
    • Payment information – ImportPaymentInfo
    • Saved passwords â€“ ImportSavedPasswords

Once you create the DWORDs, make sure you set their Value data to 0 to disable the features and restart your computer to let the changes take effect.

5. Disable Allow importing browser settings from Group Policy Editor

  1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.GPEDIT MSC RUN - stop edge from importing data
  2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Group Policy Editor.
  3. Navigate to this path: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Classic Administrative Templates\Microsoft Edgestop edge from importing data - GPE
  4. On the right-hand side, locate Allow importing of browser settings, double-click it and select Disabled, then click OK.
  5. To disable other options like browsing history, cookies, extensions, saved passwords, and more, look for the corresponding option and follow Step 4. Once you are satisfied, reboot your PC to let the changes take effect.

So, disabling all these settings from your browser, Registry Editor, or Group Policy Editor can help you stop Edge from importing data.

To conclude, if your Edge is using Chrome browsing data, the first step to fix it is to make sure the Always have access to your recent browsing data each time you browse on Microsoft Edge setting is disabled.

After that, to get rid of all the imported data, clear browsing history, saved passwords, favorites, payment information, profile information, and more.

In case you want to disable Edge on Windows 11 to avoid this problem altogether, we have a detailed guide for you. Also, find out what to do if you come across the Out of Memory error in Edge.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the subject, feel free to mention them in the comments section below.

More about the topics: Chrome, Edge, microsoft edge, microsoft edge browser, windows 10, Windows 11