Most of us perform routine tasks after logging into our computers. If you’re someone who always launches Edge immediately to start browsing, having your browser ready the moment you sign in can save you a few clicks and get you online faster. Additionally, you can set multiple startup pages in Edge so that all your preferred pages open instantly, showing the latest updates.
Auto-Launching Edge After Booting
There are several options available, and the first one is the easiest.
1. Through Edge Settings
Microsoft has recently made this feature more accessible directly within the browser. So, make sure the browser is updated and follow the below steps:
- Open Edge, click on “Settings and more” (the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner), and select the “Settings” menu.
- In the left sidebar, click on “Start, home, and new tabs”.
- Scroll down on the right pane and look for the section titled “On Windows device start”.
- Toggle the switch to “On” for the setting that says, “Automatically open Microsoft Edge when you sign in to Windows”.
By enabling this, Edge will launch automatically every time you log into your Windows account.
2. From Windows Settings
You can follow this method for any app to launch at startup, including Edge.
- Press Windows + I keys to open the Windows Settings app.
- Navigate to “Apps > Startup”.
- Find Microsoft Edge in the list and turn it on.
3. Using the Windows Startup Folder
Similar to the previous method, you can manually add a shortcut to Edge in the Windows Startup folder.
- Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Type shell:startup and press “OK” button. This will open the Startup folder for your specific user account.
- In the Startup folder window, right-click on an empty space and select “New > Shortcut”.
- In the location field, type or browse to the path for Microsoft Edge. It is usually:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe
- Click “Next”, give the shortcut a name like “Microsoft Edge”, and click “Finish”.
Now, every time you log in, Windows will launch Edge like any other startup application. However, this option generally takes longer to launch the app compared to the previous two methods.
4. Using Task Manager
You can also enable Edge to start automatically from the Task Manager, which is a quick way to manage startup apps.
- Right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager”. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys.
- Navigate to the “Startup apps” tab and look for Microsoft Edge in the list.
- If the app appears with the status “Disabled”, right-click on it and select “Enable” or click the “Enable” button.
This will set Edge to launch at startup based on the system’s startup app configuration. If you don’t find Edge in the list, follow one of the other methods.
5. Using Group Policy Editor
If you’re using Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor to enforce this setting. This is particularly useful in managed environments.
- Press Windows + R keys, type gpedit.msc, and click the “OK” button.
- Navigate to “Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Edge”.
- Find the policy named “Allow Microsoft Edge to pre-launch at Windows startup, when the system is idle, and each time Microsoft Edge is closed”.
- Double-click on it and set it to “Enabled” and select “Allow pre-launching” from “Configure pre-launch” dropdown.
- Click “Apply” and “OK” to close the editor.
Enabling this policy will force Edge to launch every time Windows starts. If set to “Disabled”, it will never launch automatically. You can restart the system and test it immediately.
6. Using Registry Editor
If you don’t have access to Group Policy or are using Windows Home edition, you can achieve the same result by editing the Windows Registry. Since editing the Registry incorrectly can cause serious problems, back up your Registry before making any changes.
- Press Windows + R keys, type regedit, and click “OK”.
- Navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
- If the Edge key doesn’t exist, right-click on the Microsoft folder, select “New > Key”, and name it Edge.
- In the right pane, right-click on an empty space and select “New > DWORD (32-bit) Value”.
- Name the new value LaunchEdgeOnWindowsStartupEnabled.
- Double-click the new value and set its data to 1 to enable it (or 0 to disable it).
- Click “OK”, close the app, and restart your computer.
Launching Multiple Pages in Edge
As mentioned, you can force the Edge browser to launch multiple webpages whenever it launches:
- Open Edge and go to this edge://settings/startHomeNTP settings page.
- Under “On startup” section, select “Open custom sites” option.
- Click the “Add site” button and add the sites you want. If the sites are already opened, simply click “Use all open tabs” button.
Final Words
It seems Microsoft is testing a feature in Edge beta / canary versions that automatically launches Edge upon Windows login. If that feature becomes available in the stable release, you can use it without making manual changes. On the other hand, if Edge starts opening automatically and you didn’t intend for it to happen, you can use the methods above (particularly the Edge Settings method) to turn it off.
