How to Disable First Run Experience in Microsoft Edge Chromium?

When a Windows user opens up the Microsoft Edge for the first time, he/she is greeted with a welcome message followed by tips and tricks to use the edge browser. Additionally, when Windows push out a new feature update to the Edge, and the user installs it, it will again show up this first run experience pop-up that will display what is new with this new Edge update from Microsoft. Microsoft Edge is the default browser of Windows, and when Windows rolls out an update, the user will more often get an update for Edge too. So there is a first-run experience pop-up in the Edge browser after almost every Windows update.

This can be not very pleasant for someone who regularly updates the Windows interface. Sometimes you just want to open up the Edge browser and get to work, and the first-run experience puts out the new update information on the screen. However, there is a way to disable this first-run experience pop-up of Microsoft Edge. There are two ways to be precise, and here in this article, we will guide you through both processes. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.

How to Disable First Run Experience in Microsoft Edge Chromium?

As mentioned above, there are two ways to go about it. You can either use the Windows Registry Editor or the Local Group Policy Editor to disable Microsoft Edge’s first-run experience. Firstly, we will show you how to do it using the Windows Registry Editor. Then we will move to the Local Group Policy Editor method. The second method is not applicable in a Windows 10 Home system as the Group Policy Editor does not exist in the Home edition of Windows 10.

Using the Registry Editor:

The registry editor is a database for the settings of applications and the operating. By editing the keys and values, one can make all sorts of changes to the operating system. However, don’t mess with anything in the registry if you are not sure about it. A simple mistake can lead to the Operating system shutting and crashing down. So follow the steps mentioned below carefully.

• Press Windows Key + R to open up the Run dialog box.
• Enter “regedit” in the Run dialog box and press the Enter key.
• If the UAC message pops up, choose Yes.
• In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

• The Edge key might be missing in your system. In that case, right-click in the right pane while you are in the Microsoft key and choose New > Key. Name this new key as Edge.
• In the Edge key, right-click in the right pane and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name that newly created value as “HideFirstRunExperience.”
• Double-click on this “HideFirstRunExperience” value, and it will open up a dialog box. In the dialog box, set the Value data as 1. Then click on Ok.
• Now close the registry editor and restart your computer.

If you want to enable the Edge browser’s first-run experience again, go back to the same path in the registry editor window and delete the value HideFirstRunExperience.

Using the Local Group Policy Editor:

Using the Local Group Policy Editor is a bit different than using the registry editor. You need to download the policy files for it from Microsoft’s website. Using those files, you can configure the First-run experience in Microsoft Edge.

• Open your browser and visit Microsoft’s webpage for the edge browser by clicking here.
• Click on “Get Policy Files.”
• A zip will be downloaded to your computer. Extract that zip file and then open up that folder.
• Navigate to “MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates\windows\admx” in that folder.
• Copy “msedge.admx” from this location to “C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions.”
• Then copy “msedge.adml” present in one of the language folders to the location “C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\[location folder].” If your language is English(US), then copy the “msedge.adml” file from the MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates\windows\admx\en-US\ directory to the C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US\ directory. For different languages, the last folder will be different.
• Press Windows Key + R to open up the Run dialog box.
• Enter “gpedit.msc” here and click on Ok.
• Navigate to the following path in the Local Group Policy Editor:

Computer Configuration\ Administrative Templates\ Microsoft Edge\

• Double-click on the setting named “Hide the First-run experience and splash screen.”
• Set the toggle option to “Enabled” here.
• Click on Apply and then click on Ok.
• Now close the local policy editor window and then restart your computer.

If you wish to have the first-run experience on Microsoft Edge again, go back to the same path in the local policy editor and change the toggle from “Enabled” to “Disabled” or “Not configured.” Again, remember to use only one of the methods mentioned here. Following both methods will mean nothing as both of them do the same job.

This is all about Disabling First Run Experience in Microsoft Edge Chromium. If you have any questions or queries about this article, then comment down below, and we will get back to you. Also, be sure to check out our other articles on iPhone tips and tricks, Android tips and tricks, PC tips and tricks, and much more for more useful information.