Microsoft Edge Chromium Blocker Toolkit for Windows

Overview: what the toolkit does

Microsoft provides a free utility that prevents the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge from being pushed and installed automatically via Windows Update on desktop machines. The utility stops the automatic delivery but does not prevent users from downloading and installing Edge manually.

Supported Windows releases

Starting with Windows 10 version 1803 and later, Microsoft Edge (Chromium) may be offered through Windows Update on devices that are connected to update services. The blocker is intended for those systems; however, machines managed by WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) or Windows Update for Business are not affected by this automatic-update blocker.

Components included with the package

• Group Policy templates (ADMX and ADML) that let administrators add new policies into their Group Policy store.
• A list of supported operating systems and related compatibility information for the toolkit.
• An executable blocker script (.CMD) that creates or removes the registry values used to stop or allow the automatic Edge deployment.

How the script operates

The provided command-line script writes a registry key with the appropriate value to either prevent or permit auto-installation of Edge on the local computer or on remote targets. Command-line switches supplied to the script are mutually exclusive; the script will act on the first valid switch it encounters in a given invocation.

Deploying the setting across an organization

Administrators can import the supplied Group Policy Administrative Template into their environment and use Group Policy to centrally apply the block (or unblock) setting to sets of machines. This is the recommended approach for managing the behavior at scale.

Limitations and important notes

• The blocker affects only the automatic delivery mechanism. It will not stop someone from manually downloading and installing Microsoft Edge.
• Devices managed by WSUS or Windows Update for Business are not covered by this automatic-update blocker.
• Be sure to choose the appropriate deployment method (script for single/remote machines, Group Policy for centralized control) based on your environment.

Alternatives and final considerations

If you want to avoid using Edge entirely, consider deploying and enforcing your preferred browser as the default across devices. The toolkit simply provides control over whether Edge is silently installed via Windows Update; it does not remove the option to install it manually.