Edge didn't have the breadth of extensions or the user-base enthusiasm of Chrome or Firefox—and it was no better than they are at running crusty old 'Internet Explorer Only' websites and Web apps. Microsoft has adopted the Chromium open source project in the development of Microsoft Edge on the desktop to create better web compatibility. This new Microsoft Edge runs on the same Chromium web engine as the Google Chrome browser, offering you best in class web compatibility and performance. See what's new on the latest version of the Microsoft Edge browser. Explore features, rewards, and more before you download the new browser today. The new Microsoft Edge is here. With improved security, privacy, speed, and ease of use, Microsoft Edge surpasses the experience you’ve come to know with Internet Explorer. When you make the switch to Microsoft Edge, you'll experience the web in a whole new way.
Note: This article is for the new Microsoft Edge . Get help for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge.
With your permission, the new Microsoft Edge can remember information for you, making it easier to return to a favorite site or fill in forms. Microsoft Edge stores your browsing data, such as your passwords, info you've entered in forms, sites you've visited, and other information. Other browsing modes such as InPrivate browsing and Guest mode function differently and store less data than normal browsing.
Your browsing data is stored on your device. If you've turned on sync, those data types can also be stored in the Microsoft cloud to be synced across your signed in versions of Microsoft Edge.
You can see and clear your browsing history by selecting Settings and more > History > Manage history. You may choose to clear your browsing history at any time.
Clear browsing data stored on your computer
To clear browsing data on your computer, make sure sync is turned off. Items that are synced will be cleared across all synced devices.
Here's how to clear your browsing data in Microsoft Edge:
Select Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services .
Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear.
Choose a time range from the Time range drop-down menu.
Choose the types of data you want to clear (see the table below for descriptions). For example, you may want to remove browsing history and cookies but keep passwords and form fill data.
Select Clear now.
Clear browsing data stored in the cloud (if you’ve turned on sync or personalization)
To manage and delete data saved in the Microsoft cloud, see the privacy dashboard. On the privacy dashboard you can view or delete your data. Data that you delete on the privacy dashboard won’t be deleted from your device.
To learn more about how to stop sharing your data with Microsoft, see Microsoft Edge browsing data and privacy.
Browsing data you can delete in the browser
Types of info | What gets deleted | Where it's stored |
|---|---|---|
Browsing history | The URLs of sites you've visited, and the dates and times of each visit. | On your device (or if sync is turned on, across your synced devices) |
Download history | The list of files you've downloaded from the web. This only deletes the list, not the actual files that you've downloaded. | On your device |
Cookies and other site data | Info that sites store on your device to remember your preferences, such as sign-in info or your location and media licenses. | On your device |
Cached images and files | Copies of pages, images, and other media content stored on your device. The browser uses these copies to load content faster the next time you visit those sites. | On your device |
Passwords | Site passwords that you've saved. | On your device (or if sync is turned on, across your synced devices) |
Autofill form data (includes forms and cards) | Info that you've entered into forms, such as your email, credit card, or a shipping address. | On your device (or if sync is turned on, across your synced devices) |
Site permissions | Go to Settings and more > Settings > Site permissions to see a list for each website, including location, cookies, pop-ups, and media autoplay. | On your device |
Hosted app data | Info web apps store on your device. This includes data from the Microsoft Store. To see the apps saved to Microsoft Edge, go to Settings and more > Apps > Manage apps. | On your device |
Clear Internet Explorer browsing data using Microsoft Edge
Using Microsoft Edge, you can clear all browsing data from Internet Explorer. Clearing Internet Explorer browsing data won’t affect your browsing data in another browser.
Note: This is only available if your organization has turned on Internet Explorer mode.
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services .
Under Clear browsing data for Internet Explorer, select Choose what to clear.
Choose the types of data you want to clear.
Select Delete.
Related topics
-->Many modern websites have designs that are incompatible with Internet Explorer (IE). When an IE user visits an incompatible public website, the user may get a message. The message states that the website is incompatible with the browser. After the message is displayed, the user is expected to manually switch to a modern browser. To minimize disruptions, starting with version 84, Microsoft Edge supports a new capability that automatically redirects users. When an IE user navigates to a website that is incompatible with IE, Windows automatically redirects the user to Microsoft Edge. To review the websites on the list, navigate to Need Microsoft Edge list.
This article describes the following concepts.
- Why a website is added to the list
- The user experience for redirection
- Request an update to the list
Why is a website added to the IE compatibility list?
Microsoft Edge Speed Test
The IE compatibility List only adds a website when the following actions occur.
- Shows an IE user a message suggesting the user should use a different browser for compatibility reasons.
- Owner requests to add the website to the IE compatibility list.
Redirection experience
On redirection to Microsoft Edge, the user is shown the one-time dialog in the next screenshot. The dialog provides the user with the following information.
- It explains why the website is being redirected.
- It prompts the user for consent to copy browsing data and preferences from IE to Microsoft Edge.
The following browsing data is imported.
- Favorites
- Passwords
- Search engines
- Open tabs
- History
- Settings
- Cookies
- The Home Page
Internet Edge Download
If the user does not consent by choosing the Always bring over my browsing data and preferences from Internet Explorer checkbox, the user may choose Continue browsing to continue the browsing session.
Finally, a website incompatibility banner is displayed under the address bar for each redirection. An example of a website incompatibility banner is displayed in following figure.
The website incompatibility banner provides the following details to the user.
- Recommends that the user to switch to Microsoft Edge.
- Offers to set Microsoft Edge as the default browser.
- Gives the user the option to explore Microsoft Edge.
When a website is redirected from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge, one of the following actions occurs.
- If the active IE tab had no prior content, it is closed.
- If the active IE tab had prior content, it navigates to the Microsoft support page that explains why the website was redirected to Microsoft Edge.
Internet Edge Update
Note
After a redirection, users may continue to use IE for websites that are not on the IE compatibility list.
Request an update to the IE compatibility list
The IE compatibility list is an XML file on microsoft.com. The list is regularly updated in response to user and website developer requests to have websites added or removed. Updates to the list are automatically downloaded to user machines.
Email the following information to ietoedge@microsoft.com for your website to be added or removed from the IE compatibility list.
- Owner name
- Corporate title
- Email address
- Company name
- Street address
- Website address
The IE compatibility list is updated within a week.
Note
The IE compatibility list is designed to work with public sites only.