Edge keeps running in the Background

Anonymous
2023-10-23T13:57:28+00:00

Hi All,

I know ... this is old and usually easy ... turn off "Startup Boost" and "Continue running background apps ..."

I have those off and it always worked they way it supposed to.

All of a sudden Edge keeps running.

Indication for still running comes from Ccleaner, which removes all trackers. All of a sudden I get the message:

(paraphrased) Ccleaner can't clean because Edge is still running ... needs to be forced shut down"

In Task manager I also still see 11 Edge processes going even though Edge is shut off.

Again ... "Startup Boost" and "Background Apps ..." are unchecked in settings.

Any suggestions?

I repaired Edge already and nothing changed. Its updated.

PS: I checked in another machine (Win10), same Edge version ... no problems here ... all Edge processes in Task Manager disappear

when shutting Edge down.

Thanks

Microsoft Edge | Other | Windows 11

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-09T19:31:54+00:00

    Ditto to everything issue you described, Alexander. It started for me around early November 2023.

    After all kinds of troubleshooting, here is what worked for me:

    I turned off ALL options for allowing Microsoft to retrieve ANY feedback from my machine.

    This idea came to me one night when I glanced into my dark office and saw the ethernet connection light blinking - even though the machine was totally shut down. The only thing I could think of that would cause that is an outsider accessing my machine. So I turned off all user data reporting requests/options from Microsoft. That seemed to solve my problem of MS Edge always running in the background.

    Running Windows 10 Home 22H2

    Edge version 120.0.2210.121 (official build) (64-bit)

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-01-09T14:52:56+00:00

    Hi Alexander,

    shut off OneDrive ... stop syncing, stop at startup, stop from running automatically ... or completely uninstall.

    You can still access it though OneDrive online (if I remember right) and use it. But remove from startup items

    (ccleaner, task manager, apps in Settings ... stop syncing)

    I also run Ccleaner and it's the only reason I'm even aware of Edge running in the background.

    As I mentioned ... setting Edge to InPrivate at default (or manual every time, if you want) solved the problem,

    as well as annoying ads and sports, gossip, etc., in the main Edge window.

    Cheers

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-01-09T07:55:56+00:00

    Thank you very much for your response, Klaus.

    By the way, has anyone mentioned that OneDrive (I use OneDrive with my Office 365 small business account) is still running in the background after they exit the program? I noticed when running CCleaner Scan, I'm prompted to shut it down. So it looks like Edge and OneDrive continue to run in the background.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-01-08T15:09:15+00:00

    Hi,

    I reply to both, David and Alexander.

    I basically turned everything off that I don't really need, as in background apps - all, except weather and mail. (In services / task manager / Ccleaner ... lots!)

    And so on ... there are dozens of items that can be turned off in Settings, Group Editor (only for Pro), Registry, Services, Task Manager, etc.

    On the other hand - with a half decent powerful machine / desktop (laptops ?? / battery??) some background apps running won't effect any performance at all. For me it's more the principle and Microsoft forcing useless features on us we haven't asked for.

    I also uninstalled everything Outlook (not needed at all, old or new - I have Office stand-alone - I use mail app for emails...perfect!), copilot, Telemetry, OneDrive, and more.

    Note: I don't have any of these problems on an older Win10 machine - so, it must be one or more of the new features introduced with Winn11.

    Some background processes are also more Spying attempts / collecting date from you. There are several ways of shutting all of this down. (numerous videos on Youtube how to do it)

    Concerning Edge - try opening InPrivate mode (can be set as default) and Edge stops running on after closing.

    Cheers

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-01-04T13:45:43+00:00

    Yes,

    I dislike it when it is not a person's choice to choose what is running in the background with processes that are not critical and of no interest to the user. It's been frustrating lately. I'm thinking of installing Linux (I've used it on other PCs and laptops. I'll be patient and wait it out for now, David.

    Have a wonderful Thursday!

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