Both MS Edge and WhatsApp fail after Update on 8th September 2026

Question

Both MS Edge and WhatsApp fail after Update on 8th September 2026

Alan Brentnall 0

Last night's update has left me without my browser and desktop WhatsApp app. So I'm having to use Chrome, and WhatsApp on my mobile. Unfortunately the mess created by this update also leaves msedgewebview2 running with a pop-up telling me that edge.exe is corrupt - a pop-up which will not go away even when I force all edge and webview processes to close down. Which means that the repair/re-installation process won't work.

Looking at other posts, I'm not alone, and, having just spent a morning trying to get a working system, I'm seeriously considering getting a Mac.

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4 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

WhatsApp does continue to launch and works OK.

The 0xc000007b or Bad Image error has indeed completely stopped appearing.

I haven't noticed any other application errors since completing the repair.

Regarding the laptop crash, it wasn't a blue screen. I went out for ten minutes to do something else and, when I got back, my laptop had shut down. There haven't been any additional crashes since then.

The reliability monitor simply says that the previous system shutdown at 11:05:34 on ‎10/‎09/‎2026 was unexpected.

So far, no problems have occurred, and the system appears to be working OK.

Answer 2

Your Windows edition, version, and OS build shown by winver

Edition Windows 11 Home

Version 25H2

Installed on ‎22/‎05/‎2026

OS build 26200.9445

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.360.0

The KB number installed on September 8 under Settings > Windows Update > Update history

2026-09 .NET Framework Security Update (KB5126052)

2026-09 Security Update (KB5124008) (26200.9445)

The complete “edge.exe is corrupt” message, including any error code or file path

Title: msedgewebview2.exe - Bad Image

Message: (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application\152.0.4191.66\msedge.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support. Error status 0xc000007b.

Whether the pop-up appears immediately after signing in or only after opening WhatsApp or another app

Appears after re-boot before sign-on.

Which troubleshooting steps you have already tried and what happened with each one, particularly during the Edge repair or reinstallation attempt

Stopped both WebView and Edge (all processes) and attempted repair but both failed because process "still running".

Whether any other applications are also affected

No other applications seem to be affected (so far).

The name of any third-party antivirus or security software installed

Norton Cyber Threat Protect

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Clary-N 15,735 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Alan Brentnall,

I understand how disruptive this has been, especially after spending so much time trying to restore both Edge and WhatsApp.

Since the issue remains unresolved, could you please provide the following details to help narrow down the cause?

Your Windows edition, version, and OS build shown by winver
The KB number installed on September 8 under Settings > Windows Update > Update history
The complete “edge.exe is corrupt” message, including any error code or file path
Whether the pop-up appears immediately after signing in or only after opening WhatsApp or another app
Which troubleshooting steps you have already tried and what happened with each one, particularly during the Edge repair or reinstallation attempt
Whether any other applications are also affected
The name of any third-party antivirus or security software installed

Please also check whether the affected update has an Uninstall option under Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates, but do not remove it yet. I would first confirm the KB number before advising whether rolling it back would be a suitable next step.

I hope these details help identify the safest way forward and get both applications working again.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Alan Brentnall 0 Reputation points

2026-09-10T05:43:09.41+00:00

Your Windows edition, version, and OS build shown by winver

Edition Windows 11 Home

Version 25H2

Installed on ‎22/‎05/‎2026

OS build 26200.9445

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.360.0

The KB number installed on September 8 under Settings > Windows Update > Update history

2026-09 .NET Framework Security Update (KB5126052)

2026-09 Security Update (KB5124008) (26200.9445)

The complete “edge.exe is corrupt” message, including any error code or file path

Title: msedgewebview2.exe - Bad Image

Message: (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application\152.0.4191.66\msedge.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support. Error status 0xc000007b.

Whether the pop-up appears immediately after signing in or only after opening WhatsApp or another app

Appears after re-boot before sign-on.

Which troubleshooting steps you have already tried and what happened with each one, particularly during the Edge repair or reinstallation attempt

Stopped both WebView and Edge (all processes) and attempted repair but both failed because process "still running".

Whether any other applications are also affected

No other applications seem to be affected (so far).

The name of any third-party antivirus or security software installed

Norton Cyber Threat Protect
Clary-N 15,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-10T08:45:38.1766667+00:00
Hi Alan Brentnall,

Thank you for providing those details. The error specifically references msedgewebview2.exe and msedge.dll, so this appears to involve a damaged or locked Microsoft Edge WebView2 installation rather than WhatsApp itself.

Microsoft currently lists no known issues for KB5124008, so I would not uninstall the update yet. Since Norton is installed and the repair reports that WebView2 is still running, please try the following:

Open Norton and install any available updates, then restart the PC. It's recommended to ensure third-party security software is fully updated when troubleshooting Edge.

After restarting, close WhatsApp and other open applications. Open Task Manager > Details, end any remaining msedge.exe and msedgewebview2.exe processes and immediately retry Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Edge > Modify > Repair. Edge and WebView2-based applications can keep files locked and prevent repair or installation.

If the processes return immediately, temporarily pause Norton’s protection, retry the repair and re-enable protection as soon as the repair finishes. Please disconnect from unfamiliar websites or downloads while protection is paused. Security software can sometimes prevent Edge or WebView2 files from being replaced during repair.

If the Bad Image error remains, open Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands one at a time:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth sfc /scannow

Allow each command to finish completely, then restart the PC. These Windows tools check for and repair damaged system components.

Please let me know whether the Edge repair completes after these steps and whether the 0xc000007b message still appears during startup.
Alan Brentnall 0 Reputation points

2026-09-10T10:14:41.95+00:00

It took some time, but it worked - without needing to pause Norton. Both Edge and the desktop verssion of WhatsApp seem to be running OK.

Many thanks for your help.
Alan Brentnall 0 Reputation points

2026-09-10T10:44:06.4966667+00:00

Unfortunately shortly after posting the above, my laptop crashed. Not yet sure if there is any connection to the previous fault, or actions, but I very rare;y get crashes nowadays.
Clary-N 15,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-11T07:54:17.1933333+00:00
Hi Alan Brentnall,

Thank you for the update. I'm pleased to hear that the Edge repair completed successfully and that both Edge and WhatsApp appeared to be functioning normally afterward.

Before concluding that the original issue has been fully addressed, could you confirm whether:

WhatsApp continues to launch and run normally?

The 0xc000007b or Bad Image error has completely stopped appearing?

You've noticed any other application errors since completing the repair?

Regarding the laptop crash, it's difficult to determine whether it's related to the original issue based on the information available so far. Since you mentioned crashes are very uncommon on your system, I'd like to gather a few more details:

Was it a blue screen, an unexpected restart or a system freeze?

Did Windows display any error or stop code?

Have there been any additional crashes since then?

If possible, please open Reliability Monitor by pressing Windows key + R, typing perfmon /rel and pressing Enter. Look for any critical event recorded at the time of the crash and share the details or a screenshot.

If WhatsApp remains stable and the original error has not returned, that would be a positive sign. The crash may be a separate issue, but the Reliability Monitor information should help determine whether there is any connection between the crash and the earlier WebView2/Edge problem.

I look forward to your update.