Recent updates prevent Edge from uninstalling

[WayneSherman]

MS Edge is an absolute abomination and I do not want it on any of the systems I own or administer. So thank you for your efforts in developing this removal script.

Testing on Windows 10 Pro 21H2 last updated 2022-May, the 2021-Dec-26 "Edge_Removal.bat" works nicely. It completely removes Edge:

• Settings "Add/Remove Programs" - Edge is no longer listed
• Control Panel | Programs and Features (uninstall a program) - Edge is no longer listed
• "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft" - Edge folder are gone
• Edge icons are gone from the start menu and desktop

Sometime between 2022-May and Oct, Microsoft must have updated Edge so that the older script no longer works (tested on Win10 Pro 21H2 updated Oct 03). I tested the most recent "Edge_Removal.bat" from the main branch and it also does not work. The latest script does render the start menu and desktop icons non-functional, but Edge still is present:

• Settings "Add/Remove Programs" - Edge is still in the list
• Control Panel | Programs and Features (uninstall a program) - Edge is still in the list
• "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft" - Edge folders are still present
• Edge icons are present in the start menu and desktop (but don't work)
• Edge can still be launched via "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeCore\107.0.1418.42\msedge.exe"

[WayneSherman]

Also tested on Windows 11 Pro 21H2:

• Win Update to 2022-Mar, Edge removal works. (Edge 99.0.1150.55 )
• Win Update to 2022-Nov, Edge removal does NOT work. (Edge 107.0.1418.42)

[Jamskijam]

ShadowWhisperer/Remove-MS-Edge#9 (comment)

[Rafee-M]

It currently works. Tested on Windows 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045.2604)

[Ammako]

https://gist.github.com/ave9858/c3451d9f452389ac7607c99d45edecc6

[AveYo]

https://gist.github.com/ave9858/c3451d9f452389ac7607c99d45edecc6

Thanks, I already had a fix but haven't published it as I can't test upgrade / repair scenarios atm.
Pushed an update anyway.

[WayneSherman]

Thank you guys for your work on an Edge removal script.

I tested the script from ave9858/Uninstall Edge.md. It works to cleanly remove Edge on a recent Windows 10 21H2 VM.
( Although these two Appx packages are NOT removed:

• Microsoft.MicrosoftEdgeDevToolsClient_1000.19041.1023.0_neutral_neutral_8wekyb3d8bbwe
• Microsoft.Win32WebViewHost_10.0.19041.1023_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy )

But the latest version of Edge_Removal.bat is not removing Edge on the same test system. And if I run the latest version of Edge_Removal.bat once and then run the previous version right after, that does work for removing Edge.

[AveYo]

My love for Edge is increasing day after day!
I am currently using a potato and it works here, but don't have space for a reinstall / vm atm.
Really want to nail this bastard again!

[AveYo]

So there was a conflict with having OpenWebSearch installed prior to Edge_Removal.
Fixed!

[Ammako]

I had an issue on a new install where the script removes edge and webview correctly, but it leaves Edge Update stuck in limbo unable to be removed. I think what happened is that webview was in use by an application when I ran the script, and it stalled when uninstalling webview (the application in question crashed, and the script stalled there.)

I quit the script, and it doesn't matter if I re-run it, Edge Update stays and I can't manually remove it. In the end I fixed it by manually reinstalling webview, and then re-running the script. Webview was once again removed, except this time Edge Update woke up and uninstalled itself properly.

I'm not sure if there's anything that can be done in the script to work around this problem in case it happens, but if anybody else runs into this issue and ends up here looking for a solution, this should hopefully work.

[AveYo]

@Ammako, I kill processes not once, but twice! Specifically to prevent race conditions.
I guess I need to expand the list, or just do it one extra time ;)

I always recommended reinstalling Edge and Webview if having issues.
I should add it to the script itself at the end just like the getfirefox command.
getedge & getwebview to download the setups from microsoft

Appreciate your feedback!

[WayneSherman]

For my testing this uninstall issue has been generally fixed with this commit:

2023.07.08 fixed: 950f1d5

Tested on Win10 and Win11. On Win10 the script outputs these items as uninstalled:

Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge.Stable_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.MicrosoftEdgeDevToolsClient_1000.19041.1023.0_neutral_neutral_8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_44.19041.1266.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge.Stable_116.0.1938.69_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.Win32WebViewHost_10.0.19041.1023_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy