How to fix 'Not Responding' and lagging issues in Microsoft Edge

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix 'Not Responding' and lagging issues in Microsoft Edge. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

If Microsoft Edge is frequently freezing, lagging, or displaying a 'Not Responding' message, it is often due to excessive memory usage, corrupted cache files, or conflicting browser extensions. Following these steps will help you optimise the browser's performance and restore a smooth browsing experience.

Quick Fix Steps

Before diving into deeper settings, try these rapid solutions to clear temporary glitches:

• Restart the browser: Close all Edge windows and relaunch the application.
• Force Close: If the browser is completely frozen, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, right-click Microsoft Edge, and select End task.
• Check your connection: If pages are loading slowly, refer to our guide on Browser not loading pages.
• Restart your PC: This clears the system RAM and resolves many underlying performance issues.

Detailed Instructions

1. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

Accumulated temporary files can slow down the browser or cause page rendering errors.

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click the three dots (...) in the top right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. Navigate to Privacy, search, and services in the left-hand menu.
4. Under the Clear browsing data section, click Choose what to clear.
5. Set the Time range to All time.
6. Tick the boxes for Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
7. Click Clear now.

2. Manage Extensions

Third-party extensions can consume significant system resources or conflict with one another, leading to lagging.

1. Click the Extensions icon (puzzle piece) next to the address bar, or go to edge://extensions/ in the address bar.
2. Review the list of installed extensions.
3. Toggle the switch to Off for any extensions you do not recognise or use frequently.
4. If the lagging persists, remove unnecessary extensions by clicking Remove.

3. Disable Hardware Acceleration

While hardware acceleration is designed to speed up the browser by using your GPU, it can cause 'Not Responding' errors on certain hardware configurations.

1. Go to Settings > System and performance.
2. Locate the System section.
3. Toggle Use graphics acceleration when available to Off.
4. Click the Restart button that appears to apply the changes.

4. Optimise Performance Settings

Edge includes built-in tools to reduce the impact on your computer's resources.

1. Go to Settings > System and performance.
2. Under Optimise Performance, enable Efficiency mode.
3. Turn on Sleeping tabs to freeze inactive tabs, which frees up RAM for your active work.

Advanced Troubleshooting

Repair Microsoft Edge

If the browser continues to crash or freeze, the installation files may be corrupted.

1. Close Microsoft Edge.
2. Open the Windows Start Menu and go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
3. Search for Microsoft Edge in the list.
4. Click the three dots (...) next to Microsoft Edge and select Modify.
5. In the window that appears, click Repair. This will download a fresh copy of the browser without deleting your bookmarks or history.

Check for System Conflicts

If Edge is freezing alongside other software, it may be a wider OS issue. We recommend reviewing Applications freezing or crashing for further system-level diagnostics.

If you have followed these steps and the 'Not Responding' errors persist, please Open a Ticket so our technical team can analyse your system logs.

Still Having Issues?