Microsoft Edge “startup boost” speeds up the browser start time, and this is how you enable or disable the feature. Microsoft is updating its Chromium version of Edge with a new feature known as startup boost, which launches the browser processes in the background as soon as you sign in to Windows 10. Using this technique significantly reduces the time it takes to open Microsoft Edge when opening the browser to get online or clicking a link from an email or any other app.
Once the core set of processes are loaded into memory, they will continue running at low priority when the browser is not in use to prevent impacting the overall system performance.
The new feature boost the startup time of Microsoft Edge appears starting with version 88 available in the Canary Channel, and you can enable or disable it from the System settings page.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable or disable the startup boost feature to get online faster using Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.
How to enable startup boost on Edge
To launch processes in the background to speed up the startup time of Microsoft Edge, use these steps:
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Open Microsoft Edge.
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Click the Settings and more (three-dotted) button in the top-right corner.
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Select the Settings option.
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Click on System.
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Under the “System” section, turn on the Startup boost toggle switch.
Edge enable startup boost option
Once you complete the steps, the browser will launch in the background when you sign in to your device automatically. Furthermore, the processes will continue to utilize some system resources even when the browser is closed, but without impacting performance.
How to disable startup boost on Edge
To disable startup boost on Microsoft Edge, use these steps:
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Open Microsoft Edge.
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Click the Settings and more (three-dotted) button in the top-right corner.
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Select the Settings option.
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Click on System.
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Under the “System” section, turn off the Startup boost toggle switch.
Edge disable startup boost option
After you complete the steps, Microsoft Edge will no longer run in the background on startup saving system resources, and launching the app will take longer.
While Microsoft Edge is a cross platform browser, the company explains that startup boost is currently only available for Windows devices, and it’s evaluating data and may remove the feature on devices that don’t have a positive impact.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].