A Quick and Easy Guide to Resetting Most Popular Browsers
Installing extensions can add functionality to your browser, some of them quite helpful – LastPass for example. Others can cause your browser to display unwanted popups, advertisements, or worse. Sometimes uninstalling or removing a browser extension doesn’t fix the problems it created.
If you have are having problems with your browser, no matter what the cause, a good option is to reset it. This removes all extensions and resets your browser back to its original state. Resetting a browser does not erase or remove your bookmarks or favorites.
Here’s the skinny on resetting the 4 most popular browsers:
Chrome – Click the Menu icon (very top-right; it looks like 3 vertical dots). Click Settings. At the very bottom of the Settings dialog, click Show Advanced Settings, scroll to the bottom and click “Reset settings”. For a complete guide see our tutorial here.
Firefox – Click Help / Troubleshooting information / Refresh Firefox. For a complete tutorial on resetting Firefox see this page.
Microsoft Edge – See our tutorial here for a complete guide on resetting the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge.
Internet Explorer – Click Tools / Internet Options / Advanced Settings / Reset
When your favorite browser is not working right due to an extension you installed, or if you’re getting popups or advertisements you shouldn’t be getting, or something else does not seem quite right resetting your browser might be just the fix you need.