How to Reset Your Favorite Browser: An Updated Tutorial
When ads start popping up from nowhere, when webpages don’t open correctly, when you are constantly being redirected from one page to another, or when your browser seems sluggish and slow to respond, it might be time to reset your browser.
We published a tutorial on resetting your browser a couple of years ago but things change so quickly on the internet that it is now out-of-date. So, we’ve decided to publish an updated tutorial on how to reset your favorite browser. This tutorial includes how to reset Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
GOOGLE CHROME
To reset Chrome…
Type “chrome://settings/reset” (without the quotes) into the address bar and press Enter.
A page will open…
Click on “Restore settings to their original defaults” and the following dialog will appear.
Click on the blue “Reset settings button” to reset Chrome.
Chrome’s cache will be cleared. Your extensions will be disabled (you can re-enable them after the reset), and your bookmarks and saved passwords will be retained. Resetting Chrome may take a few minutes, so be patient.
MICROSOFT EDGE
To reset Microsoft Edge…
Type “edge://settings/reset” (without the quotes) and press Enter.
A page will open…
Click on “Restore settings to their default values” and the following dialog will appear…
Click on the blue “Reset” to reset Microsoft Edge.
Edge’s cache will be cleared. Your extensions will be disabled (you can re-enable them after the reset), and your bookmarks and saved passwords will be retained.
MOZILLA FIREFOX
To reset Firefox…
Type “about:support” (without the quotes) in the address bar and press Enter.
A page will open. On the right side of the page, you’ll see this…
Click on “Refresh Firefox” and you’ll see this dialog…
Click on the Refresh Firefox button to proceed. Your extensions will be removed, but your bookmarks and saved passwords will be retained.
Now you know how to reset your favorite browser!
Is there anything that should be done or backed up before resetting?
Resetting does not remove your bookmarks or saved passwords. In Firefox it does remove your extensions but you can reinstall them. In Chrome and Edge resetting does not remove your extensions – it just disables them so all you have to do is re-enable the ones you need.