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To stop Microsoft Edge’s first-run experience and splash screen from appearing, enable the Hide the First-run experience and splash screen policy, identified as HideFirstRunExperience. On Windows, you can set it with Group Policy, the Registry, Command Prompt, or PowerShell; then close all Edge windows and restart the browser because the policy does not support dynamic refresh.
Disable the Edge first-run page with Group Policy
This method is available when the Microsoft Edge administrative policy templates are installed, including on managed Windows devices.
- Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
- Go to Local Computer Policy → Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Microsoft Edge.
- Open Hide the First-run experience and splash screen.
- Select Enabled, then click Apply and OK.
- Close all Edge windows and start Edge again.
The policy is stored in the Edge administrative template file MSEdge.admx. On a domain-managed computer, an administrator can configure the same policy through the organization’s central Group Policy system.
Use the Registry
If Local Group Policy Editor is unavailable, create the current Chromium Edge policy directly in the Windows Registry. The required location is:
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
- Sign in with an administrator account.
- Press Win + R, enter regedit, and press Enter.
- Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge. Create the Microsoft and Edge keys if they do not exist.
- Create a DWORD (32-bit) Value named HideFirstRunExperience.
- Set its value data to 1.
- Close Registry Editor and restart Edge completely.
| Registry item | Required value |
|---|---|
| Key | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge |
| Value name | HideFirstRunExperience |
| Type | REG_DWORD |
| Data | 1 (0x00000001) |
Before editing the Registry, export the relevant key or create a restore point. A value of 0, or deleting the value, means the policy is disabled or not configured, so the first-run experience and splash screen are shown.
Apply it from an elevated Command Prompt
Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:
reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge” /v HideFirstRunExperience /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
This command creates or updates the Edge policy value. Close all Edge processes and launch the browser again after the command finishes.
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Apply it with PowerShell
Open Windows PowerShell or PowerShell as administrator and run both lines:
New-Item -Path ‘HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge’ -Force | Out-Null
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New-ItemProperty -Path ‘HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge’ -Name ‘HideFirstRunExperience’ -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
The first line creates the policy path. The second writes or overwrites HideFirstRunExperience with the enabled value.
Confirm that Edge received the policy
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Enter edge://policy in the address bar.
- Click Reload policies, if needed.
- Find HideFirstRunExperience in the policy list.
- Confirm that its value is true or 1, and check the status for an error.
Reloading the policy list does not replace a browser restart. Close all Edge windows and restart Edge after applying this policy.
What changes when the welcome experience is hidden?
Suppressing the page also skips the choices Edge normally presents during first launch. Microsoft documents these defaults:
- The New Tab Page feed type is set to MSN News.
- The New Tab Page layout is set to Inspirational.
- Automatic sign-in still occurs for Windows accounts of Azure AD or Microsoft account (MSA) type.
- Sync is not enabled by default. Users are prompted to choose whether to sync when the browser starts.
The policy is mandatory-only, is not per-profile, and applies to profiles signed in with a Microsoft account. To control the first-run defaults, Microsoft identifies these related policies:
| Policy | Purpose |
|---|---|
| AutoImportAtFirstRun | Controls automatic import behavior during initial setup. |
| NewTabPageLocation | Controls the New Tab Page location. |
| NewTabPageSetFeedType | Controls the New Tab Page feed type. |
| ForceSync | Controls whether sync is forced. |
| SyncDisabled | Disables browser sync. |
| BrowserSignin | Controls browser sign-in behavior. |
| NonRemovableProfileEnabled | Controls whether a profile can be removed. |
Windows Policy CSP alternative
Organizations managing Windows through MDM can use the separate Policy CSP setting PreventFirstRunPage to control whether employees see Microsoft’s First Run webpage:
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./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Browser/PreventFirstRunPage
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Browser/PreventFirstRunPage
This setting applies to Windows 10 version 1703 (build 10.0.15063) and later, including Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions. For current Chromium Edge Group Policy or Registry configuration, use HideFirstRunExperience under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge policy path.
Disable the first-run experience on macOS, Android, or iOS
Microsoft lists HideFirstRunExperience for Edge 80 and later on Windows and macOS, and Edge 124 and later on Android and iOS.
On macOS, configure the preference key HideFirstRunExperience with the enabled value <true/>.
On Android, use the preference key HideFirstRunExperience with the Boolean value true.
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On iOS, use the same preference key with the value <true/>.
The exact deployment method depends on the platform’s management system. The preference name remains HideFirstRunExperience.
Do not use the old Legacy Edge Registry path
Some older instructions tell you to set:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MicrosoftEdge\Main\PreventFirstRunPage
That is not the current Chromium-based Microsoft Edge Group Policy setting. For current Edge, use:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\HideFirstRunExperience
Likewise, changing a homepage, startup page, or New Tab Page policy does not itself disable the first-run welcome experience. Those settings control different parts of Edge.
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FAQ
What is the correct policy for disabling the Edge welcome page?
Enable HideFirstRunExperience, shown in Group Policy as Hide the First-run experience and splash screen. On Windows, its Registry location is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge.
Do I need to restart Microsoft Edge?
Yes. This policy does not support dynamic refresh. Close all Edge windows and start Edge again after enabling it.
Why does Edge still show the welcome page after I changed the Registry?
Check that the value is a REG_DWORD named exactly HideFirstRunExperience, with data 1, under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge. Then close all Edge processes and restart the browser. You can verify the result at edge://policy.
Does this policy disable Edge’s homepage or New Tab Page?
No. It only hides the first-run experience and splash screen. Homepage and New Tab Page policies must be configured separately.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsDoes hiding first run automatically enable sync?
No. When the first-run experience is hidden, sync is not enabled by default. Users are prompted to choose whether to sync when Edge starts.
Is PreventFirstRunPage the same as HideFirstRunExperience?
No. PreventFirstRunPage is a Windows Policy CSP setting for controlling Microsoft’s First Run webpage. HideFirstRunExperience is the current Chromium Edge policy for hiding the first-run experience and splash screen.
The Bottom Line
For current Microsoft Edge, enable HideFirstRunExperience. On Windows, the quickest administrator method is:
reg add “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge” /v HideFirstRunExperience /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
Restart Edge afterward and verify the policy at edge://policy. Do not substitute the legacy MicrosoftEdge\Main\PreventFirstRunPage Registry path.
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