2 Ways to Prevent Edge from Making Desktop Shortcuts

Method 1: Change Edge Settings

If you want to prevent Microsoft Edge from creating desktop shortcuts every time you install or update the browser, you can change the settings within the Edge browser itself.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge on your desktop.
2. Click on the three dots (More actions) in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
3. Select ‘Settings’ from the drop-down menu.
4. Scroll down and find the ‘Advanced settings’ section.
5. Locate the ‘Save downloaded files to’ option.
6. Toggle off the switch next to ‘Save shortcuts on the desktop’.

By following these steps, you can disable Edge’s default behavior of creating desktop shortcuts.

Method 2: Group Policy Editor (Windows Pro)

If you have Windows Pro, you can also use the Group Policy Editor to prevent Microsoft Edge from creating desktop shortcuts.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type ‘gpedit.msc’ and hit Enter.
3. Navigate to ‘User Configuration’ > ‘Administrative Templates’ > ‘Start Menu and Taskbar’.
4. Find the policy named ‘Do not create desktop shortcuts for new users’ and double-click on it.
5. Set the policy to ‘Enabled’ and click ‘Apply’.

After making these changes, Edge will no longer create desktop shortcuts automatically on your Windows Pro system.