Dave, I’m using Microsoft Edge on my new Windows PC and it’s good except for one thing: Why does it have so darn many buttons on the top toolbar? Can I remove some of them??
I know exactly what you’re talking about when you ask about cleaning up the toolbar in Microsoft Edge! Like many modern browsers, Edge wants to be all things to all people so by default it tends to show a lot of features and options, even if they’re used by a tiny subset of users. For example, did you know that Edge has a built-in math solver utility? Handy if you’re in school and are doing math, but for the rest of us? It’s just taking up space and adding to the complexity of the program.
Worse, there’s lots of data to show that as the number of choices goes up, our ability to assess and act goes down. In other words, make something overly complex and we’re going to use it more slowly. This makes intuitive sense: If there’s only a single “Go!” button, you know just what to do, but if there are fifty different buttons, it takes time to figure out which one to press.
Even without the user interface lesson, though, we all want programs that are reactive to our needs and easy to figure out and use. Microsoft often forgets this with its endlessly complicated “ribbon” toolbars and it seems to have applied some of the same logic to its version of Google Chrome: Microsoft Edge. So let’s fix it!
TOO DARN MANY CHOICES!
Imagine if this was the top toolbar of your Microsoft Edge. There are four buttons to the left of the address box and a staggering twenty-one additional buttons on the right side:
This is a worst case scenario, so I hope your version of Edge isn’t quite this zealous showing buttons, icons, and shortcuts. But still, that’s a lotta buttons!
MANAGE YOUR EDGE EXTENSIONS
The first step to taming this wild beast is to manage the extensions. If you look very closely at the buttons on the right side, you’ll see a vertical spacer after a half-dozen or so; that separates Extensions from the built-in Edge functions. Extensions are additional programs and utilities you can install and they can really improve the Edge experience. I’m a big fan. But not every extension needs to have its button shown!
Look for the button that appears to be a jigsaw puzzle piece, it’s just to the left of the vertical separator bar. Click on it.
The resultant menu shows what extensions are installed – I have quite a few – along with a handy shortcut to “Open Microsoft Edge Add-ons” if you want to hunt for more. I strongly recommend Grammarly‘s free writing utility for all users, and there’s no reason not to have Microsoft Defender’s Browser Protection enabled too.
Notice adjacent to each installed extension is an eye icon (an “eye-con”?) and a “•••” link. For extensions that don’t need to have their button visible – like Grammarly! – you can click on the eye-con to hide it from the toolbar. That’s helpful. Have an extension you don’t need and might not even remember installing? Click on “•••” to bring up a sub-menu:
I’m not sure why AdTester is included with my Microsoft Edge configuration so I’m going to remove it. That’s easily done by choosing “Remove from Microsoft Edge“. Done. Now that section’s a lot svelter:
Let’s look at the left side next…
REMOVING DEFAULT EDGE BROWSER BUTTONS
To the left of the address box are a bunch of icons, not all of which need to be displayed too! In fact, right-click on the Home button, for example, and you can hide it:
I have to admit, the home button does feel a bit retro in the evolution of the Web. Next, we’ll be talking about how to customize your home page!
Some buttons let you do this, others do not. The “Forward” button is interesting because you can have it appear, be permanently hidden, or only show up when it’s logical (when there’s a page you can move “forward” to visit because you’ve used the “back” button to go back in your browsing history). These, and more settings, can be accessed from Settings, but before we go there, know that some of the utility shortcut buttons can also be right-clicked.
AND THEN THERE’S MATH SOLVER
Lest we forget, one of the buttons along the toolbar is “Math Solver”, as the tooltip shows:
Again, you can try right-clicking on it to remove it, but at this point, the faster and more efficient step is to go to Settings in Edge.
REMOVE BUTTONS WITH MICROSOFT EDGE SETTINGS
On the very top right of your browser is a “•••” button, adjacent to the “b” Bing AI shortcut. Click on “•••” then choose “Settings…” to get to this:
You’ll need to ensure you’re in the “Appearance” section and scroll down a bit to find the section labeled “Select which buttons to show on the toolbar“. Then, finally, you can get rid of Math Solver!
In fact, you might find yourself getting rid of most all of the buttons, as I have done. Some, like the Extensions button, also have more sophisticated options than just the simple on/off choice:
For buttons that have a “Show automatically” option, I recommend you choose it and let Edge decide when it should be shown or hidden.
Turn everything off and you can create a svelt toolbar with almost no buttons! Also, while you’re in Settings > Appearance, try changing your color theme too…
You can switch to “Bubblegum” in honor of the upcoming Barbie movie if pink’s your thing, but I like “Cool breeze”. I also like to have my Favorites toolbar shown too. All told, here’s how my toolbar now looks:
I’m down to two buttons on the left and five buttons on the right. Much less complicated!
Tip for Power Users: I’ve been writing about Windows for many years and have an extensive Windows 11 help library here. Please check it out while you’re visiting. Thanks!