[Tip] How to Reset / Restore Your Web Browser Settings to Default Factory State

Many times when a software is not working properly, resetting or restoring the software to factory settings is the best option to fix it. When we reset a software program to factory settings (also called default settings), it completely removes all personalized settings and custom data stored by the software and the software works fresh like it was first installed on your PC.

We get reset options everywhere like in our mobile phones, in Windows 10, etc. Reset option is usually considered as the 100% working solution to fix all kind of issues present in a software.

Almost all web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and the new Microsoft Edge browser come with reset feature so that users can restore the web browser to default factory settings, if they face any problem while using it.

When a web browser doesn’t work fine and users face problems with websites regularly, it’s advised to uninstall the browser and then reinstall it for a fresh start. Resetting the web browser is similar to uninstalling the browser and clean installing it again. So it saves your time and works like a shortcut.

Remember when you reset your web browser to original default settings, it might delete all installed extensions, plugins, add-ons, bookmarks, browsing history, cookies, temporary Internet files (cache), saved passwords, etc. It may also restore default homepage (startup page), new tab page, search engine, etc.

If you also want to learn how to reset/restore all popular web browsers to default factory settings, following steps will help you:

Reset Internet Explorer (IE) to Default Settings

1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the cog wheel icon (Tools) present at the top-right corner of the window near the smiley button.

Alternatively, you can press Alt+X keys together to open Tools menu directly.

2. Now click on Internet Options menu.

3. It’ll open Internet options window. Go to the last “Advanced” tab.

4. Now you’ll see a “Reset” button present under “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section.

Click on the “Reset” button to reset Internet Explorer’s settings to their default condition.

It’ll show a confirmation dialog box telling you that resetting Internet Explorer will disable all installed toolbars and add-ons and will reset privacy settings, security settings, advanced options, tabbed browsing settings, pop-up settings and will restore default web browser settings.

The dialog box also contains a checkbox “Delete personal settings“. You can enable this option to reset home pages, search providers and accelerators to default settings. It’ll also delete temporary Internet files, history, cookies, web form information, ActiveX filtering data, tracking protection data, do not track data and saved passwords.

Click on “Reset” button again to confirm the decision. You’ll need to restart your computer for these changes to take effect.

Reset Google Chrome Settings to Their Original Defaults

1. Open Google Chrome, click on the 3-dots icon (main menu) present at the top-right corner of the window.

2. Now select “Settings” option from the main menu.

3. It’ll open Chrome settings page. Scroll down to bottom and click on “Advanced” option.

4. Again scroll down to bottom and you’ll see “Reset and clean up” section.

To reset Google Chrome settings, click on “Reset settings to their original defaults” option.

It’ll show a confirmation dialog box telling you that it’ll reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine and pinned tabs. It’ll also disable all installed extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. BUT your bookmarks, history and saved passwords will NOT be cleared.

Click on “Reset settings” button to confirm the decision and it’ll restore Google Chrome web browser settings to default factory state.

Restore Mozilla Firefox Settings to Their Defaults

We have told you about this feature long time back in following article:

Mozilla Adds “Reset to Default State” Button in Firefox

1. Open Mozilla Firefox, click on hamburger menu (main menu) button present at the top-right corner of the window.

2. Now click on “Help -> Troubleshooting Information” option.

Alternatively, you can direct open the troubleshooting information page using about:support command in address bar.

3. Now click on “Refresh Firefox” button present under “Give Firefox a tune up” section.

It’ll show a confirmation dialog box telling you that it’ll remove your add-ons and customizations. It’ll also restore your web browser settings to their defaults. It’ll start Firefox fresh to fix problems and restore performance.

Click on “Refresh Firefox” button to confirm the decision and it’ll reset Firefox to default factory settings.

Reset Opera to Default State

1. Open Opera web browser, click on “Menu” button and select “Update & Recovery” option.

Alternatively, you can direct option the recovery page using opera://update/ command in address bar.

2. Now click on “Recover” button present under “Recovery” section.

It’ll show a confirmation dialog box providing you 2 options:

• Keep my data and only reset Opera settings
• Reset my data and Opera settings

“Keep my data and only reset Opera settings” option will revert your search engine to its default, remove pinned tabs and reset browser settings. It’ll also disable all installed extensions and clear temporary data, like cookies. Your bookmarks, history and saved passwords will not be cleared.

“Reset my data and Opera settings” option will revert your search engine to its default, remove pinned tabs and reset browser settings. It’ll also delete all extensions, bookmarks, history, saved passwords and clear temporary data, like cookies.

Select desired option and click on “Recover” button. It’ll reset Opera web browser to default state.

Reset Microsoft Edge Settings to Their Default Values

1. Open Microsoft Edge, click on the 3-dots icon (main menu) present at the top-right corner of the window.

2. Now select “Settings” option from the main menu.

3. It’ll open Edge settings page. In left-side pane, click on “Reset settings” section.

4. Now in right-side pane, click on “Reset settings to their default values” option.

It’ll show a confirmation dialog box telling you that it’ll reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine and pinned tabs. It’ll also disable all installed extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. BUT your favorites, history and saved passwords will NOT be cleared.

Click on “Reset” button to confirm the decision and it’ll restore Microsoft Edge web browser settings to default factory state.

Reset Old UWP Microsoft Edge in Windows 10

If you are using the default built-in UWP based “Microsoft Edge” web browser in Windows 10 and the app isn’t working right, you can try to reset it. Windows 10 provides an option to repair or reset it.

Check out following tutorial to learn more about it:

[Tip] Reset or Repair Microsoft Edge Web Browser in Windows 10

That’s it. Using the above mentioned methods, you can reset your favorite web browser to default settings to fix problems and issues and to improve browser performance.

Also Check:

[Tip] How to Clear / Delete Cache and Cookies in Your Web Browser

[Windows 10 Tip] Use “Network Reset” Feature to Fix Common Internet Connection Issues