Microsoft just updated Edge to a new version and some users are reporting serious issues with the web browser basically becoming non-functional.
Neowin first picked up on this, after one of the site’s readers highlighted the problem – and it turns out there are a fair few other people seemingly hit by the gremlin in the works of Edge. (See posts on Reddit and Microsoft’s Answers.com for examples).
The apparent bug means that the Edge browser fails to load websites, either producing an error message saying ‘this page is having a problem’ or that there is ‘not enough memory to open this page.’
This occurs with all websites, and even Edge features such as the Settings panel, bookmarks, or even just a new tab – essentially, nothing works, no matter what you try to open, you get an error.
This is the case with the latest stable version of Edge (122.0.2365.63) and disabling extensions doesn’t help. However, there is a possible solution – with notable caveats, the most prominent of which is that you’ll need to apply this apparent fix with some urgency.
Why? Well, because it involves diving into the Settings panel for Edge, and as we just mentioned, if you already updated to v122.0.2365.63 of the browser, when you try to open Settings, guess what? You get an error and can’t access it. Argh…
So, if you’re reading this now in Edge, and haven’t updated to v122.0.2365.63 and want to apply this suggested fix as a pre-emptive measure, you best hop to it now and get Settings open.
And yes, we haven’t yet mentioned what on earth this fix (first discovered by Nails89 on Answers.com) actually is, so here goes: In Settings for Edge, go to ‘Privacy, search and services’ then scroll down to the Security box (nearly at the bottom) and find the ‘Enhance your security on the web’ option, then turn it off.
Analysis: Thorny issue
Now, you may have noticed we keep saying ‘apparent’ fix because while this is a successful solution for some folks, at least going by various reports, there are also other Edge users observing that this doesn’t work for them, and the errors remain.
As the Microsoft moderator on Answers.com observed, it doesn’t seem like this problem is quite as straightforward as just flicking that toggle. Other users have reported they’ve remedied the issue by signing out of their profile in Edge, but again, add seasoning here – your mileage may vary.
It can’t hurt to try that, of course, and the problem with the other tactic of turning off Edge’s enhanced security mode is that it leaves you without that extra protection when browsing the web.
While more tech-savvy users may feel they don’t need that enhanced security, it’s a useful setting for those who aren’t so sure about how to stay safe and secure on the web – and so ideally, those folks won’t want to turn it off. (Assuming they can get to the setting before the bugbear makes the panel unreachable).
It’s worth noting that those who don’t want to turn off enhanced security could reduce it from the ‘strict’ level to ‘balanced’ instead and this may help – and will leave you with a basic level of protection still. But it sounds like you may need to switch the whole feature off to benefit – or stand a chance of benefiting from the change, anyway.
Overall, this is a bit of a thorny one, so let’s hope Microsoft is looking into this, and can provide some details on what’s going on for affected Edge users, and hopefully a fix or patch in a timely manner. We’ve contacted Microsoft to check if it has any further info or advice for Edge users, and will update this story with any response we receive.