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AaronM1285's avatar
AaronM1285
Copper Contributor
May 06, 2022

Want To Remove "Can't Update Microsoft Edge" Notification

I'm running Edge as a display on an offline network. I disabled auto updates by renaming/removing the EdgeUpdates folder but after 20-30mins the notification in the top right shows up blocking some d...
KenChong's avatar
KenChong
Iron Contributor
May 06, 2022

AaronM1285 What you have done is not expected (and supported) by Edge. Try using the policies (Requires Windows Professional or above to use Group Policy Editor) :

 

How to disable edge auto upgrade? - Microsoft Tech Community

 

Here is a good tutorial about installing and setting the Edge policies: https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/edge-chromium-admx-group-policy-templates/

 

Note: When downloading, scroll down a bit and click the latest build's policy link:

(Edited to reflect the latest links)

 

You can also download the offline version of installers here if you need to update Edge manually.

 

AaronM1285's avatar
AaronM1285
Copper Contributor
May 06, 2022

KenChong, thanks for the reply.

After reading through the linked question I am now not sure if the updater is what is causing that pop up notification, as it said it will check for updates every 10 hours.

This pop up notification is appearing on the screen within 20-30 minutes of rebooting the PC.

Is there some blanket method I can implement to stop any of these Edge notifications showing up over the display?

  • KenChong's avatar
    KenChong
    Iron Contributor
    May 06, 2022

    AaronM1285 If you still have the update components removed manually I would recommend reinstalling Edge to restore it first.

     

    I never tested before, but I think Edge would not display a message if you have no internet and it cannot contact the update servers. The update policies are for the (internet-connected) PCs which the admin wants to control the update, like using centralized software patching systems.

    • AaronM1285's avatar
      AaronM1285
      Copper Contributor
      May 06, 2022
      This PC was last connected to the internet over a year ago to install Edge initially. Since then, it has been on a hard-wired ethernet connection to an offline server without access to the internet.
      Are you recommending I still update Edge?
      I really just want to display a homepage without any interruptions or popups, is there anyway to go about doing that without a re-install?
      • KenChong's avatar
        KenChong
        Iron Contributor
        May 10, 2022

        AaronM1285 I recommended a reinstall because you mentioned you had removed the files for Edge update (the C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate folder) and it is the fastest way to safely restore it. If you just renamed the folder you can instead restore its original name.

         

        Note that even that PC is offline you can https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download from another PC first. The "enterprise installer" does not require an internet connection. You may notice Edge can do a repair install but it requires an internet connection.

         

        To confirm your situation you can go to edge://settings/help (the "About Edge" page) and see if you get this expected error:

        If I rename the "EdgeUpdate" folder to something else, going to edge://settings/help gives me this error immediately:

         

        After fixing this problem you can disable automatic update using Group Policy: Re: How to disable edge auto upgrade? - Microsoft Tech Community

         

        EDIT: Someone says on the internet that the policies are not working as expected.

         

        1. Download policies from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download
        2. Install the policy in target PC: https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/edge-chromium-admx-group-policy-templates/
        3. Use keyboard shortcut "Windows+R" to open "gpedit.msc" (Local Group Policy Editor)
        4. On the left panel open the folder: Computer configuration -> Policies -> Administrative templates -> Microsoft Edge update -> Preferences
        5. Double-click to open "Auto-update check period override" on the right
        6. Select "Enabled", then modify the number below to 0, click OK.
        7. Go to Microsoft Edge update -> Applications -> Microsoft Edge on the left
        8. Double-click to open "Update policy override" on the right
        9. Select "Enabled", then select "Updates disabled" option from the dropdown, click OK.
        10. Close the editor

         

        You can also use registry instead. WARNING: editing registry in a wrong way can ruin your Windows OS!

         

        Run the following commands on the target PC:

         

        %SystemRoot%\System32\Reg.exe ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate" /v Update{56EB18F8-B008-4CBD-B6D2-8C97FE7E9062} /d 0 /t REG_DWORD /f
%SystemRoot%\System32\Reg.exe ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate" /v AutoUpdateCheckPeriodMinutes /d 0 /t REG_DWORD /f

         

         

        EDIT2: Found some more info. If you tried the policy or registry method but failed, run this command:

        %SystemRoot%\System32\Reg.exe QUERY "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\ClientState\{56EB18F8-B008-4CBD-B6D2-8C97FE7E9062}" /v brand

        If you get this result:

            brand    REG_SZ    GGLS

        Then run this command and restart Edge:

        %SystemRoot%\System32\Reg.exe ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\ClientState\{56EB18F8-B008-4CBD-B6D2-8C97FE7E9062}" /v brand /d GCEU /t REG_SZ /f

        Backup the PC before running the commands.

         

        Ref: Edge UpdatePolicy - Disable automatic updates leads to "Microsoft Edge is out of Date" - Microsoft Tech Community

         

         

        Updating software can be problematic for offline networks. I would still recommend you update periodically if you can, although you are not required to do so. Backup your PC before update in case the update cause any problems.

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