Forum Discussion
How to run edge inside MSIX
Hey Tim,
I thought Edge is installed as MSIX too, but after having a closer look, I see the application binaries are installed in the classic Program Files folder, not under the WindowsApps folder.
Under WindowsApps I can find some Edge folders, but they contain just some manifests that seem to be used to register an app identity for Edge, which is most likely needed for toast notifications or other integrations with the OS. I installed a canary build today, this one seems to use a classic installer also, but in a per-user folder, not under program files.
Is there another way to get a full MSIX version of Edge that I am not aware of?
Bogdan Mitrache On vacation currently so not diving into this right now.
But I recall that there is something in the schemas about giving identity to a native app. Maybe it was called external content or something like that.
As I recall it, you could add a package that provides the identity for the unpackaged app - which sounds like what you describe. In that case, a packaged app wanting to reference the component would add it as external content in the packaged app AppXManifest. But I thought that was for things other than the exe. The documentation wasn't really clear on the schema (what a surprise!) so this sounds like an area for more detailed testing. There may have been a link to a Microsoft Learning article.
- Bogdan MitracheAug 14, 2025Iron Contributor
Yeah, it seems to be using the external content support.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/desktop/modernize/grant-identity-to-nonpackaged-apps
Enjoy the dunes, see you in Utrecht :)