You cleaned up your Edge favorites, and the next time the browser opens, your Chrome bookmarks, settings and tabs are back. Edge has a feature that can copy data from Google Chrome each time it launches. It is often mistaken for something that happens after every update, but it comes from an import-on-launch setting, not from the update itself.
Table of Contents
This guide shows how to turn that setting off in Edge, how to confirm it stays off, and what to do on a work PC where an administrator policy may be controlling it. It also covers the two related policies that are easy to confuse: AutoImportAtFirstRun and ImportOnEachLaunch.
Quick Answer
Open edge://settings/profiles/importBrowsingData in Edge, find the option to import browser data from Google Chrome on each launch, and turn it off. Then fully close and reopen Edge. If the toggle is missing or locked, an administrator policy is managing it (see the policy section below).
Step-by-Step: Turn Off Import on Each Launch in Edge
Step 1: Open Edge and go to Settings, then Profiles, then Import browser data. You can also paste edge://settings/profiles/importBrowsingData into the address bar to jump straight there.
Step 2: Look for the option to import browsing data from Google Chrome at each browser launch. Chrome is the only browser this launch-time option is offered for. Use the Edit preferences button next to it and choose the option to turn it off.
Step 3: Close every Edge window and reopen Edge. A running browser may not pick up the change, so a full restart is the safest test.
Step 4: If you use more than one Edge profile, repeat the steps in each one. The setting is stored per profile, so switching it off in one profile does not switch it off in the others.
Step 5: Delete the duplicate favorites, if any, that the earlier imports created. Turning the setting off stops future imports, but it does not remove data that was already copied.
If You Manage the PC: Use the ImportOnEachLaunch Policy
Microsoft documents a policy called ImportOnEachLaunch (Allow import of data from other browsers on each Microsoft Edge launch). It applies to Edge on Windows, version 104 or later, and is not supported on macOS. If it is enabled, users see a prompt to import from other browsers on each launch. If it is disabled, users never see that prompt. If it is not configured, users can turn the feature on themselves from an Edge prompt or from Settings.
To disable it in Group Policy, open the Group Policy Editor and go to Administrative Templates, then Microsoft Edge, then set Allow import of data from other browsers on each Microsoft Edge launch to Disabled. If you prefer the registry, create a REG_DWORD named ImportOnEachLaunch under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge and set it to 0. Restart Edge afterward, because the policy does not refresh while the browser is running.
Microsoft’s documentation also notes that this policy does not apply to a profile signed in with a Microsoft account, so check the individual profile settings as well.
Do not confuse it with AutoImportAtFirstRun. That policy is a one-time import during Edge’s first-run setup. Setting it to DisabledAutoImport skips the import step of first run. ImportFavorites and ImportBrowserSettings can also be disabled to block those specific data types from being imported at first run or manually.
Tips / Common Mistakes
Type edge://policy into the address bar to see which policies Edge is actually applying. If ImportOnEachLaunch or an import policy appears there, a local setting will not override it, and you will need to change the policy itself.
Do not rely on the toggle alone if the same settings keep returning on a shared or company machine. Check edge://policy first, then ask whoever manages the device.
Restart Edge fully after any change. Closing one window is not enough if background processes keep Edge running.
If you actually want a one-time copy of your Chrome data, use the regular manual import from the same Import browser data page, and leave the on-launch option off.
Explore more: More step-by-step tech tutorials.
Microsoft Edge FAQs
Does Edge import Chrome data after every update?
Not because of the update itself. The repeated imports are tied to the option to import Chrome data on each launch. When that setting is off, Edge does not repeat the import, whether or not it updates.
Will turning this off delete the favorites Edge already imported?
No. It only stops future imports. Any favorites or settings copied earlier stay in Edge until you delete them yourself.
Why is the import toggle missing or greyed out?
Your device is probably managed by an administrator policy. Check edge://policy to see which policies are applied. Administrators can control this with the ImportOnEachLaunch policy on Windows.
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