Microsoft Edge is a free download for the iPhone. Open the App Store, tap Search, type “Microsoft Edge,” tap Get next to the app published by Microsoft Corporation, confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, then tap Open. The app has been in the App Store since late 2017, and the current version needs iOS 18.0 or later.
This guide covers the install, the optional Microsoft account sign-in that syncs your favorites and passwords, how to make Edge your default browser, and what to do when the download will not start.
What You Need Before You Install Edge
The requirements below come from the Microsoft Edge listing in the App Store. Listings change with each release, so confirm the numbers on your own phone.
- iOS 18.0 or later. To see your version, open Settings, tap General, then tap About and read the iOS Version line.
- An Apple Account and an internet connection. Apple requires both to use the App Store.
- Free storage. Check the size shown on the App Store listing and leave extra room, because the app stores browsing data as you use it.
- No payment. The app is listed as free with in-app purchases. You do not have to buy anything to browse.
A Microsoft account is optional. Edge works as a browser without one. You only need to sign in if you want your favorites, passwords, and history to follow you between your phone and your computer.
The same listing covers the iPad, so these steps also work on an iPad that meets the same iOS requirement.
How to Get Microsoft Edge on Your iPhone
These steps follow Apple’s current instructions for downloading a free app.
- Open the App Store app on your iPhone.
- Tap Search. It is the magnifying glass in the tab bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Type Microsoft Edge in the search field and tap the matching suggestion.
- Find the result named Microsoft Edge and check that the developer shown is Microsoft Corporation. Other browsers and lookalike apps appear in the same results.
- Tap Get. If you see a cloud icon with a downward arrow instead, your Apple Account has downloaded Edge before. Tap the cloud to download it again for free.
- If asked, confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
- Wait for the progress circle to finish, then tap Open.
Apple describes the same process in its guide to getting apps in the App Store on iPhone.
How to Confirm Edge Installed
The Get button changes to Open when the download finishes. A new app also appears in the Recently Added category of the App Library, which you reach by swiping left past your last Home Screen page. If you do not see an Edge icon on a Home Screen, look there, or swipe down on the Home Screen and search for “Edge.”
Sign In to Sync Your Favorites and Passwords
The first time you open Edge, it asks you to sign in and choose a few preferences. You can skip the sign-in and browse right away.
A signed-in Edge app syncs your favorites, passwords, history, open tabs, and autofill entries such as your name and address across devices that use the same account. On a shared phone, decide whether you want your saved passwords on it.
To sign in later, Microsoft gives these steps for the mobile app:
- Open Edge and tap your profile image.
- Tap Accounts.
- Select your account, then tap Sign in to sync. To use a different account, tap Add Account and follow the prompts.
To choose what syncs, open the Edge menu, tap Settings, tap your profile image, then tap Sync under Sync settings. Each data type has its own switch. Tap Done when you finish. For the full list of options, read about signing in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices.
To stop syncing, go back to the same profile screen and tap Sign out and turn off sync. One warning from Microsoft applies here: if you clear browsing data while you are signed in and syncing, that data is removed from all of your synced devices, not only the iPhone.
How to Make Edge the Default Browser on an iPhone
Installing Edge does not change which browser opens when you tap a link in Mail, Messages, or another app. Safari stays the default until you change it. Older versions of iOS did not allow this at all, but current versions do.
On iOS 18.2 or later, the path is:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Apps.
- Tap Default Apps.
- Tap Browser App.
- Select Edge.
A check mark shows the selected browser. To test it, tap a web link in an email or text message. It should open in Edge.
To undo the change, return to Browser App and select Safari. Apple’s guide to changing the default apps on iPhone lists the other categories you can change in the same place.
A Few Things Edge Can Do on an iPhone
Microsoft’s App Store listing and mobile FAQ describe these features:
- InPrivate tabs. Edge does not save history or form data for an InPrivate tab, and it deletes that tab’s cookies when you close it.
- Ad and tracker blocking. The listing names tracking prevention, AdBlock Plus, and Microsoft Defender SmartScreen as built-in protection.
- Copilot. Microsoft’s AI assistant is built in and can summarize a page or answer questions about it.
- A different search engine. Bing is the default, and you can pick another one in the Edge settings.
For menu-by-menu instructions, see the Microsoft Edge for mobile FAQs. After a browsing session, you can clear history in the Edge iPhone app.
Once you are set up, the Share button in the Edge menu lets you share a web page link from the Edge iPhone app with anyone.
If a site hides features in its mobile layout, you can make Edge load the desktop site by default.
Troubleshooting: Edge Will Not Download or Open
Work through these in order. Each one matches a requirement from the first section.
- There is no Get button, or the App Store says the app is not compatible. Your iPhone is probably on a version older than iOS 18.0. Open Settings, tap General, then tap Software Update to see whether an update is offered. If your iPhone model cannot install iOS 18, it cannot run the current version of Edge.
- The download stalls or will not start. Check your Wi-Fi or cellular connection, then check your free space in Settings > General > iPhone Storage. The complete guide to deleting items on an iPhone shows where to recover room.
- The App Store asks you to sign in. You need an Apple Account to download any app, including free ones.
- The Get button is gray or installing apps is not allowed. Content and privacy restrictions in Screen Time can block app installs. On a child’s phone or a work phone, the parent or the organization controls that setting, so ask them to allow the install.
- Edge is not listed under Browser App. Confirm that Edge is installed and open it once. If the Default Apps menu itself is missing, update iOS, because that menu needs iOS 18.2 or later.
- Edge is installed but out of date. Open the App Store, tap your profile picture, and tap Update next to Microsoft Edge. For other devices, follow the steps for updating Microsoft Edge.
How to Remove Edge Later
If you decide Edge is not for you, touch and hold its icon on the Home Screen or in the App Library, tap Remove App, tap Delete App, then tap Delete. Deleting an app removes the app and its data from the iPhone. Anything you synced to your Microsoft account stays in that account.
If Edge was your default browser, check Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Browser App afterward and pick the browser you want. Apple’s steps are in its guide to removing or deleting apps from iPhone, and there are more details on how to delete apps on an iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Microsoft Edge free on the iPhone?
Yes. The App Store lists Microsoft Edge as a free app with in-app purchases. You can download it and browse the web without paying.
Do I need a Microsoft account to use Edge on an iPhone?
No. You can skip the sign-in and use Edge as a regular browser. A Microsoft account is only needed if you want to sync favorites, passwords, history, and open tabs with Edge on your other devices.
Can Edge be the default browser on an iPhone?
Yes. Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Browser App and select Edge. That menu is available in iOS 18.2 or later. Until you change it, links keep opening in Safari.
Which iPhones can run Microsoft Edge?
The App Store listing says the current version requires iOS 18.0 or later. Any iPhone that runs that version of iOS, or a newer one, can install it. The listing also covers the iPad.
Does installing Edge remove Safari?
No. Edge installs as a separate app, and Safari, its bookmarks, and its settings stay as they are. You can use both browsers on the same iPhone.
Will my favorites from a Windows PC show up in Edge on my iPhone?
They will if you sign in to both with the same Microsoft account and leave favorites turned on in the sync settings. Favorites, passwords, history, and open tabs are among the items that sync.
Next Step
Once Edge is open, sign in if you want your computer’s favorites on your phone, then decide whether to make it the default browser. Both choices are easy to reverse from the same screens.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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