Web apps are freezing in Microsoft Edge, and the fix is a real hassle

Outlook Client Hero — Web apps in Microsoft Edge can freeze due to a newly discovered bug in the browser. (Image credit: Future)

If web apps are freezing on your PC, you're not alone. A recently discovered issue in Microsoft Edge can cause a window to freeze and stop responding to mouse or keyboard input.

The bug rolled out in Microsoft Edge version 153, which recently shipped to general users. Microsoft confirmed the issue and recommended rolling back to Microsoft Edge version 152 as a workaround.

As much as I love a good native app, I use quite a few web apps to get work done. For several popular services, web apps are either the only option on Windows or the official apps for those services are just wrapped web apps.

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Unless a wrapped web app provides additional functionality, I prefer to just use the corresponding web app within my browser of choice. For example, I can organize Slack and Airtable in browser tabs by using their web apps rather than download dedicated apps through the Microsoft Store.

An added bonus of a browser-based setup is that I can toggle between browser instances by pressing Alt+` since I use Window Hopper in PowerToys.

If your web apps are freezing, you could also bypass the issue by using a different browser. Microsoft wouldn't recommend that, of course, but Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and other popular browsers all support web apps.

If you choose to revert Edge to its previous version, you'll have to jump through a few hoops. Unfortunately, you can't just click a toggle to go back. Even downloading a file containing a previous version still takes some extra work to install. Microsoft outlines the process on its website:

Disable Microsoft Edge Updates.
1. Open the local Group Policy Editor and go to Computer Configuration>Administrative Templates>Microsoft Edge Update>Applications>Microsoft Edge>.
2. Select Update policy override and then select Enabled.
3. Under Options, pick Update disabled from the Policy dropdown list.
Get the MSI.
1. Download the MSI for the version you want to roll back to from here.
2. Save the MSI to your desktop.
Run the rollback command.
1. Open the Windows command prompt with Run as administrator.
2. Type the following command, where: C:\Users\username\Desktop\test is the path to the MSI you downloaded, and FileName is the name of the .msi file:
   C:\Users\username\Desktop\test>msiexec /I FileName.msi /qn ALLOWDOWNGRADE=1
3. Close and reopen Microsoft Edge to verify that the rollback worked. Under Settings and more (ALT + F), go to Settings and select About Microsoft Edge.

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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.