When I open Microsoft Edge, the page is blank or shows "Ref A: Ref B: Ref C:"

When I opened Microsoft Edge today, the page loaded in a blank white state, and after a while it displayed "Ref A: Alphanumeric Ref B: Alphanumeric Ref C: Date and time."

It may be possible to restart Microsoft Edge or open a new tab and have it display normally.

Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge
"Ref A: Alphanumeric Ref B: Alphanumeric Ref C: Date and time"
"Ref A: Alphanumeric Ref B: Alphanumeric Ref C: Date and time"

This issue appears to be a Microsoft problem, and disabling extensions or deleting browsing history does not resolve it.

The root cause is that Microsoft Edge's start page is set to the default Bing.

If you experience this issue, try closing Microsoft Edge, waiting a while, and then reopening it.

If you want to use it right away, try creating a shortcut for Microsoft Edge that will open without any issues.

1. Click the Start button, right-click on the Microsoft Edge icon, and click "Open file location."

Start menu
Start menu

*If it is not pinned to the Start menu, click "All Apps" in the upper right corner to find it. (Right-click on the Microsoft Edge icon > More Details > "Open file location")

Start Menu - All Apps
Start Menu – All Apps

2. The folder containing the Microsoft Edge shortcut will open. Right-click and hold on the shortcut, then drag it to the desktop and release the mouse. (Drag and drop)

Drag and drop shortcuts
Drag and drop shortcuts

3. A menu will appear, so click "Create shortcut here."

Create shortcut here
Create shortcut here

4. A Microsoft Edge shortcut will be created on your desktop. Right-click on the shortcut and click Properties.

5. "Microsoft Edge Properties" will open, so copy and paste the following command into "Target":

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" https://www.google.com/
Microsoft Edge Properties
Microsoft Edge Properties

6. Once you have finished pasting the commands, click OK.

Now when you run the Microsoft Edge shortcut, you will be taken to the Google page.

If you want to open a page other than Google, change "https://www.google.com/" to another URL.

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Person who wrote this article

Driven by questions arising from my daily PC use and the desire to "do more," I have been pursuing self-study in Windows since around 2008. I am sharing the "aha!" techniques and solutions I discovered through trial and error with the sole purpose of helping you in your PC life.

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