Taskbar issue

Question

I am not sure how this happened, but a couple days ago, I suddenly got a duplicate "google" on the taskbar whenever I open Edge to google.com. I have tried unpinning it and it will not let me and if I close either one, both close. How do I get rid of the 2nd google on the taskbar. It does not show up if Edge is on a different website.

See pic.Capture.JPG

Answer 1

Hello! Jay,

Let me provide you these Windows 10 steps.

1. Remove all old pinned shortcuts

Unpin all browser/site icons from the taskbar.

Open:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

and delete any .lnk files for your browser or that site.

2. Find the site’s AppUserModelID

Open your browser (Edge/Chrome) and go to the site so the duplicate icon appears.

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.

Go to Details tab → right-click column headers → Select columns → check AppUserModelID.

Find the browser process with your site’s name in MainWindowTitle.

Copy its AppUserModelID exactly (e.g., Chrome.App.your-site).

3. Create a matching shortcut

In File Explorer, go to:

Edge: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application

Chrome: C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application

Right-click msedge.exe or chrome.exe → Send to → Desktop (create shortcut).

Right-click the shortcut → Properties.

In Target, append:

--app="https://yoursite.com"

(Optional) Change the icon via Change icon….

4. Set the shortcut’s AppUserModelID

Windows GUI doesn’t let you do this directly — use a small free tool like Win7AppId or AppUserModelId Tool:

Open the tool, browse to your shortcut.

Paste the exact AppUserModelID from Task Manager.

Save.

5. Pin and test

Right-click your updated shortcut → Pin to taskbar.

Launch it — the running window should now merge into that pinned icon instead of creating a duplicate.

Best regards,

Kimberly

Answer 2

In your video, the second “Google” icon is not just a duplicate button — it’s actually being launched as a separate installed web app in Edge.

This matches the behavior when a site (google.com) is installed as a Progressive Web App (PWA).

So, here's the Windows-level uninstall method for that Google PWA icon:

Method A — Using the Apps Folder

Press Win + R on your keyboard.

Type:

shell:AppsFolder

and press Enter.

A hidden “Applications” window will open, showing all installed apps (including PWAs).

Look for a Google icon that has the Edge logo in the corner.

Right-click it → Uninstall.

Method B — From Windows Settings

Press Win + I to open Settings.

Go to Apps → Installed apps (or Apps & features in older Windows versions).

In the search box, type Google.

If you see Google with “Microsoft Edge” listed as the publisher, click it → Uninstall.

Method C — Via Start Menu

Click the Start Menu (Windows icon).

Type Google.

If a separate Google app (with Edge branding) shows up, right-click it → Uninstall.

Once you do this, the second Google icon will disappear permanently.

If it ever reappears, it means Edge’s “Install this site as an app” button was clicked again while on Google.com.

Answer 3

The second Google icon has the Edge logo overlay, which means it’s running as a Progressive Web App (PWA) installed via Microsoft Edge.

We need to find the exact PWA folder in your Edge profile and delete its registration so Windows stops showing it as a separate app. Please follow these steps below to locate and delete it.

Step 1 — Close Edge completely

Make sure all Edge windows are closed (check Task Manager to be sure no background Edge processes are running).

Step 2 — Find Edge’s PWA app folders

Press Win + R.

Paste this and hit Enter:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Web Applications

You’ll see one or more folders with long random names (GUIDs).

Each folder is a separate installed PWA.

Step 3 — Identify the Google PWA

Inside each folder, open the manifest.json file in Notepad.

Look for one where "start_url" or "name" mentions google.com.

This is your Google PWA folder.

Step 4 — Delete the Google PWA folder

Close Notepad.

Delete that entire folder.

Step 5 — Remove leftover app entry in Windows

Press Win + R, type:

shell:AppsFolder

Find the Google app with the Edge logo overlay.

Right-click → Uninstall.

Step 6 — Restart your PC

After reboot, the second Google icon should be gone permanently.

If it ever reappears, it’s because Edge’s “Install this site as an app” was clicked again.

Answer 4

We have to force Edge to stop giving sites their own identity. Two ways:

Method 1 — Edge flags (non-destructive)

1. Open Edge.
2. In the address bar, go to: edge://flags/#enable-desktop-pwas-tab-strip → set to Disabled.
3. Also go to: edge://flags/#enable-desktop-pwas-app-icon-shortcut → set to Disabled.
4. Restart Edge. This disables Edge’s behavior of showing certain websites (like Google.com) as separate “apps” with their own taskbar icon.

Answer 5

I understand, if it's a bug, you can use the submit a feedback feature to report it. If you want to continue troubleshooting, I can provide more steps.