How to Change the New Tab Page in Microsoft Edge

If you want to change the new tab page in Microsoft Edge, most of what you need sits behind one gear icon. Edge lets you trim the news feed, choose how many quick links to show, and pick a background. It won't let you swap the page for a website of your choice, so this guide covers the built-in settings first and then what to do when they run out.

Change the Edge new tab page from the page itself

The quickest way in is the new tab page itself:

1. 1
   Open a new tab with Ctrl+T (Cmd+T on a Mac).
2. 2
   Click the gear icon (Page settings) in the top-right corner of the page.
3. 3
   Pick a layout, or switch individual parts on and off. Depending on your Edge version you will see presets such as Focused and Informational, or separate switches for quick links, background, weather and the feed.
4. 4
   Close the panel. The change applies to every new tab right away.

Microsoft renames and regroups these options every few releases, so the labels on your screen may be slightly different. The parts you can control have stayed the same for a while:

• Quick links: the row of site tiles under the search box. You can usually choose off, one row or two rows, and turn off sponsored links so only sites you added appear.
• Background: the daily Bing image, one of Microsoft's images, or your own picture.
• Content or feed: the MSN news and widgets below the fold. You can hide it, show only headings, or show it in full.
• Greeting and weather: small extras you can switch off for a calmer page.

Pro Tip: For the cleanest built-in page, choose the most minimal layout, turn off the feed (content) and sponsored links, and keep one row of quick links. That leaves the search box, your links and a background.

If your new tab says “Ready when you are”

Newer versions of Edge can show a Copilot new tab page instead of the news layout: a Type a link or ask anything box, your quick links and Copilot suggestions underneath. The gear in the top-right corner still opens the page settings. To go back to the regular layout, open Settings › Start, home, and new tab page and switch off Copilot new tab page.

Change new tab settings in Edge Settings

Edge keeps the related options in one settings page:

1. 1
   Click the … menu in the top-right corner and choose Settings, or type edge://settings in the address bar.
2. 2
   Open Start, home, and new tabs.
3. 3
   Under When Edge starts, choose whether Edge opens the new tab page, continues where you left off, or opens specific pages.
4. 4
   Under the Home button section, decide whether the toolbar shows a Home button and which page it opens.
5. 5
   Under the new tab page section, click Customize to jump to the same panel as the gear icon.

These are three different pages: the page Edge opens at startup, the page behind the Home button, and the page you see on every new tab. You can point the first two at any website. If the difference is fuzzy, our guide to new tab vs home page vs startup pages explains it.

Can you set a custom URL as the Edge new tab page?

Not from the regular settings. Edge lets you type a URL for startup and the Home button, but the new tab page always shows Microsoft's page unless an extension replaces it.

There is one exception. On work and school computers, an administrator can use the NewTabPageLocation policy (shown as "Configure the new tab page URL" in Group Policy) to set the new tab URL for everyone. It only applies to managed devices, so you can't use it on a personal computer. If your new tab page opens your company intranet and you can't change it, this policy is why.

Note: If you want a specific website on every new tab, see how to set any website as your new tab page. It covers the extension approach for Edge, Chrome and Firefox.

What the built-in Edge page can't do

The Edge new tab page is built for searching and reading the news. It gets awkward when you want it to be a place for your own sites:

• Quick links stop at a couple of rows, so you can't keep all your daily sites in view.
• There are no folders or groups, so work and personal sites share one row.
• You can't add your own notes, tasks or a focus timer next to your links.
• Turning the feed off is not always permanent; some people find it comes back after an update.

If that sounds familiar, what you probably want is a new tab extension: it replaces the whole page with one you control. Edge supports extensions from the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store and the Chrome Web Store.

Turn Edge's new tab into your own start page

Speed Dial 2 replaces the Edge new tab page with your sites as visual bookmarks in groups, plus search, a clock, tasks and notes. No news feed. Free on the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store.

Get Speed Dial 2  –  it's free

Use Speed Dial 2 as your Edge new tab page

Speed Dial 2 has been a new tab page extension since 2011 and runs natively in Edge:

• Visual bookmarks in groups, such as Work, Personal and Reading, with as many sites as you like.
• Search that understands phrases like "saved this week" or "most visited".
• Widgets: a clock with greeting, tasks and notes are free; weather, calendar and countdown come with Pro.
• Focus Mode to block distracting sites while you work.
• Your own background, colors and layout, in light and dark mode.

After you install it, Edge asks whether to keep the new tab page the extension set. Choose to keep it, or Edge switches back to its own page. If Edge turns the extension off or the page doesn't appear, the Speed Dial 2 for Edge guide walks through the fix.

Reset the Edge new tab page

To go back to Microsoft's page:

1. 1
   Go to edge://extensions and turn off any extension that replaces the new tab page. Edge shows a notice on the Start, home, and new tabs settings page when an extension controls it.
2. 2
   Open a new tab, click the gear icon and choose the default layout again.
3. 3
   If things still look wrong, go to Settings › Reset settings and restore settings to their default values. This resets your startup page, new tab page, search engine and pinned tabs, turns off extensions and clears cookies, but keeps your favorites, history and saved passwords.

If your new tab page changed by itself and you don't know why, read new tab page changed? How to get yours back.