If you like catching up with the news when you open Microsoft Edge or switch to a new tab, this post will help you customize the Microsoft Edge New tab page.
What are the components of the Microsoft Edge New Tab page?
To many users, Microsoft Edge’s new tab page feels way too cluttered, and it, to an extent, is. However, you can clean it by toggling off almost every page component. These are:
- Microsoft 365 Suite Icon: Starting from the top left, we have the icon (the dotted square one). You will see the Microsoft 365 apps you can access upon clicking it. This is the default and can’t be turned off natively.
- Search Bar: The Search Bar, with Bing search on default, can’t be toggled off. Also, only Bing search can be used with the Search Bar on the new tab page.
- Download App and Rewards Icon: The Download app icon (shaped like a smartphone) displays a QR code to download Edge on smartphones upon clicking, and the Rewards icon (shaped like a trophy) takes you to the Microsoft Rewards page. Both of these icons can’t be turned off.
- Notifications Icon: If the content is turned on (news and all), this icon will display the latest ones you may have missed upon clicking it. This is turned on and off with the Content.
- Quick Links: Quick Links is the option that is not turned on by default. You can have up to two rows of the recently visited websites as icons on the New Tab page for easy access.
- Content: This takes up the most space on the new tab page. The Content Part features News and anything that you may find relevant based on your cookies and usage. This is the part that users find most intrusive and also features ads occasionally. This can be toggled off completely.
Now that we understand each component of Microsoft Edge’s new tab page, let’s customize it.
How to add or disable components from Microsoft Edge New Tab page?
Apart from the content and the background, not many elements are customizable so that you can turn most space-taking and intrusive elements off. Here’s all that you can do:
- Customize and turn on/off content
- Turn Quick Links on/off
- Change, disable, or use custom background
- Enable or disable weather
Let’s dive in!
1] Customize and turn on/off content
The content area on the Microsoft Edge New Tab page is often laden with ads and news that you may not want to read, which clutters up the whole new tab area. You can customize this feature to tailor it to your preferences or remove it completely. Here’s how:
- Open a new tab in Edge.
- To disable or enable the content area on Microsoft Edge, click on the gear icon in the top right corner.
- Now, scroll down to find the content section in the settings.
- There are three options: Content Visible, Content Partially Visible, and Headings only. You can choose either of these.
- You can also have it removed entirely by toggling it off.
To personalize the kind of content you wish to see on the New tab page, follow these steps:
- Click on the Personalize button in the top right corner of the Content area.
- Once you click on it, a new Window will open, where you can select the interests and publishers you wish to follow. Do that, and you are good to go.
2] Turn Quick Links on/off
Quick Links are recently visited websites, smartly detected by Microsoft Edge, and updated frequently. Once enabled, you can have up to two rows of recently visited websites for easy access. Here’s how to toggle this feature on and off:
- Click on the Gear icon in the top right corner of the New Tab Page.
- Now, find the Quick Links option and click on the Drop Down Menu.
- You will see three options, i.e., Off, 1 Row, and 2 Rows. Select the one that you wish.
- Now, toggle on/off the Show promoted links option as your preference.
3] Change, disable, or use custom background
Microsoft Edge allows you to select from a wide range of static and dynamic backgrounds for free, on top of this you can also upload a custom image, or turn off the background. Here’s how to do it:
- Click the Gear icon in the top right corner of the New Tab Page.
- Now, scroll down to find the Background section.
- To enable or disable the Background, use the toggle.
- Click on the Edit Background option to select or upload a background.
- To upload a custom background, click the Upload Image option and select one from your PC.
- Or select a static or dynamic background of your choice.
4] Enable or disable Weather
The weather feature detects your current location and displays the local weather. Here’s how to enable or disable it:
- Click on the Gear icon in the top right corner of the new tab page.
- Now, scroll down to find the Weather option.
- Toggle it on/off to your preference.
I hope the post helps, and you were able to customize Microsoft Edge New tab.
How can the Microsoft Edge New Tab page be minimalistic and clean?
To make the Microsoft Edge New Tab page minimalistic and clean, you can either clear the background, use a minimalist one, turn off content, or do other things you wish. Or, use third-party extensions, which will allow you to customize it and keep it clean. Here are the ones we recommend:
1] Minim
Minim is the ultimate minimalistic new tab page extension for Edge and Chrome. The extension is not pressed on productivity but is very eye-pleasing. It has a frequently updated collection of wallpapers, which you can set to change on every new tab, and some beautiful eye-pleasing widgets. The extension has no paid version, and it works perfectly well. There is also a weather widget in the extension.
2] Bonjour
If you are looking for greater customizability, then Bonjour is the right one for you. It gives you all the features of Minim and many more, with granular control. You can even add custom CSS and a search Bar.
