Microsoft Edge's New Tab Page is broken in its current form
Microsoft renamed the main web browser of its upcoming operating system from Project Spartan to Microsoft Edge recently.
The company added new features to the browser in the latest build of the operating system that included several core browser features such as password and form filling.
It is clear that Microsoft Edge is a work in progress and that may very well be true for the browser's New Tab Page.
It looks similar to tab pages of other browsers on first glance as it displays a web search form and top sites on the page.
The only customization options provided in the most recent version of Microsoft Edge are to add "suggested content" to it or turn it into a blank page instead.
Changing contents on Microsoft Edge's New Tab page
To change what is displayed when you open a new tab, do the following:
- Click on the three dots in the top right corner of the interface.
- Select Settings when the menu opens up.
- Locate "open new tabs with" and make a selection using the menu below it.
- Options are Top Sites, Top Sites and Suggested Content, and A Blank Page.
Suggested contents include news, weather information, stock market information and sports scores currently.
The information displayed on the New Tab page work well together and it is likely that users will find them useful.
The main issue that you may have however is that the page cannot be customized at all.
The top sites list links to popular web destinations such as YouTube, eBay, Amazon, ESPN or Twitter for example, and while you can remove one, some or all of them, you cannot add any to it.
If you remove all top sites from the New Tab page you end up with an empty row of underneath the top sites title that wastes space.
The same is true for the suggested contents area as it lacks any form of customization either. Users who don't like sports, are not interested in the stock market, or want custom local news are left in the dark as there is no option provided to change any of the information.
While you can at least remove top sites that you are not interested in from the browser's new tab page, you cannot do anything like that for the suggested contents module (other than disable it completely).
How that looks then? Take a look below.
Considering that Edge is a work in progress, it is possible that Microsoft will add customization options to the browser's New Tab page.
Another possible solution to fill the page with (better) content is to wait for browser extension support in Edge. If Firefox's and Chrome's Extension Stores are anything to go by, it is likely that Edge will get its fair share of New Tab page extensions as well that change the contents on the New Tab page and provide you with better customization options in the process.
Now You: What is displayed on your New Tab page?
The more Microsoft try to force people to use their browser, the more people will look for alternatives.
I will do whatever it takes to ensure their ‘Bully Boy’ tactics do not succeed with me!
Changing browsers now.
What a joke. And what a pathetic company that has to do something as blatantly anti-user and pro their totally sh** totally biased news feed as removing the ability to customize the new tab page. WHAT A COMPLETE JOKE MICROSOFT ARE FOR DOING THIS. They deserve to be broken into 1000 pieces for doing this and they will be.
I will 100% not be buying any copies of windows 10 when the free upgrade ends in july, unless microsoft stop acting like they know best for their users and removing peoples right to choose, hopefully there will be some sort of class action to make data mining and other privacy violating services “opt in” rather than an “opt out” like hey are now,
silence is not acceptance, would you like it if someone started taking money from your bank without permission only to say “well you didn’t tell me NOT to take your money, so it’s o.k.”, that is what microsoft are doing when they use your bandwidth by default.
The theft of service microsoft are involved in (internet bandwidth for updates etc) and wifi password bypassing/ secure internet sharing with strangers that windows 10 does should see someone in jail. basically they are turning windows users into a giant server network for themselves (bot net), windows will even automatically sign you into unsecure networks by default ffs all so they pay less for server space and bandwidth.
imagine how much microsoft have saved during the free win 10 roll out from turning your device into a peer to peer update engine.
As usual, this problem is still occurring. Microsoft won’t fix it because you aren’t paying them money to do so. I would recommend using another browser. Edge is a piece of sh..
Changed Open New Tab , from default Top Sites to Blank Page. Closed and restarted Edge. Now:
1. Page not loading, any URL;
2. Mouse Cursor flashing every second with circle animation, when inside Edge window;
3. Clear Browsing Data : crashes Edge , afer a few minutes;
4. Can’t uninstall Edge , delete its settings, reinstall Edge;
5. Event Log :faulting module name EMODEL.dll .
Win10 build 10240 in VM-win10Edge, had to reinstall .
When you consider the huge amount advertising and personal tracking horsepower built into Windows 10 & Edge, it’s easy to understand why Microsoft is willing, no….EAGER to give this Operating System away for no charge. No doubt they’ve convinced advertisers that the company will generate X dollars per user for them via massive, global IE10 saturation.
The “Top Sites” is a great example. Each one of those companies paid Microsoft to be listed prominently. That’s HUGE ongoing exposure. I removed each of mine, thinking that they’d be replaced with “Most Visited” sites, a-la IE11. Wrong! They stay blank. Yesterday, I changed my default browser back to IE11 and proceeded to use it 95% of the time.
-Alan in Chicago
Microsoft’s blank page probably goes to Bing. I am pretty sure that it is not Google any more.
I just want to open my default homepage when I open a new tab. I detest all this suggested sites crap its just pointless advertising pointing me to sites I’d never in a million years want to see. Let the users choose what they want. If they want pointless advertising great let them have it but don’t make the choice that or nothing.
I don’t like it because combined search-address field gets results from bing while you’re automatically singed-in and you can’t sign out because system gets you in again; I tried set up about:blank and sadly, it doesn’t work for at least 6 builds – browser pushes own new tab page despite of my settings.
Ghacks is on my new tabs page.
..
What? You did ask.
If the user were able to choose what sites to have on the ‘New Tab’ page, it would be extremely useful. However automatically generated ‘Top Sites’ is pretty limited, and not a very well thought out idea IMO.
Why don’t they include the option to display the users ‘Favourites Bar’ contents there instead? That way the user can decide what’s displayed on the page?
Or make it like the Opera ‘Speed Dial’ page, like shown in the screenshot here:
https://windows.uservoice.com/forums/285214-microsoft-edge/suggestions/7394263-speed-dial
Credit to them for allowing users to opt out of ‘Suggested Content’ though, as it would have been incredibly annoying seeing that every time you opened a new tab/page.
To add to the above comment, by including the option to display the users ‘Favourites Bar’ contents on the new tab page instead, it would also mean that users wouldn’t necessarily need to have their ‘Favourites Bar’ permanently displayed in the browser title bar either (and thus taking up valuable screen real estate).
Worse than broken, old IE links redirect you to Edge. Many of the old IE test tools are missing.
Try it: http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive
Edge will get its share of addons, but it will be severely limited as it remains closed source, unless Microsoft releases an SDK for developing addons.
By remaining closed source they are limiting their market and decreasing the custom add-on market that Firefox and Chrome monopolize. I applaud their efforts at making a new browser, but with all do respect I don’t see it being successful.
It is my view edge’s inability to change the new tabs page or even to set it to your homepage (which is what i do and no doubt countless others do too in ie) is very deliberate on microsoft’s part and is their way to ensure users of edge also use the bing search engine at least to some degree since the default search engine in the new tabs window is bing,
I think microsoft have some delusion of grandeur when it comes to windows 10 they believe their software interests MUST take priority over user choices, they are forgetting that an operating system is a framework to run OTHER programs nothing more and should for the most part get out of it’s own way and let the user do what they want, sure sell your own compatible programs but don’t force them on people by removing or blocking support for third party software (in this case alternative search engines), windows ability to uninstall user programs without consent is also very disconcerting.
I personally do not like the top sites type feature in chrome and firefox, it just does not seem very private on a shared computer.
If edge could allow users to set the new tabs page to display their homepage as was possible in most other versions of internet explorer i would be happy, that and the ability to migrate tabs between browser windows,
I have always found that very useful especially when working with multiple monitors, to be able to migrate a tab i want to keep open to another browser window or monitor and then close the remaining tabs all at once is a deal breaker for me with edge.
Agreed.
” and decreasing the custom add-on market that Firefox and Chrome monopolize”
Microsoft Edge is compatible with Chrome extensions.
With all respect, Edge is the default browser in Windows 10. I cannot see how it won’t be successful unless Microsoft makes it painful to use. Even the icon will draw lifetime IE users to click on it before looking for IE.
Well yes for the general masses of people who don’t make modifications, off the bat any stock software will be used. I don’t think it’s going to maintain its market share as IE has continuously sunk in the mud trying to compete with more stable and modifiable browsers.