Restore Internet Explorer's old New Tab Page
If you open a New Tap Page in Internet Explorer, you may see a new version of the New Tab Page featuring news and such instead of the old.
The topsites are still there, but the whole page has changed as news powered by MSN is now pushed on the page as well. This is nearly identical to the New Tab Page on Microsoft Edge on which top sites and news are also displayed by default.
While some Internet Explorer users may like the change, others may want to restore the old New Tab Page design instead which does not pull news from Microsoft servers when you open a new tab in Internet Explorer.
Note: It is unclear which versions of Internet Explorer are affected by the change. I noticed it on Internet Explorer 11 running on Windows 10. If you have a different version of Internet Explorer on your system, let me know if it features the change as well.
Restore Internet Explorer's old New Tab Page
The first screenshot shows the new tab page design of Internet Explorer in all of its glory. It displays only eight top sites, instead of ten as was the case on the old New Tab Page. Below that is the news section with news being pulled from MSN.
What is missing? The page does not display recently closed websites anymore which you find at the bottom of the previous New Tab Page.
Microsoft did add an option to the previous page to enable the news feed, but no option to the new page to restore the old.
Here is how you do it in Internet Explorer:
- Open Internet Explorer if it is not open already.
- Select the cogwheel icon to open the menu, and there Internet Options.
- Under General, locate tabs and click on the button.
- Locate "when a new tab is opened, open" on the Tabbed Browsing Settings page, and switch it to "The new tab page" to restore the classic page in Internet Explorer.
- Click on ok to complete the process.
The old page is used from that moment on again. You may switch to the new version of the page again at any time either by clicking on the "enable my news feed" link that is displayed "sometimes" on the New Tab Page, or by repeating the steps outlined above. You need to select "the new tab page with my news feed" under step four this time though.
Closing Words
I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of pushing news feeds on to the New Tab Page, and that is regardless of the browser. It seems that companies like Google and Mozilla are also experimenting with this, and there is a likelihood that a similar feature will land in Chrome and Firefox in the near future. Other companies, Opera for instance, already use it.
Now You: News on the new tab page: Yay or Nay?
And Now Microsoft has brought the All New Bing Search Bar with Dark Mode Support in Edge Chromium 2019 New Tab Page (Which has all the Bing and the msn junk in it) and there is no way to disable it either (Even in Flags).
Hi, tried `The new tab page` fix and it worked the first time and then stopped working.
Have checked several times in TABS and is always set to New Tab Page. Even tried changing it to A Blank Page, but MSN with Bing still keeps coming up. They must be onto it!
Running Windows 7 professional with IE-11.
THANK YOU for posting this!
Thank you, it worked
You clearly don’t work for Microsoft! Your answer was clear and simple. I’m so sick of Microsoft.com where they are stupid jerks who REFUSE to answer questions.
P.S. Windows 10 finally began working correctly! Upgrade from 8 to 10 broke internet connections for years until last month!
Unfortunately, the only option available for “When a new tab is opened” is “The new tab page with my news feed”. Windows 10 IE11. How can that be?
Paul, I cannot say. I just checked on Windows 10 Pro 1703 and 1709 and it shows all options.
I had the same issue where only one option was displayed in the drop down box. However, I just discovered that all options are there, you just have to use the mouse’s scroll wheel to toggle through all the choices.
Thanks, stops me getting distracted when I open up a new tab to do something
Thank you very much, getting really annoyed with the news feed. Turned the news feed off, but it just resets when put pc back on, how totally useless and illogical !!
Is there a way to REMOVE the “Enable my news feed” link from showing on the new tab…. not sure if the registry setting or a options or are we stuck with it… in a business environment, all is well till some person clicks that and we back to ZERO….
Thank you very much. This was useful to me. I hate when new tab shows information that I haven’t asked for.
Thank you!
God damned hamburger menu symbols! Take your symbols and shove them. Normal intelligent people read WORDS. Idiots with programming skills. Stop ‘improving’ the standard browsers to make them easier to use for the illiterate! You tech nerds need a life. Constantly having to learn new skills to use the same basic computer functions is the most illogical approach to tech management I’ve ever heard of and now everyone is doing it. Fire someone and save the time and money instead. LEAVE IT ALONE. God, I hate new technology now a days, which is a direct result of these illusionary upgrades where nothing more is accomplished than to waste my precious time I would otherwise be spending doing actual work and accomplishing real world goals. Wasting time to learn about the never ending tech upgrades and changes is just that, a pure waste of time. It’s only fun for the tech nerds and is not entertaining for anyone else. Get over your own god damned egos and listen to the consumers, we’re tired of the never ending sequence of changes. Nobody asked you jerks to upgrade anything, stop it! Provide new versions if you must, and stop messing around with old ones and stop answering every crybaby net addict when they call for a tweak here and a tweak there. Let them customize it themselves if they want it, leave the products alone so the rest of us normal people can enjoy them and use them efficiently without having to learn some new icon or tool or use or location or stupid ass change and get notices of frigging updates available for everything literally every other day. STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT.
This is awful. Between the unwelcome automatic upgrade from ie 8 to 11, and now with the unwelcome new firefox quantum, I do not have a decent browser to use. I don’t want favorites and can’t seem to find bookmarks on this ie11. I want a bookmark off the regular tools or main menu, so I can click the word bookmark, not deal with any symbols, scroll down my lists of word labeled bookmarks not symbols, hover and expand word labeled folders not symbols, and easily organize move and access any website I have bookmarked, etc. I have hundreds of bookmarks here on firefox for working duties, and this IE favorites list is not cutting it. How do I get the simple bookmark function in ie 11 so I can build a bookmark database of my hundreds of working websites I need to go to? Someone kill off every tech person on the planet and give them a very very long vacation. They’ve done enough and I don’t want any more ‘upgrades’. I want the damned browser to stay the same, is that too much to ask? Where is bookmarks in internet explorer 11? I’m not a teen girl, I don’t have favorites. I have long lists of websites which I need instant access to. I use them randomly and I need to stay organized. WHERE DID BOOKMARKS GO IN IE11? Do not answer anything about favorites, I don’t need a long bar across my screen that only holds a few dozen recently accessed sites. When I’m done with a site, I need a new one, not to return to ‘favorties’. This is a work computer, I’m using it for work not entertainment. Where is the bookmark feature in IE 11 please. Thank you. Never10 and stop screwing with the basic expected browser functions!
I HATE BING!!!!! I never asked for it, it just appeared and I DO NOT want it. Now we are trying to figure out how to get our computers (we have 5 – 3 desk tops and two laptops) back to the way we had them set up and WANTED. Your directions for deleting BING are as clear as MUD. How did you get control of my computer when I wasn’t even on it. Shouldn’t I have been notified of changes I MAY want to consider, not changes made without my permission. I want my computer the way it was. Older people have a hard time accepting change and often prefer doing things they have always done them. I’m 71 and I seldom like change. Put my computer back the way it was before you HACKED it. I thought hacking was against the law. You should lose your job for hacking peoples computers!!!!!!!!!!!
DOn’t post this, post the one below instead. Cheers. Hey, the voices need heard even if they’re against the grain. I don’t have time for these ‘upgrades’, what a waste of human energy and resources, a never ending stream of upgrades. I’m not buying any new tech until you geniuses can figure out how to provide a finished product. Idiots.
Fantastic! I just logged into IE11 to Google info about stopping Firefox from automatically updating me to the FF57 crap version, and when I clicked on new tab I was totally peed off to see a completely strange web page. This sort of thing REALLY irritates me. I’d like to get some Stillsons on the bollocks of whoever makes these decisions. I spend half my time trying to prevent Windows 10 updates or similar, and as far as Microsoft Edge and Cortana go, MS can stick these where the sun don’t shine.
There are many people who have to justify their paycheck by making these idiotic changes frequently and pushing updates on hapless users. Most users don’t even know that these things can be configured. They just endure whatever is thrust on them by idle product managers.
Hey, the voices need heard even if they’re against the grain. I don’t have time for these ‘upgrades’, what a waste of human energy and resources, a never ending stream of upgrades. I’m not buying any new tech until you geniuses can figure out how to provide a finished product. Idiots. Stop updating, normal people don’t have time for this. I’d rather get hacked at this point.
Thanks for that, very quick fix! Next time they bundle this in an update I’ll know……
I feel an idiot as I didn’t spot the “tabs” menu on Internet Options – Win7 and IE11 has been so trouble free I never thought to look. First they fiddle with the location of the tabs and then steal the tabs off you – have they been to GACA (Google & Android College of Aggravation) or something?
I started with Win 3.1 etc and NT at work, managed to survive Win ME at home years ago, avoided Win8, then beat MS’s constant nagging to upgrade to 10 last year. But I wonder what the hell is going on in that organisation now! Monetising everything?
Thank you so much, I did not like that at all. I would love to get rid of ALL the pushed on us content! How do you get rid of a story that takes 19 screens to tell the tale? Or a Yahoo news story that sets off my malware notifications? I would pay to stop all of that and just read what I want when I want and not have videos popping up and playing and scaring the snot out of me! Again, thanks for the fix!!!!
Thank YOU,
My tab page just got hijacked out of the blue yesterday — your simple fix seems to have worked
Late October and my tab page got suddenly hijacked just yesterday. Your simple fix seems to have worked.
Thank you for the information it worked correctly
Thank you so much. I spent so much time so much energy and everywhere I looked there were solution and suggestions – none worked albeit.
Yours was quick straightforward and it worked.
Thank you again.
love it love it love it! been looking around to get rid of this annoying msn page for days now! Thank god for this page that finally helped and not telling me to simply save a New home page which doesn’t work at all! you save me from going crazy!!
Perfect, thanks, been driving me nuts
Hi, I’ve got a problem a bit related but possibly a bit worse! Today when I opened my new tab Bing search tab appeared to run across my top sites, underneath my google search bar (engine is defined as google). It never happened before. So, at the moment I’ve got a ‘normal’ new tab page with msn/Bing bar covering top half of my top sites. Any ideas how to remove it?? Thanks in advance for any help!
Thanks so much, sorted a very annoying problem!
THANKS!!!!!
Thanks a lot
Thank you! I will add you to my favorites bar for more internet info!! Much appreciated and easy to understand for a non-techy like myself :)
I’m seeing this on several PCs and in each case there is only ONE option in the “when a new tab is opened, open: ” dialogue box. So the user can’t select anything except what they have now. Does anyone know what registry tweaks might restore the previous 4 options so the user can select these (I just want a blank page). This guide would be good if we had anything on these PCs we could actually select! The news feed thing is PANTS.
I had the same issue where only one option was displayed in the drop down box. However, I just discovered that all options are there, you just have to use the mouse’s scroll wheel to toggle through all the choices.
Makes me crazy Angry !!!!
I don’t need my users getting tempted by clickbait!
TOTALLY SUCKS!
howie
If all of these weren’t fake news sites and “entertainment” garbage, it might not suck.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU – was making me furious! First world problems.
Thanks. It works
Thank you!!!
excellent – I was getting really annoyed about getting a news page all the time – now I can get on with my work and not be distracted by all that extraneous rubbish
Thank you.
And thanks a Million for explaining how to get rid of the stupid MSN News apps that Ialso hate. I agree with Klaus Jakobsen about the stupid preinstalled Apps that can’t be removed–so annoying.
Very Helpful! Thanks for taking the time…
Windows has already lost to Android about being the most popular OS online. Why is it that Microsoft is putting the pedal to the metal – and REALLY make sure no one likes the OS anymore? Stupid apps preinstalled, of which some can’t be removed, adware in the browser etc. Have they moved some of the failed Nokia / Windows phone people to the Windows OS team?
Thank you!!!!
Thank you for a simple easy to follow solution to an annoying issue. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Thank You. I should not need your help
It would be helpful, when a service like news feed is offered that if you try it, you can easily disable it . One click to enable it and one click to disable it. Only Apple gains from MS agressive introductions
Thanks it helps a lot. it was fast and easy !
I love you! Thank you.
Or type about:Tabs on address bar.
Thank you very much for the help with getting it off of my computer!
Thank you for greatly helping to bring down my stress level. I need the Tab and easy access to frequently opened sites for my work. I was getting very upset that I clicked on it after I couldn’t turn them off. Good thing it was done on a day that I wasn’t needing the links.
Thank you. I was really getting frustrated with MS crap!
Thanks.
Anyone found gpo setting to tweak tabbed behaviour on enterprise level?
I have looked around and on server 2012R2 gpo editor shows only following options:
– A blank page
-The new tab page
-Your first home page
this can be found under User Configuration, Control Panel settings, IE10 Properties, Tabbed Browsing Settings.
No mention of this “News Feed” feature, so no method to control it unless a new template is released.
Thank you, Martin!!! So easy steps and the problem is resolved!!! This is REAL help! You are GREAT!!!
Thank you-it worked.
Happy to get rid of the news feeds!
Great – you saved my sanity!
thanks
Thanks for the help. Hey Microsoft, if I wanted your stupid news page I would have made it my default
Thank you! Your helpful post should be widely disseminated. The big challenge was to learn the Microsoft jargon for this control. In 1995-1996, I provided outsourced telephone tech support for The Microsoft Network (MSN.) The product has become substantially degraded in the past 21 years, so I consciously avoid it I also suggest adding a screen shot of the Internet Explorer 11 (IE-11) “Internet Options” screen which contains the “Tabs” control about midway down the page. I added that detail to my Facebook page.
I use Windows 7 and IE-11 – and steadfastly refuse to “downgrade” to Windows 10, which has many “features” such as adware and malware that I do not desire.
Thank you!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you for publishing an effective solution to this unsolicited change. Unwanted/ unreliable ‘news’: only a cynic would think this has anything to do with the forthcoming UK election.
THANK YOU! It’s incredibly thoughtless to make unannounced changes and then to not give us the choice to easily return to preferred settings.
THANK YOU! It just happened to me now, IE11 on Win 8.1. HOW DARE THEY. I thought my settings prevented changing home page… so they mess my new tabs! Grrr
Afterthought-maybe M$ is trying to put people off IE to make them use Edge? More likely pushing us to Firefox or Opera! (The only reason I still use IE is because of the Mht save format)
This explanation of how to return to the old “new tab page” is very clear. I would just add if you don’t see the cogwheel icon (I did not), look for “tools” (in the “File Edit, View, Favorites. Tools, Help” menu at the left end of the task bar), and click on “Tools”. Then follow what Martin Brinkmann says. It worked. [I am in Windows 10, IE 11.]
Why on earth MS made this change, I have no idea, but it made it more difficult to do the work I was doing.
Thanks Martin for quickly providing a fix to get us back to where we were before!
Thank you so much! I HATE the new version.
Microsoft still pushing that crappy Bing search engine. DON’T FORCE IT ON PEOPLE !!!!!!
Thank you so much!
about:Tabs
If you want to add as homepage
Thanks,that helped a lot.
I do not see the problem on updated Windows 10 CU because in IE11 under Internet Options, I have a URL I always want opened when I invoke “new tab”. This is just another solution I happen to prefer.
It is part of KB4019264: Updated Internet Explorer 11’s New Tab Page with an integrated newsfeed.
Thank you for this! MSN was driving me nuts! Cat