Solved Edge - Cannot set New Tab to blank page


dbartenstein

Well-known member
Power User
VIP
Local time
6:09 PM
Posts
1,082
Location
NH, USA
OS
Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)
I want to set my New Tab Page to about:blank, but there is no setting I can see below to do that. Any clues? I REALLY want to get rid of the damn Copulate Discovery Preview thang that sits in the current New Tab
1770134731612.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40...32GBNvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    OS
    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge (Stable)
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)32GB DDR5-5600NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 5 16IAX10 - Type 83NX
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5-5600
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 75Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Green SN3000 (2TB)
    Samsung Portable T5 (2TB)
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
Basically you cannot do that with New Tabs, however you can minimise the irritation by going top right toggle Off Copilot and go to cog(page settings)...

Toggle every option to Off.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Best thing I can suggest is to bookmark about:blank and Ctrl+Shift+click it to open and switch to it in a new tab...

12149.gif
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
  • ASUS VivoBook 'Lite' ~ Windows 11 Home
There's an extension that does it. Don't know if Edge updates will remove it though. 🤷‍♂️


Snipaste_2026-02-03_16-46-58.webp


New Tab page:



Snipaste_2026-02-03_16-47-46.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 ProAMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U24GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1596MHz (22-22-22-52)512MB ATI AMD Radeon Graphics (ASUStek Comput...
    OS
    Win 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U
    Motherboard
    M1605YA
    Memory
    24GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1596MHz (22-22-22-52)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512MB ATI AMD Radeon Graphics (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1200@60Hz) - P1 PLUS (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1200
    Hard Drives
    953GB Western Digital WD
    PSU
    45 Watts
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth.
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • At a glance

    Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHzNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender

Bonjourr is brilliant, you can set it up anyway you want, but I just block ntp.msn.com to get the default clean new tab.

capture_02032026_180249.webp capture_02032026_180330.webp
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Home26H2CanAMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @5200...ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @48FPS ...
OS
Home26H2Can
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)
Motherboard
ASROCK B650M-HDV/M.2 (07/24) BIOS 4.21 AGESA ComboAM5 1.3.0.1 (04/26)
Memory
2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @5200 CL36 (07/24)
Graphics Card(s)
ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @48FPS (08/24)
Sound Card
Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus (05/24)
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Philips 24M1N3200ZS/00 (05/24)
Screen Resolution
1920×1080@165Hz via DP1.4
Hard Drives
Kingston KC3000 NVMe 2TB (05/24)
ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB (07/19)
PSU
Seasonic Core GM 550 Gold (04/24)
Case
Fractal Design Define 7 Mini with 3x Noctua NF-P14s/12@555rpm (04/24)
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S with Noctua NF-P12 (04/24)
Keyboard
HP Pavilion Wired Keyboard 300 (07/24) + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
Mouse
Logitech M330 Silent Plus (01/26)
Internet Speed
500/100 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
Browser
Edge, Brave for YouTube, LibreWolf for FB
Antivirus
NextDNS blocking 1/3 Traffic
Other Info
Phone: Motorola Moto G86 (02/26)
Backup: Hasleo Backup Suite (PreOS)
Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
Chair: Huzaro Force 4.4 Grey Mesh (05/24)
Notifier: Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Milanese (10/24)
FlexCore USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (M) to LAN (F) (08/25)
Basically you cannot do that with New Tabs, however you can minimise the irritation by going top right toggle Off Copilot and go to cog(page settings)...

Toggle every option to Off.
Already done all that. Have Copilot turned off wherever possible.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40...32GBNvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    OS
    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge (Stable)
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)32GB DDR5-5600NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 5 16IAX10 - Type 83NX
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5-5600
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 75Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Green SN3000 (2TB)
    Samsung Portable T5 (2TB)
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
I asked my friend and colleague, Copilot, how to do this and was fed with this malarky:

1770138167186.webp

First of all, the navigation path doesn't exist; it's Computer Configuration - Windows Components - Administrative Templates - Microsoft Edge. Once you find the policy, setting the value to about:blank doesn't work. It's possible there could be other policies that have to be tinkered with but I wasn't in the mood to chase rabbit holes.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Professional 25H2Intel Core i9 11900K64GBNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
OS
Windows 11 Professional 25H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Digital Storm VELOX
CPU
Intel Core i9 11900K
Motherboard
ASUS PRIME Z590-P
Memory
64GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Sound Card
Realtek onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer R221Q 21.5"
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
2 x Samsung SSD 990 EVO Plus (1 TB)
2 x Seagate ST4000NE001 (4 TB)
PSU
None
Case
VELOX
Cooling
Cooler Master
Keyboard
Logitech
Mouse
Kensington trackball
Browser
Firefox, Chrome
Antivirus
Windows Defender, Malwarebytes
I asked my friend and colleague, Copilot, how to do this and was fed with this malarky:

View attachment 162069

First of all, the navigation path doesn't exist; it's Computer Configuration - Windows Components - Administrative Templates - Microsoft Edge. Once you find the policy, setting the value to about:blank doesn't work. It's possible there could be other policies that have to be tinkered with but I wasn't in the mood to chase rabbit holes.
I had already found that, and did it, but no hoo hoo.... Didn't work

1770138924283.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40...32GBNvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    OS
    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge (Stable)
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)32GB DDR5-5600NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 5 16IAX10 - Type 83NX
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5-5600
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 75Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Green SN3000 (2TB)
    Samsung Portable T5 (2TB)
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
You could also set Home to about:blank and have it open in like manner...
Why load another extension if you don't have to! 🤷‍♂️

12153.gif
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
  • ASUS VivoBook 'Lite' ~ Windows 11 Home

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40...32GBNvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    OS
    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge (Stable)
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)32GB DDR5-5600NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 5 16IAX10 - Type 83NX
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5-5600
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 75Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Green SN3000 (2TB)
    Samsung Portable T5 (2TB)
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40...32GBNvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    OS
    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge (Stable)
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)32GB DDR5-5600NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 5 16IAX10 - Type 83NX
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5-5600
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 75Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Green SN3000 (2TB)
    Samsung Portable T5 (2TB)
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender

Outdated or Abandoned Extensions​

Extensions that are no longer maintained or updated pose a significant security risk. Outdated extensions may have unresolved vulnerabilities. Hackers can exploit them to gain access to a user’s browser. As well as potentially compromising their entire system. Without regular updates and security patches, these extensions become a liability.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Home26H2CanAMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @5200...ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @48FPS ...
OS
Home26H2Can
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)
Motherboard
ASROCK B650M-HDV/M.2 (07/24) BIOS 4.21 AGESA ComboAM5 1.3.0.1 (04/26)
Memory
2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @5200 CL36 (07/24)
Graphics Card(s)
ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @48FPS (08/24)
Sound Card
Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus (05/24)
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Philips 24M1N3200ZS/00 (05/24)
Screen Resolution
1920×1080@165Hz via DP1.4
Hard Drives
Kingston KC3000 NVMe 2TB (05/24)
ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB (07/19)
PSU
Seasonic Core GM 550 Gold (04/24)
Case
Fractal Design Define 7 Mini with 3x Noctua NF-P14s/12@555rpm (04/24)
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S with Noctua NF-P12 (04/24)
Keyboard
HP Pavilion Wired Keyboard 300 (07/24) + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
Mouse
Logitech M330 Silent Plus (01/26)
Internet Speed
500/100 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
Browser
Edge, Brave for YouTube, LibreWolf for FB
Antivirus
NextDNS blocking 1/3 Traffic
Other Info
Phone: Motorola Moto G86 (02/26)
Backup: Hasleo Backup Suite (PreOS)
Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
Chair: Huzaro Force 4.4 Grey Mesh (05/24)
Notifier: Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Milanese (10/24)
FlexCore USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (M) to LAN (F) (08/25)
So I found a (cheesy) answer to remove the Copilot Discovery Preview from the New Tab screen. In the settings change the Region/Language to "Ireland(English").
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40...32GBNvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    OS
    Win 11 Pro (25H2 RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge (Stable)
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro (RP)Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)32GB DDR5-5600NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (RP)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 5 16IAX10 - Type 83NX
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) Ultra 9 275HX (2.70 GHz)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5-5600
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 75Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Green SN3000 (2TB)
    Samsung Portable T5 (2TB)
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi MX Anywhere 3
    Internet Speed
    500MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
I use the New Tab Redirect extension and have it configured to "about:blank". It works like a charm! 👏

I'm not interested in seeing anything but a blank page when I start my browser or open a new tab.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro32GB
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
Memory
32GB
Hard Drives
1TB
I just have it open by default to the Google search page.

settings.webp
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 25H2Broadwell-e 6850K 4.5ghz @1.36v32GB Corsair LPM 3600 C16EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW
OS
Windows 11 25H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
EVGA home brew
CPU
Broadwell-e 6850K 4.5ghz @1.36v
Motherboard
EVGA X99 FTW K
Memory
32GB Corsair LPM 3600 C16
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW
Sound Card
Asus Centurion true 7.1 headset. (5 speakers in each earpeice)
Monitor(s) Displays
LG C4 55"
Screen Resolution
4K 144hz
Hard Drives
Various models of SSDs ~10TB No HDDs installed.
PSU
be quiet! BN516 Straight Power 12-1000w 80 Plus Platinum
Case
Corsair 780T modified to dual 200mm intake fans
Cooling
Corsair H110i
Keyboard
Corsair K95 Platinum
Mouse
Corsair M65 RGB Elite
Internet Speed
50Mbs
Back
Top Bottom