For a company that created Internet Explorer, Microsoft's Edge browser feels surprisingly good at just about anything I throw at it. Compared to Chrome, however, what Microsoft's revamped browser lacks is simplicity right out of the box.
ContentsRemove Top Sites and News FeedNew TabsStart PageEnable Top Sites and News FeedOn MobileGood RiddanceYes, I'm talking about those huge favicons and distracting headlines that flash on the screen every time I open Microsoft Edge or launch a new tab.
And thanks to that, I often find myself flipping through pictures of cats on Instagram or reading about what Donald Trump was doing instead of working. Not good when it comes to productivity.
However, hope is not yet lost. I found out that it is more than possible to permanently delete my list of top sites and the suggested newsfeed. If you hate these distractions, let's see how you can too!
The new tabs feature both top sites and suggested news articles, both of which are very entertaining. The former provides a list of pre-installed sites by default, with frequently visited sites displayed afterward after using the browser for a period of time.
The latter is just a major annoyance, constantly bombarding you with news feeds from MSN – suggested articles also appear on the start page, requiring a slightly different procedure to get rid of.
While Microsoft Edge propagates its new tabs with a double barrage of distractions, the browser is considerate enough to provide us with not one, but two ways to disable these annoyances.
The first method is to open the Edge menu - click those "three dots" in the top left corner - then click Settings.
Now just open the drop-down menu under Open new tabs with.
Select A Blank Page to disable both Top Sites and the Suggested News Feed.
Note: You can also choose Top Sites if you just want to turn off suggested news articles. The second method is to click on the Customize gear-shaped icon that appears above the Top Sites box after opening a new tab.
On the Customize screen that appears afterwards, use the radio button next to A blank page to get rid of any unwanted items in new tabs.
Note: Just like with the first method, select Top Sites if you only want the suggested news feed to disappear from your new tabs. The start page that Microsoft Edge displays on launch does not show top sites, only suggested content. While that sounds better, it's not – the distracting news feed is right in your face from the start, which is somehow even worse.
Since the new tab settings don't work for the start page, you need to hide the News Feed using a separate set of settings.
To do this, click the customize gear-shaped icon in the upper left corner of the News Feed on your start page.
On the Customize screen, check the box next to Hide my News Feed, then click Save.
Note: Rather than completely hiding the News Feed, you can also opt to disable certain widgets such as Weather, Sports, and Money instead using the respective toggles on the Customize screen. If you miss your top sites and suggested news feed, turning them on is much easier than turning them off. Just click the Show Top Sites or Show News Feed options at the bottom of any start on a new tab page and Microsoft Edge is more than willing to oblige.
And yes, the changes are permanent and appear even after you restart your browser. Talk about being persistent!
On the iOS and Android versions of Microsoft Edge, you don't have the luxury of permanently disabling top sites. Instead, the best you can do is clear the tiles individually and repeat once they autofill. Fortunately, Edge doesn't immediately spam new tabs with frequently visited sites, so you should be prepared for a few browsing sessions before new thumbnails appear.
To delete an item, simply long press and select Delete from the context menu — on iOS, just tap the "x" shaped subicon.
Luckily, you can always hide your suggested news feed permanently, which is great - really, otherwise I would have just stopped using Edge!
To do this, simply tap the ellipsis icon, select Settings, and then tap New tab on the next screen.
Next, turn off the switch next to Hide News Feed (shown under Show News Feed on iOS) and you're done.
Just flip the switch back on if you want to turn News Feed on later. I see no reason why you would want to do that!
Having a clean slate to start working on is a must for anyone looking to stay focused. Unfortunately, the top sites and the suggested news feed absolutely contradict this.
While having easy access to frequently visited sites makes it seem like we can get there faster, a slight lack of focus is just enough to make you click the wrong thumbnail and waste time unnecessarily. /P>
And really, these suggested news articles aren't even worth mentioning, are they?
