Edge open new tab with blank page

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Edge open new tab with blank page

WindsongBison 0

When opening a new tab, "Microsoft 365 9-point" block, Copilot discover Preview, Page settings, [Sign in], {Microsoft} [ Search the web] are present on the new tab.

{Settings} Start, home, and new tab page > New tab page

Copilot New tab page {off}

Preload your new tab page {off}

{Settings} Start, home, and new tab page > Home button

Set custom site {about:blank}

{Settings} Start, home, and new tab page > On startup

Open the new tab page {off}

How do I get edge to open a blank page or about:blank in a new tab?

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Hi WindsongBison,
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. I'm happy to help.

Microsoft Edge does not support opening a blank page at this moment.

You may use an Edge Add-on like Blank New Tab - Microsoft Edge Addons or an alternative to achieve that. Or you may visit Microsoft Edge Add-ons, search with keyword "Blank New Tab" and pick the Addon you like.

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

I hope that above information is helpful to you.

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Lucus-V 6,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-15T18:20:01.3666667+00:00

Hi WindsongBison,
I hope everything is going well on your end. Just wanted to check in and see how things are going for you lately, anything you'd like to share or discuss?

Answer 2

Arlene D 36,045 Independent Advisor

Hello. Did you check which settings differ between the two profiles under Settings > Start, home, and new tab page?

Sign into your original profile with your Microsoft account and make sure Settings, Favorites, and Extensions are synced. Then sign into the new profile with the same account and enable sync for those items. This will copy most personalization, including new tab behavior, without using policy files.

WindsongBison 0

Setting	Working Profile	New Profile
On Startup	Open the new tab page	Open Custom Sites: about blank
Home Button	set custom site : about:blank	c:\software\windows\NewTabpage.txt
New Tab Page Copilot new tab page	off	off
New tab Page Preload your new tab page	off	off

The settings are the same except the results are completely different. The New Profile shows Microsoft page at startup and a new tab no matter what the settings say. Choosing [Open the new tab page] has the same result as [Open Custom site]. The [home] button does work so far whether set to [about:blank] or a text file. The New tab setting has no ability for customization at all now except control by Copilot or enterprise policies. My guess is there is a setting in the profile directory that is different. There are so many settings and files that tracking down the setting will be very time consuming.

WindsongBison 0

Setting	Working Profile	New Profile
On Startup	Open the new tab page	Open Custom Sites: about blank
Home Button	set custom site : about:blank	c:\software\windows\NewTabpage.txt
New Tab Page Copilot new tab page	off	off
New tab Page Preload your new tab page	off	off

The settings are the same except the results are completely different. The New Profile shows Microsoft page at startup and a new tab no matter what the settings say. Choosing [Open the new tab page] has the same result as [Open Custom site]. The [home] button does work so far whether set to [about:blank] or a text file. The New tab setting has no ability for customization at all now except control by Copilot or enterprise policy files. My guess is there is a setting in the profile directory that is different. There are so many settings and files that tracking down the setting will be very time consuming. Syncing the settings is a bad idea because the whole purpose for setting up the profiles is to keep them separate. Also, the setting that is working in the working profile could be overwritten by the New Profile.

Answer 3

Arlene D 36,045 Independent Advisor

Hey, thanks for reaching out.

Edge does not let new tabs default to about:blank through the usual New Tab settings. The New Tab page always shows the Microsoft 365 block, search, or suggested content. You can turn off features like Copilot and preloading in Settings > Start, home, and new tab page, but a completely blank new tab is not officially supported.

You can set Edge to open about:blank on startup in Settings > On startup > Open a specific page > Enter about:blank. This is the only supported way to get a blank page when launching Edge.

WindsongBison 0 Reputation points

2026-03-02T23:28:28.48+00:00

I think there is another answer because I've two Edge Profiles. The original profile works by opening a new blank tab. I'm attempting to get the latest profile to work like the original profile. If there is a method of copying some of the old profile data over to the new profile that would be simple enough. Whatever works short of working with policy software which is not really appropriate to personal use.

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Edge open new tab with blank page

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