How to Fix: Disable Edge News Feed; Set Home Page

Infopackets Reader Jane T. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I recently upgraded to Windows 10 and have been using the Edge browser fairly extensively. One thing that really bothers me is that when I first start Edge, it displays a bunch of photos on the screen, including: My News feed, News, Entertainment, Sports, Money, Lifestyle, and Autos. Is there any way to disable these permanently so that only Edge shows up? I really don't care to read any of those items - in fact, I'd much rather just have Google as my home page. Can you help? "

My response:

By default Edge will display the items you mention, however, it is possible to change the Home Page (which is the screen that is displayed when you first start Edge) to whatever page you want, including a search engine or a blank page. I'll explain both methods below.

How to Fix: Disable Edge News Feed; Set Home Page

1. First, launch Microsoft Edge if you have not already.
    
2. Near the top right of the screen you will see a menu that has 3 dots - click that to expand the list, then scroll all the way down and select Settings.
    
3. The Settings window will appear; look for the option that says: "Open Microsoft Edge With", then click the menu directly underneath to expand the list of options. In the Windows 10 anniversary edition, you should see an option that says: "A specific page or pages" - select that. In older versions of Windows 10, you will need to select "Custom".
    
4. If you're using the Windows 10 anniversary edition: directly underneath the option "A specific page or pages", click the plus sign to add a page and type in "www.google.com" as the web address, then click the floppy disk icon to save; click the X button to remove any other pages that may have been entered the Google entry you just added.
   
   If you're using an older version of Windows 10: Directly under the Custom pull down menu option, type in "www.google.com" as the web address you would like your home page to start with. VERY IMPORTANT: click the plus sign right next to the web page you just entered in order to "save" the web page name. Otherwise, Edge -will not- remember what you just entered the next time you launch the browser.
   
   Tip: If you want a blank page instead of a search engine, enter in "about:blank" in the field under "A specific page or pages", instead of "www.google.com".
    
5. Exit the Setting menu, shut down Edge, then start it back up again. Your home page should now be set for Google - or a blank page, if that's what you prefer.

I hope that helps.

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About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.