How to Turn Off the News Feed in Microsoft Edge and Windows (and Replace It With Good News)

Updated September 15, 2026 · 6 min read

If you use Windows, news can reach you from three places before you have searched for anything: the Edge new tab page, the page Edge opens when it starts, and the Widgets board on the taskbar. Each has its own switch. Here is how to switch off each one, and what to put in its place.

Menu names in Edge and Windows change from time to time. The steps below follow Microsoft's current support and Edge documentation, linked at the end. Labels may differ slightly by version.

1. Turn off the news feed on the Edge new tab page

1. Open Microsoft Edge and open a new tab (Ctrl + T).
2. Select Page settings, the gear icon near the top of the new tab page.
3. Turn off Show feed. If your version shows a Content menu instead, open it and choose Content off.

To soften the feed instead of removing it, choose Headings only or Content partially visible under Content, or Focused under Layout, which pushes news further down the page.

You can also reach the same controls from the main settings screen: Settings and more (the three dots) > Settings > Start, home, and new tabs, then look for Customize your new tab page layout and content.

2. Stop Edge opening to MSN

Edge has three different pages, and news can appear on any of them:

• Start page: what appears when you launch Edge.
• Home page: where the Home button on the toolbar takes you.
• New tab page: what appears each time you open a tab, covered above.

Choose what Edge opens when it starts

1. In Edge, select Settings and more (the three dots in the upper right) > Settings.
2. In the left sidebar, select Start, home, and new tabs.
3. Under When Edge starts, choose Open the new tab page, Continue where you left off, or Open these pages.

If you pick Open the new tab page, the feed setting from section 1 applies, so with the feed off you get a clean page. If you pick Open these pages, you choose exactly which site appears first; section 4 shows how.

Set the Home button

1. Select Settings and more > Settings.
2. Select Start, home, and new tabs.
3. Turn on Show home button on the toolbar.
4. Choose New tab page, or select Enter URL and type the page you want the Home button to open.

3. Turn off news in Windows Widgets

On Windows 11 the Widgets board, opened from the Widgets button on the taskbar, includes a news feed that Microsoft calls Discover. You can hide just the news, or hide the Widgets button entirely.

Hide the news but keep your widgets (Windows 11)

1. Open the Widgets board from the taskbar, or press Windows key + W.
2. Select the settings button on the navigation bar.
3. Under Dashboards, toggle Discover to Off.

In the same settings you can also turn off Open Widgets board on hover, so the board does not slide open when your mouse passes over the taskbar.

Remove Widgets from the taskbar (Windows 11)

1. Right-click the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
2. Under Taskbar items, toggle Widgets to Off.

Microsoft notes the board still opens with Windows key + W or a swipe from the side of the screen, so to remove the news completely, turn off Discover as well.

Windows 10: News and interests

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, but if your PC still runs it, the taskbar weather and news button is called News and interests.

1. Right-click a blank space on the taskbar.
2. Select News and interests > Turn off.

This also removes the weather from the taskbar.

4. Optional: make good news the first thing Edge shows

If you like having something to read with your first coffee, our free Good News Today page updates through the day with stories about what is going right, and needs no account or download. To have Edge open to it:

1. Select Settings and more > Settings.
2. In the left sidebar, select Start, home, and new tabs.
3. Under When Edge starts, select Open these pages.
4. Select Add a new page.
5. Enter https://www.upliftingnewsapp.com/good-news-today/ and add it.

To make the Home button go there too, follow the Home button steps in section 2 and paste the same address into Enter URL.

5. Doing the same in Chrome

Google Chrome keeps its start page and Home button in similar places. According to Google's Chrome Help:

1. Open Chrome, then at the top right select More > Settings.
2. Under On startup, select Open a specific page or set of pages.
3. Select Add a new page, enter the address, and select Add.

For the Home button, go to Settings, then under Appearance turn on Show Home button and choose the New Tab page or a custom page.

6. On your phone

On iPhone, the Uplifting News app offers a no-ads feed of good news, with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets. It is free for ten stories a day, with an optional subscription. It is not a full news diet, just a calmer default.

For a healthier relationship with the news overall, see how to stop doomscrolling, how to stay informed without the dread, and whether it is OK to stop watching the news.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Hide your Microsoft Edge news feed, Customize your browser tab pages, Manage Microsoft Edge startup settings, Change your browser home page, Stay up to date with Widgets in Windows, Stay up to date with news and interests, Set your homepage and startup page (Chrome Help).