Let’s configure the best settings for Microsoft Edge browser to enhance speed, security, and convenience.
Microsoft Edge is already a fast and capable browser right out of the box.
But why settle for default when you can fine-tune it?
Optimizing your settings unlocks smoother performance, stronger privacy, and a browsing experience tailored perfectly to you.
Forget digging through endless menus. We’ve identified the key adjustments that deliver the biggest impact.
(You can find most settings by clicking the three horizontal dots (…) in the top-right corner and selecting “Settings”.)
Boost Your Speed: Performance Settings
Give Edge an extra zip with these performance-focused tweaks.
Enable Startup Boost
This feature keeps core Edge processes running in the background with minimal resource use. The result? Edge launches significantly faster when you click its icon.
How: Go to “Settings” > “System and performance” > “Startup boost“. Toggle Startup boost to On.
Efficiency Mode
It helps save device battery and reduce power consumption when you’re browsing on Microsoft Edge.
Efficiency mode actively reduces resource usage from background tabs and minimizes some foreground activity.
Note: Maximizing battery savings with this mode may slightly reduce video playback smoothness.
How: Go to “Settings” > “System and performance” > “Performance”. Choose “Balanced savings“
Activate Sleeping Tabs
Open tabs consume memory and CPU, even when you aren’t using them.
Sleeping Tabs automatically puts inactive tabs “to sleep,” freeing up resources for the tabs you are actively using.
Don’t worry, they wake up instantly when clicked.
How: Go to “Settings” > “System and performance“. Ensure Save resources with sleeping tabs is On. You can even customize the inactivity timeout duration.
These three settings work wonders for making Edge feel snappier, especially on systems with limited resources.
Enhance Your Privacy and Security
Take control of your online footprint and bolster your defenses.
Set Tracking Prevention to ‘Balanced’
Edge actively blocks trackers from websites you don’t visit directly.
The “Balanced” setting offers a great mix of privacy protection and website compatibility, blocking many harmful and intrusive trackers without breaking sites.
“Strict” offers more protection but might cause issues on some websites.
How: Go to “Settings” > “Privacy, search, and services“. Under “Tracking prevention,” select Balanced. Explore the different levels of Tracking prevention in Microsoft Edge.
Keep Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Enabled
This is crucial.
SmartScreen protects you from phishing sites trying to steal your credentials and blocks downloads of malicious software.
It’s a powerful layer of defense working constantly in the background.
How: Go to “Settings” > “Privacy, search, and services”. Scroll down to the “Security” section and ensure Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is toggled On.
Manage Site Permissions Carefully
Regularly review which websites you’ve granted permissions for things like location, camera, or notifications.
Revoke any you no longer need or trust to minimize potential data exposure.
How: Go to “Settings” > “Cookies and site permissions”.
Review permissions under “All sites” or by category (e.g., Location, Notifications).
Use the Built-in Password Leaked Scanner
If you save passwords in Edge, enable the password leaked scan.
It proactively alerts you if your saved credentials appear in known data breaches online, prompting you to change compromised passwords immediately.
How: Go to “Settings” > “Profiles” > “Passwords”.
It will navigate you to Microsoft Wallet.
Ensure Offer to save passwords is on (if desired) and enable “Scan for leaked passwords”.
Read also: Best Privacy Settings for Microsoft Edge
Tailor Your Browsing Experience
Make Edge work exactly how you like it for maximum comfort and efficiency:
Choose Your Default Search Engine
While Bing is the default and integrates well, you can easily switch to Google, DuckDuckGo, or others if you prefer their results or privacy focus.
How: Go to “Settings” > “Privacy, search, and services“.
Scroll to the bottom and click Address bar and search. Select your preferred engine from the “Search engine used in the address bar” dropdown.
Customize Startup Behavior
Decide what Edge shows when you first launch it.
Do you prefer a clean slate with the New Tab page, resuming where you left off, or opening specific work-related pages automatically?
How: Go to “Settings” > “Start, home, and new tabs“. Choose your preferred option under “When Microsoft Edge starts.“
Configure the New Tab Page
The default New Tab page offers news and content feeds, but you can simplify it.
Choose a focused layout, an inspirational image, or even set it to display just a search bar or a blank page for minimal distraction.
How: Open a new tab. Click the gear icon (Page Settings) in the top-right corner of the New Tab page to adjust the layout and content. Learn about the options to Customize your New Tab page.
Best Settings for Microsoft Edge Browser – Take Control of Your Edge Experience
By adjusting these simple yet effective settings, you are applying best Settings for Microsoft Edge browser, which strengthen your privacy, and personalize your daily browsing workflow.
These aren’t obscure tweaks; they are practical adjustments designed to deliver a better, safer, and more enjoyable online experience.
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