Microsoft News New Tab: What’s New and How to Use ItMicrosoft’s New Tab experience has evolved into a personalized news and content hub, blending news, interests, and quick actions into the first page you see when opening a new browser tab. This article explains what’s new in the Microsoft News New Tab, walks through how to use and customize it, covers privacy and performance considerations, and offers tips to get the most value from the feature.
What is the Microsoft News New Tab?
The Microsoft News New Tab is the content shown by Microsoft Edge (and other Microsoft products that integrate the feed) when you open a new browser tab. It aggregates headlines, personalized story recommendations, weather, sports scores, and other widgets such as quick links, Office 365 shortcuts, and a search bar. The feed is powered by Microsoft News, a curated news network that combines human editors and algorithms to rank and present stories.
What’s New — Key Updates and Features
- Updated personalization controls: New and clearer settings let you choose topics and publishers you prefer, tune the balance between local and global news, and mute topics you don’t want to see.
- Richer widgets: Expanded widget options (weather, sports, finance, Outlook quick view, and office shortcuts) let you add or remove modules for a cleaner or more feature-rich layout.
- Improved layout and density options: You can now select layout density and card size — compact, balanced, or immersive — to control how much content appears per tab.
- Faster content loading: Optimizations reduce load time and data usage for the feed, particularly on slower connections or mobile devices.
- Cross-device syncing: Personalization choices and favorites sync across devices where you sign in with your Microsoft account, so your news feed follows you.
- Local news emphasis: Enhanced local news detection surfaces more nearby stories and local sources when allowed by location settings.
- Topic hubs and deep dives: Topic hubs group stories around themes (e.g., climate, tech policy, elections) and offer dedicated “deep dive” pages compiling related coverage.
- Better publisher attribution and source transparency: Improved labels show publisher information and a short publisher profile, helping readers gauge trustworthiness.
- Accessibility improvements: Enhanced keyboard navigation, screen-reader compatibility, and scalable UI elements make the new tab more inclusive.
How to Access the Microsoft News New Tab
- Open Microsoft Edge (or another Microsoft browser integration).
- Click the plus (+) icon to open a new tab.
- If your new tab isn’t showing the news feed, click the settings (gear) icon on the new tab page and select a layout that includes the content feed (e.g., “Informational” or “Inspirational”). You can also enable the feed in Edge’s main settings under New Tab Page.
Customizing Your New Tab Experience
Personalization is the strongest benefit of the Microsoft News new tab. Here’s how to tailor it:
- Change the layout density:
- Click the gear icon on the new tab page and select Compact, Balanced, or Immersive.
- Select topics and interests:
- Click the “Personalize” or “Manage interests” link on the new tab, or visit the Microsoft News preferences page. Choose topics (e.g., technology, local news, finance) and follow publishers.
- Add or remove widgets:
- Use the “Add widgets” control (or gear icon) to toggle weather, sports, finance, Outlook, and more.
- Pin or save stories:
- Click the save/bookmark icon on any card to add it to your saved list. Saved stories sync with your Microsoft account.
- Mute topics or publishers:
- Use the three-dot menu on an article card to “Hide story” or “Don’t show topic/publisher.” This informs the algorithm to show less similar content.
- Control local news:
- Permit or disable location sharing via the new tab settings to tune how much local content appears.
Managing Privacy and Data
- Sign-in and syncing: Personalization works best if you sign in with your Microsoft account; otherwise, Edge offers a degree of personalization based on local settings and on-device signals.
- Data used for personalization: Microsoft uses a mix of explicit preferences (topics you follow), reading behavior (what you open or save), and location (if allowed) to personalize the feed.
- Ads and sponsored content: Sponsored stories or promoted content may appear in the feed; they’re labeled as promoted content.
- To reduce tracking: Use Edge’s privacy settings to block third-party cookies and trackers. You can also opt to limit personalization by not signing in or by disabling interest-based personalization in the news settings.
Performance Tips
- Reduce card density if the new tab feels slow — compact layouts load fewer images and resources.
- Disable heavy widgets (e.g., live sports/scoring) to reduce network calls.
- Keep Edge updated; Microsoft periodically releases optimizations for feed loading and resource use.
- If the feed fails to load, clear the browser cache and restart Edge, or temporarily disable extensions to check for conflicts.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- No news feed visible: Open new tab settings and choose an informational layout, or enable the feed in Edge settings under New Tab Page.
- Stories repeat or irrelevant content: Use the “Don’t show” option on cards and update your interests in Manage interests.
- Location-based stories incorrect: Check location permissions in Edge and on your device; toggle location off and on to refresh detection.
- Sync not working: Ensure you’re signed into your Microsoft account and sync is enabled under Edge > Profiles > Sync.
Tips & Best Practices
- Create a morning routine: Pin weather, calendar, and a daily news briefing widget to your new tab for a concise start-of-day view.
- Use topic hubs for research: Follow a topic hub and use the deep-dive pages to collect multiple perspectives in one place.
- Combine with Collections: Save and export articles to Collections for research, project tracking, or sharing.
- Limit interruptions: Toggle off push notifications from the feed if you prefer a calmer browsing experience.
- Try different densities: Use compact for quick scanning and immersive when you want a magazine-like reading session.
Alternatives and Comparisons
| Feature | Microsoft News New Tab | Other New Tab Feeds (e.g., Chrome extensions, Firefox) |
|---|---|---|
| Personalization depth | High — Microsoft account + topic hubs | Varies — dependent on extension or browser provider |
| Local news emphasis | Strong — built-in local detection | Often weaker unless an extension adds it |
| Widgets (Outlook/Office) | Integrated | Rarely integrated |
| Cross-device sync | Yes (Microsoft account) | Varies |
| Publisher transparency | Improved labels and profiles | Varies by provider |
Final Thoughts
Microsoft News New Tab aims to turn an empty tab into a useful, personalized information dashboard. The recent updates focus on clearer personalization controls, richer widgets, better performance, and more transparent sourcing. By adjusting layout, following topics, and curating publishers, you can shape the new tab into either a fast-scanning newsboard or a deeper reading hub tailored to your interests.
If you want, tell me which layout and topics you prefer and I’ll suggest a step-by-step customization for your feed.
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