How to Remove MSN from Edge (Step-by-Step Guide)

MSN is baked into Microsoft Edge by default. It shows up on your new tab page, in the news feed, and sometimes even as your homepage. If you find it distracting, slow, or just annoying, you can remove it. I’ll show you exactly how.

What “MSN in Edge” Actually Means

Before jumping into fixes, it helps to know what you’re actually dealing with. MSN in Edge shows up in three main places:

• The new tab page (with news, weather, and MSN content)
• The homepage (if it’s set to MSN or Bing)
• The news feed below the search bar on the new tab page

Each one has a slightly different fix, so I’ll cover all of them.

How to Remove MSN from the New Tab Page in Edge

This is what most people want to fix. The new tab page in Edge runs on something Microsoft calls “MSN content” or the Edge Start page with a feed.

Step 1: Open a New Tab

Open Edge and click the + button to open a new tab. You’ll see the MSN powered page with news cards, weather, and a big search bar.

Step 2: Click the Settings Gear Icon

Look at the top-right corner of the new tab page. There’s a small gear icon. Click it.

Step 3: Change the Layout

A panel slides in from the right. You’ll see layout options:

Layout Option	What It Does
Focused	Minimal layout, hides most MSN content
Inspirational	Shows a background image, less news
Informational	Full MSN feed (the default)
Custom	You control what shows

Switch to Focused or Custom. If you pick Custom, you can individually turn off the news feed, weather, and other MSN widgets.

Step 4: Turn Off the News Feed

If you chose Custom, scroll down in that same settings panel and toggle off Content or My Feed. This removes the MSN news cards completely.

How to Remove MSN as Your Homepage in Edge

If MSN or Bing loads every time you open Edge, your homepage is set to it. Here’s how to change that.

Go to Edge Settings

Click the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of Edge, then click Settings.

Open the “Start, Home, and New Tabs” Section

In the left sidebar, click Start, home, and new tabs.

Change the Homepage

Under “When Edge starts,” you have three options:

• Open the new tab page
• Continue where you left off
• Open these pages (you set a specific URL)

Pick Open these pages and type in whatever you want, like google.com or leave it blank for a clean start. This removes MSN from loading on startup.

For the home button specifically, look for the Home button section and change the URL there too. Replace the MSN URL with anything you prefer.

How to Disable the MSN Feed Completely

Even after switching layouts, some users still see MSN related content. Here’s how to kill it more thoroughly.

Use the Page Guard Settings

On the new tab page, click the gear icon again. Scroll down and look for Page settings. Inside there:

• Turn off Weather
• Turn off Quick links (if you don’t use them)
• Turn off Content (this is the news feed)

Once Content is off, the MSN feed disappears. The page becomes simple with just a background and a search bar.

Disable Microsoft News Entirely

Edge uses a service called Microsoft News to pull articles. If you want to block it at the browser level:

1. Open Edge Settings
2. Go to Privacy, search, and services
3. Scroll to Services
4. Look for Microsoft Rewards and News toggles and turn them off

This doesn’t always remove the feed from the new tab page directly, but it limits MSN’s data collection tied to your browsing.

How to Replace the New Tab Page with Something Else

A clean option is replacing the new tab page entirely. Edge lets you do this through extensions.

Install a New Tab Extension

Go to the Edge Add-ons store (or the Chrome Web Store, since Edge supports both) and search for a new tab replacement. Some solid ones:

• Momentum (a personal favorite for clean, distraction-free tabs)
• New Tab Redirect (lets you set any URL as the new tab)

After installing, Edge will ask if you want to let the extension control your new tab. Confirm that, and MSN is completely gone from there.

You can also check out Microsoft’s official Edge settings guide for more detail on customizing the browser layout.

How to Change the Default Search Engine Away from Bing

MSN and Bing are connected. If you’re also tired of Bing powering your searches, change it while you’re at it.

1. Go to Edge Settings
2. Click Privacy, search, and services
3. Scroll down and click Address bar and search
4. Under “Search engine used in the address bar,” click the dropdown
5. Switch to Google, DuckDuckGo, or anything else

This won’t remove MSN from the new tab page by itself, but it stops Bing from being your default search everywhere. For a deeper comparison of search engines and privacy, DuckDuckGo’s privacy guide is worth reading.

What If MSN Keeps Coming Back?

Some users report that MSN resets after Edge updates. This happens because Microsoft sometimes pushes updates that restore default settings. A few things help:

• Sign out of your Microsoft account in Edge. When you’re logged in, Edge can sync “default” settings from Microsoft’s servers.
• Use a Group Policy setting (for Windows Pro users) to lock the new tab page to a custom URL permanently.
• Use the extension method mentioned above, since extensions tend to survive updates better than manual settings.

If you’re on a work or school computer, IT might be enforcing MSN through Group Policy. In that case, you’ll need to ask your admin to change it.

Quick Reference

What You Want to Remove	Where to Go
MSN news feed on new tab	New tab gear icon > Custom > turn off Content
MSN as homepage	Settings > Start, home, and new tabs
MSN search (Bing)	Settings > Address bar and search
All new tab content	Install a new tab extension
MSN from resetting	Sign out of Microsoft account in Edge

Conclusion

Removing MSN from Edge isn’t one single setting, because MSN shows up in a few different places. But each one has a fix. Start with the new tab page gear icon and switch to Focused or Custom layout. Then change your homepage if needed. If you want a permanent clean solution, a new tab extension does the job best.

The whole process takes under five minutes, and you don’t need to install anything extra unless you want to replace the new tab page entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does removing MSN from Edge affect my Microsoft account?

No, it doesn’t. Changing your new tab layout or homepage settings in Edge has nothing to do with your Microsoft account login or any Microsoft services you use elsewhere. Your OneDrive, Outlook, and other accounts stay untouched.

Can I remove just the news feed but keep the background image?

Yes. In the new tab settings, switch to Custom layout. From there, you can turn off the news feed specifically while keeping the background wallpaper, weather widget, or quick links. Each element has its own toggle.

Why does MSN come back after I restart Edge?

This usually happens when Edge syncs settings from your Microsoft account. If you’re signed into Edge with a Microsoft account, your settings might reset to defaults after an update. Try disabling sync for browser settings or sign out of Edge and set everything again without being logged in.

Is there a way to block MSN through Windows settings instead of Edge?

Not directly for the Edge new tab page. Windows settings don’t control browser-level content. You can block MSN through your router’s DNS settings or use a browser extension like uBlock Origin to block MSN domains, but the simplest fix remains inside Edge’s own settings.

Will switching to a different browser remove MSN completely?

If you switch to Chrome, Firefox, or Brave as your default browser, you won’t see MSN content at all. Those browsers don’t have MSN built in. But if you still open Edge occasionally, MSN will still appear there unless you’ve changed the settings as described above.