Microsoft Edge new tab gets a smarter, reimagined content experience

Microsoft Edge is rolling out a reimagined content experience for its new tab, and the company calls the refreshed Edge new tab one of the most-used screens in the browser. According to the Windows Blog, the redesign appears whenever you open a new tab in Edge or pull up the Discover dashboard from your Windows taskbar.

The stated goal is to help you “discover more of what matters” — cutting through the clutter of the modern web with stories from sources you trust, in formats you actually want to consume. Microsoft says it has rebuilt the recommendation engine, refreshed the layout, and widened the pool of voices and formats you’ll encounter.

Here’s what changed, what it means for your daily browsing, and how to start using it.

#1 Smarter recommendations, built for quality

The Edge new tab page has long been a place to discover stories from across the web, but Microsoft says it has rebuilt the underlying recommendation system from the ground up. The new approach puts greater emphasis on three factors: relevance, freshness, and quality.

The stated aim is for the stories you see to better reflect both your personal interests and what’s actually happening in the world. Microsoft pointed to its coverage of last summer’s World Cup as an example, noting that the immersive experience was viewed more than 1.4 billion times.

What this means in practice: rather than a generic pile of trending headlines, the new tab should surface a mix of topics tuned to what you follow, with an eye toward well-reported coverage of major events rather than pure click-driven noise.

#2 Designed around your needs

Microsoft’s second change is more about layout than algorithm. The redesigned new tab makes it easier to move between different kinds of content without hunting for it.

You can catch up on the day’s trending stories, explore articles and videos personalized to your interests, and go deeper on the topics you care about most. Throughout, the page pulls from a network of about 1,500 premium publishers, which Microsoft lists as including USA TODAY, Business Insider, and PEOPLE.

The thinking is that not every new tab starts with the same goal — some of you want quick headlines, others want to dig into a single story — so the design tries to accommodate both without forcing you into one path.

#3 More voices and formats to explore

The content partner network is also growing. Microsoft says you’ll now find content from over 3,500 creators appearing alongside reporting from many of the world’s most trusted publishers.

Video has gotten a much bigger role in the redesign as well. According to the announcement, video now accounts for more than 40% of all engagement on the platform, with partners publishing more than 45,000 videos each day. Expect more prominent placement for video recommendations on the new tab.

#4 Curated by Copilot

One of the more notable additions is an expanded version of “Curated by Copilot,” a feature that uses AI to synthesize perspectives from multiple articles into a single view shaped around what you care about.

The idea is to help you quickly understand a topic before diving into the original reporting in more depth. Microsoft says the feature is built to help content partners reach more people who care about their work, while still providing clear attribution to the original source.

For publishers, participation in these AI experiences is optional and can be managed at any time through Microsoft’s Partner Hub (msn.com/partnerhub). This sits as part of Microsoft’s broader push to weave Copilot-powered features into everyday surfaces, though the exact behavior of the summaries will vary by topic and available sources.

What This Means for Your Edge new tab

For most users, the change is largely content-driven: your new tab will look different and may surface a wider variety of stories, creators, and videos than before. There’s no action required to see it — if you’re in a supported country, it should appear automatically.

If the new mix of content isn’t to your taste, you can follow specific topics and publishers to tailor what shows up, and adjust your settings to customize the look and feel of the page.

One thing to note: the experience leans on Microsoft’s recommendation and AI systems, so you’ll see content pulled from a broad web of partners rather than just your own bookmarks or search history. That’s the trade-off for a more “discovery”-focused new tab, and it’s worth knowing before you expect it to behave like a private start page.

How to Get It

The new content experience is available today when you open a new tab in Edge on your desktop, or when you open the Discover dashboard from your Windows taskbar — but only in five markets: the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and India.

Microsoft says it will roll out a “steady drumbeat” of new features in the coming months and expand the experience to more countries and surfaces, including mobile and MSN.com. As it does, the company says it will keep refining the experience based on feedback from users and partners.

If you haven’t tried the new tab yet, the easiest move is simply to open a fresh tab in Edge and see what shows up. Then follow a few topics or publishers to start tuning it to your interests.

Source: Windows Blog

Over to you: Will you welcome a more discovery-focused new tab in Edge, or do you prefer keeping it clean and out of your way?