Summary

  • The Fluent New Tab extension replaces Edge's cluttered New Tab with a clean Windows 11 Fluent Design.
  • The extension keeps data local, and shortcuts/settings are stored in-browser with import/export options.
  • You can add optional widgets and select your browser (Bing or Google). Fluent New Tab is available in Microsoft's Edge Add-ons Store and GitHub.

With Windows 11, Microsoft Edge's New Tab page has slowly become increasingly busy. There are widgets, Copilot, news, and other content that most users likely don't find particularly useful. If you've been longing for a cleaner experience, Reddit user snw-mint has created exactly what you're looking for with the Fluent New Tab Edge extension (via Windows Central).

Fluent New Tab is an Edge extension that replaces the default New Tab Page with a look that more closely resembles Windows 11's Fluent Design aesthetic. With that in mind, depending on your view of Windows 11's appearance, you might consider this a drawback. Additionally, the extension follows Edge's system color settings, allowing you to select Light Mode, Dark Mode, or Auto.

snw-mint's new Edge home page integrates more closely with Edge and Windows 11, offering a cleaner, more privacy-focused experience — all that cumbersome clutter is gone. When you look at the screenshots, it's pretty impressive how well the Fluent New Tab extension blends into Windows 11's overall look and feel.

Fluent New Tab adopts Windows 11's clean-looking Fluent Design look

The extension keeps everything local on your device

Credit: Snow Mint

The news feed is gone too, which really goes a long way towards cleaning up Edge's New Tab page. You can add extra features to Fluent New Tab if you want, including a simple weather widget, and switch between Bing and Google as your main search engine. You can even build a personal list of your favorite websites, and the extension automatically fetches high-quality icons for each link.

On the privacy side, Fluent New Tab keeps everything local on your device. This means that it doesn't sync with the cloud, and all shortcuts and settings are stored directly in the browser. Additionally, you can export and import settings, making it easy to move your preferences to another device.

Fluent New Tab is available directly in Microsoft's Edge Add-ons Store, and it's open source code is available on GitHub. I switched from Edge to Firefox years ago, but this low-key extension has me thinking about giving Microsoft's browser another shot.