How to set a specific URL as my start page in Edge

Question

How to set a specific URL as my start page in Edge

wcndave 5

Under settings -> start, home and new tab page

I have set to open a custom site on start up.

That never opens, it opens a bing search page

I also set new tabs to not use copilot, however they do.

I also set google to default search engine, however everything uses bing.

Why won't MS let me control my browser... I have no extensions installed, I have reset to default setting and tried again. It's just not working.

3 answers

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Answer 1

Lucus-V 5,625 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi wcndave,

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Q&A forum. I'm happy to help. I have some suggestions that you can try to see if they can solve your issue. Please take a look.

First, reset your browser to default settings.
Custom site on startup
- Under Settings > Start, home, and new tab page, choose Open custom site then Add site that you want to open on startup
- Please notice that this site is only open on New Window, not New Tab
Google as default search engine
- Under Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected experiences > Address bar and search
- Set Search engine used in the address bar to Google
- Set Search on new tabs uses search box or address bar to Address bar
All new tabs to be blank
- This cannot be done by Edge settings itself. To set blank as new tab page, you need 3rd party extension

Hope that information is helpful with you.

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wcndave 5 Reputation points

2025-09-26T12:37:07.1333333+00:00

So I have tried this, and when I open a new window, I get this.

Which is not the custom site I have set.

The second point does work, however it's a very strange experience. If you type into the Microsoft box, it actually types into the address bar....
Lucus-V 5,625 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-29T03:00:16.1966667+00:00

Hi wcndave,

Thank you for keeping me informed.

Please give me a screenshot of Settings > Start, home, and new tab page on Edge. You may attach the screenshot on Add comment bellow.
wcndave 5 Reputation points

2025-09-30T08:02:33.77+00:00
Lucus-V 5,625 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-30T09:50:14.68+00:00

Hi wcndave,

Your settings are fine. Please notice that Open custom sites only happens with the first Edge window opened. If you already have Edge running and open a new 2nd window, Edge will show new tab page.

The second point does work, however it's a very strange experience. If you type into the Microsoft box, it actually types into the address bar....

This technically happens for Chrome also, but Chrome somehow does not appear what way.
wcndave 5 Reputation points

2025-10-09T04:43:49.0733333+00:00

However it doesn't happen with the first edge window.

I have 12 different virtual desktops, so can be tricky to tell. I tried after a reboot and it didn't work.

Also, why can't it open my default site/dashboard on each new window... that's really what I want anyway!

Answer 2

Paulo GM 61,040 Independent Advisor

Sorry, I forgot to attach. If you're not using an MS account, then creating a new Edge profile and transferring everything to the new one would be tricky. Maybe changing the new tab page completely could help. Is that something you’d like to try?

Screenshot_2

Paulo GM 61,040 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-09-26T13:00:32.1666667+00:00

Just note that setting a custom startup page only applies the first time you open Edge, not when opening a new window. For that, I recommend using an extension so your preferred URL always opens both at launch and in any new window.

First, set your startup page to back to Open the new tab page instead of your custom website. After that, download and install this extension then set your preferred website in the extension. Edge does not have the option to always open your preferred URL so we install an extension as a workaround.

Answer 3

Paulo GM 61,040 Independent Advisor

Hi,

By any chance, did you accept this prompt by mistake when you set a custom startup page (see the image below)? If so, that might be the reason you're having this problem. Try restarting your computer first, then set a custom page again to see if it works. If it still doesn’t apply, you may need to create a new Edge profile and set a custom startup page there before signing in to your Microsoft account. Do you want your new tab page changed as well?

wcndave 5 Reputation points

2025-09-24T15:20:48.99+00:00

There's no image.

I have no edge profile, I don't want to be logged into MS for a browser to work.

I would like startup page to be specific, and all new tabs to be blank.

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How to set a specific URL as my start page in Edge

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