[Windows 10 Tip] Disable Tab Preview Thumbnails in Microsoft Edge Web Browser

If you are using the new built-in and default web browser “Microsoft Edge” in Windows 10, here is an interesting and useful trick for you. If you open multiple tabs in Microsoft Edge and you hover mouse cursor over a tab, the browser shows a preview thumbnail of that tab which highlights the content of the tab.

Tab_Preview_Thumbnail_Microsoft_Edge_Windows_10.png

Although its a good feature of Microsoft Edge web browser but sometimes it might get irritating for some users if they accidentally move the cursor over a tab. Also the tab thumbnail is shown using a little bit slower animation which might also annoy a few people.

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If you want to disable this tab preview thumbnail feature in Microsoft Edge web browser, this tutorial will help you. By default, Microsoft Edge doesn’t provide any option to turn off this feature in its preferences but you can take help of a small registry tweak to disable tab preview thumbnails.

Following steps will help you in disabling tab preview thumbnails in Microsoft Edge web browser:

1. Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box. Now type regedit in RUN box and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.

2. Now go to following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppContainer\Storage\microsoft.microsoftedge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\MicrosoftEdge\TabbedBrowsing

3. In right-side pane, create a new DWORD TabPeekEnabled and keep its value to 0 to turn off tab preview thumbnails.

Disable_Tab_Preview_Thumbnail_Microsoft_Edge_Windows_10.png

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That’s it. Now launch Microsoft Edge web browser and you’ll get text tooltip whenever you move mouse cursor over a tab as shown in following screenshot:

Tab_Text_Preview_Microsoft_Edge_Windows_10.png

In future, if you want to restore tab preview thumbnail feature in Microsoft Edge web browser, simply delete the DWORD TabPeekEnabled from Registry Editor.

PS: If you are not familiar with Registry editing and want a ready-made Registry script to do the task automatically, download following ZIP file, extract it and run the extracted REG file. It’ll ask for confirmation, accept it:

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Published in: Microsoft Edge, Windows 10

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. It is obscene that it requires a registry edit fix to turn off the most idiotic option that I have ever seen in a browser. This is why I use Chrome. Make it simple to get rid of those stupid, annoying, pointless thumbnails that obscure the screen. And please, PLEASE, PLEASE stop trying to “improve” things. The old versions of the browser, search functions, operating systems, and mail were all better than what we have to deal with now.

  2. I agree that it is obscene, and one of those “features-in-search-of-an-application” that MS is famous for.

    But I applied this patch and it has no effect. In fact instead of the thumbnail showing up when you hover over a tab, the whole top 25% of the Edge window is taken up by thumbnails of EVERY tab on the bar! I can’t find any way to get rid of them! This is NOT “an improvement.” (I’m using the 1709 Fall Creators Update.)

  3. I wish the Microsoft Edge Browser would put the Thumbnails under the tabs feature back in Windows because it so cool and nice and showed off the power of the PC especially when animation in the Window itself was reflected into the Thumbnail….. I dont know why someone would find the feature annoying because it was easily toggled on and off. I mean it was your own choice if you wanted to display the feature or not. Those who would complain about to the point demanding it be taken out seem like a dictator since it is their own choice whether the thumbnails were displayed or not. Why they are complaining about something they themselves toggle on to make it viewable on the display which is easily turned off right out in the open does not make any sense. They just want to make themselves the enemy of all who love the feature……. I wish Microsoft would put Thumbnails under the Tabs in Microsoft Edge Toggle on and off again like it was before back into the browser. I used to love the feature a lot.

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