To make web browsing feel instantaneous, Microsoft Edge uses a feature called “Page Prediction” (or “Preload pages for faster browsing”). When you hover your mouse over a link, or when Edge calculates that you are highly likely to click a specific search result, the browser silently downloads the entire destination webpage in the background before you even click your mouse.
While this makes the internet feel lightning-fast, it has two major drawbacks. First, it wastes a massive amount of bandwidth downloading images and videos for pages you might never actually visit. Second, from a privacy perspective, pre-loading a page counts as a “visit” to the destination server, meaning third-party sites can drop tracking cookies on your machine without you ever explicitly navigating to their domain.
If you prefer to conserve bandwidth and protect your privacy, you should turn off page pre-loading.
How to Disable Page Prediction in Edge
You can turn off this background downloading behavior directly in the Edge privacy settings.
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Click the three horizontal dots (Settings and more) in the top-right corner of the toolbar.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Cookies and site permissions.
- Scroll down the right pane until you find the section labeled “Manage and delete cookies and site data.” Click on it.
- Look for the toggle switch labeled Preload pages for faster browsing and searching.
- Turn the toggle to the Off position.
From now on, Microsoft Edge will strictly wait until you actually click a link and hit “Enter” before it begins initiating a server connection or downloading any website assets.