How to Configure and Customise Startup Actions in Microsoft Edge to Reopen Previous Tabs or Specific Pages

Starting your workday in a web browser often involves navigating to the same set of essential cloud applications—such as corporate email, project management dashboards, issue trackers, and internal documentation wikis. Conversely, if you are conducting intensive web research across dozens of open tabs and inadvertently close your browser or restart your computer, losing your active browsing session can severely disrupt productivity. Microsoft Edge provides flexible, granular Startup Actions that allow you to dictate exactly what happens each time the browser launches.

Whether you prefer a distraction-free blank canvas, want Edge to automatically restore every tab and tab group from your prior session, or need a designated suite of corporate URLs to launch automatically, Edge’s startup controls give you total authority over browser initiation. In this guide, you will learn how to configure Edge’s startup behaviours, restore previous sessions, set up automatic multi-page work suites, and troubleshoot startup tab restoration problems.

Why Customise Your Startup Actions in Microsoft Edge?

Tailoring how Microsoft Edge launches provides clear workflow benefits:

• Session Continuity: Resume complex multi-tab research projects without worrying about unexpected system reboots, browser crashes, or operating system updates.
• Automated Work Environment: Automatically open your essential daily tools (e.g., Outlook on the web, Microsoft Teams, Jira, or GitHub) the moment you start your PC.
• Minimised Startup Resource Consumption: Pairing session restoration with Edge’s built-in Sleeping Tabs ensures that dozens of reopened tabs do not overwhelm your computer’s RAM upon launch.
• Focus and Privacy: Choose a clean blank tab if you share your computer or prefer starting each browsing session afresh without historical distractions.

Step 1: Access Startup Settings in Microsoft Edge

Configuring startup preferences takes only a few clicks inside Edge’s core settings menu:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge on your Windows, macOS, or Linux computer.
2. Click the Settings and more button (the three horizontal dots ...) in the upper right corner of the window.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu (or type edge://settings/startHomeNTP into the address bar).
4. In the left-hand navigation menu, click Start, home, and new tabs.

The top section of this screen, labelled When Edge starts, presents the three primary startup behaviours.

Step 2: Choose Your Desired Startup Behaviour

Select the option that matches your workflow needs:

Option 1: Open the New Tab Page

If you prefer a clean start each time you launch Edge, select Open the new tab page. When Edge launches, it displays your standard new tab page featuring your chosen background wallpaper, Quick Links, and optional news feed. This mode ensures minimal memory consumption on initial startup.

Option 2: Open Tabs from the Previous Session

If you regularly work across multiple ongoing tasks and want Edge to resume exactly where you left off, select Open tabs from the previous session:

• Every tab, pinned tab, and colour-coded tab group from your last active window will be restored automatically upon opening Edge.
• Thanks to Edge’s Sleeping Tabs feature, background tabs are restored in a suspended state, conserving memory until you click on them.

Option 3: Open These Pages (Custom Work Suite)

If you always open the same set of web portals every morning, select Open these pages. You can specify a dedicated collection of websites to launch in separate tabs automatically:

1. Select the radio button beside Open these pages:.
2. Click the Add a new page button.
3. Type or paste the full URL of your desired website (for example, https://outlook.office.com) and click Add.
4. Repeat this step to add additional URLs (e.g., your project tracking board or intranet portal).
5. Alternatively, open all your daily work tabs in an active browser window, return to this settings page, and click Use all open tabs to import them in a single click.

Step 3: Combine Startup Actions with Startup Boost

To ensure Edge opens almost instantaneously when clicking its application icon, verify that Startup Boost is enabled:

1. In Edge Settings, click System and performance in the left sidebar.
2. Under the System section, locate Startup boost.
3. Toggle the switch to the On position.

Startup Boost keeps key background core processes active at low priority when the browser is closed, allowing Edge to launch rapidly without high initial disk overhead.

Step 4: Reopen Accidentally Closed Windows

If Edge was configured to open the New Tab page or if a sudden crash prevented automatic session restoration, you can recover your previous tabs manually:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + T (or Cmd + Shift + T on Mac) immediately after launch. This command reopens the most recently closed tab or entire window.
• Press Ctrl + H to open the History flyout, select Recently closed, and click Restore window to recover your full multi-tab workspace.

Troubleshooting Startup Tab Behaviour

• Edge Reopens Old Tabs Even When New Tab Is Selected: In Settings > System and performance, ensure Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed is not conflicting with third-party session manager extensions.
• Multi-Window Closure Order: If you use multiple browser windows, Edge considers the last window you close as your previous session. Always close secondary auxiliary windows before closing your primary work window.