How to Enable Preload Pages in Edge for Faster Browsing

Turn Preload Pages On or Off in Edge (For Your Account)

To enable preload pages in Edge for your own account, turn on the setting in the browser’s Settings page. You don’t need administrator rights for this, and you can switch it back at any time. The feature is normally on by default, so check the current state before changing anything.

1. Open Microsoft Edge. Click the Edge icon on your taskbar🖥️ or find it in the Start menu⊞.
2. Open Settings⚙️. Click the three horizontal or vertical dots (...) in the top-right corner of the Edge window, then click Settings. Settings opens in a new tab.
3. Go to the Performance page. In the menu on the left, click System and performance. On the right, find the Performance area. You should now see the speed-related options for the browser.
4. Find the Preload pages setting. Look for the switch named Preload pages for faster browsing and searching. Edge moves settings around between versions. If you can’t see it, type “preload” into the Search settings box at the top of the Settings⚙️ page and the option will appear in the results.
5. Choose your setting.

   • To turn the feature ON, move the switch to the on position. This is usually best for speed and is typically the default.
   • To turn the feature OFF, move the switch to the off position.
6. Close the Settings⚙️ tab. Edge saves the change as soon as you flip the switch, so there is no Save button. You can close the tab.

If the switch is greyed out and a message says your browser is managed by your organization, a policy is controlling the setting. That is usually set by an administrator, or by the registry method described below. You will need to remove the policy before you can change the switch yourself.

Enable or Disable Preload Pages for All Users (Using the Registry Editor)

To enable preload pages in Edge for all users on the computer, use the Registry Editor. This system-wide method is useful when the normal menu option is locked, or when you want the same setting applied to every account on the PC at once. You need administrator access. It works on both Windows 11 Home and Pro, because it doesn’t rely on Group Policy Editor, which Home doesn’t include.

Back up the registry before making changes, because incorrect edits can cause system instability. In Registry Editor, click File › Export, choose a location, and save a copy of the full registry. If something goes wrong, double-click that file to restore it. Then follow the steps below.

What the Registry Change Does

The NetworkPredictionOptions value in the Windows Registry tells Microsoft Edge whether to preload pages by controlling how the browser handles network predictions. It lives at 🗝️HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edgecopy. A value placed under this Policies key overrides your normal menu choice and forces the feature on or off for the entire computer.

The location is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

We will change a value called NetworkPredictionOptions.

This value can be a DWORD (a type of data) and uses different numbers to control how it works:

• 0 (Hexadecimal) means “Always Enable Preload pages.”
• 2 (Hexadecimal) means “Disable Preload pages.”

If the value does not exist, or you delete it later, Microsoft Edge goes back to its default behavior. You can then control the feature from the browser’s Settings page, as explained in the first section of this article.

Steps: Using the Registry Editor

Close all Edge windows first, then open Registry Editor, go to the Edge policy key, and set the value. The steps below cover the whole process, including creating the key if it doesn’t exist yet.

1. Close Microsoft Edge. Make sure all Edge windows are closed before you start. Check the system tray🔔 too, because Edge can keep running in the background. This helps the change take effect cleanly.
2. Open the Registry Editor.

   • Press Win+R on your keyboard. A small Run box opens.
   • Type regedit into the box and press Enter, or click OK.
3. Allow changes. If a User Account Control box asks whether you want to let the app make changes to your device, click Yes. If you are on a standard account, you will be asked for an administrator password. The Registry Editor window should now be open.
4. Go to the right location. In the Registry Editor window, use the folder tree (keys) on the left. Click the arrow beside each key to expand it, working through this path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Edge

   The last key in the path may not exist on your PC. If it doesn’t, right-click the key before it, choose New › Key, and type the missing name exactly. Do the same for each missing key in the path.

5. Select the “Edge” key. Click the Edge key in the left pane, whether it was already there or you just created it. Its contents appear on the right. A newly created key will be empty.
6. Create or change the NetworkPredictionOptions value. Look at the right pane. You need a value named NetworkPredictionOptions.

   • If NetworkPredictionOptions already exists: Double-click it to change its current setting.
   • If NetworkPredictionOptions does NOT exist: Right-click an empty space in the right pane. Choose New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value exactly NetworkPredictionOptions, then double-click it to open it.
7. Set the value data. A small window opens asking for the Value data. Enter the number for the setting you want:

   • To ALWAYS ENABLE Preload Pages: type 0 (zero) into the Value data box. Make sure Base is set to Hexadecimal, then click OK.
     Warning: this setting blocks you from changing preload pages in Edge’s settings. You won’t be able to change it from within the browser anymore.
   • To DISABLE Preload Pages: type 1 into the Value data box. Make sure Base is set to Hexadecimal, then click OK.
     Warning: this setting also blocks you from changing preload pages in Edge’s settings, and the option appears greyed out in the browser.
   • To set it back to DEFAULT (so you can control it from Edge settings): you have two choices. You can delete the NetworkPredictionOptions value by right-clicking it in the right pane and selecting Delete, or you can set its Value data to 1. Setting it to 1 enables network prediction but allows the browser settings to control it. Deleting the value is usually the easiest way to hand control back to Edge’s own settings, and it is the way to undo everything in this section.
8. Close the Registry Editor. The value is saved as soon as you click OK, so you can close the window.
9. Restart Microsoft Edge. Open Edge again. The registry change is now active. To confirm, open Settings⚙️ and look at the Preload pages switch. If you used the enable or disable value, it should be greyed out, usually with a note that the setting is managed by your organization. If you don’t see the change, close every Edge window, check that none are still running in the background, and reopen the browser. Signing out and back in, or restarting the PC, also works.

Summary

Preload pages helps web pages load faster by anticipating your clicks. For your own account, switch it on or off in Edge’s settings, where the change applies immediately. When you need to enforce the setting on every account on the PC, or the option is locked, use the Registry Editor with administrator access. To undo a registry change, delete the value and Edge goes back to its own settings.