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How to turn Fade inactive tabs on or off in Microsoft Edge

Richard
Written by
Richard
Jun 10, 2026 Updated Jul 13, 2026 2 min read
Browser window with dimmed tabs and glowing active tab
Browser window with dimmed tabs and glowing active tab

Microsoft Edge has a cool feature called “Sleeping Tabs.” This helps your computer run better. It puts tabs you aren’t using into a low-power mode. This saves memory and processing power. It’s great if you often have many tabs open. You’ll see sleeping tabs look a bit faded. This shows they are resting. But what if you don’t like how they look? Maybe they are hard to see. Or maybe you just want them to look clear. You can easily turn off this fading effect.

⚡ Quick Answer

To turn off fading inactive tabs in Microsoft Edge, go to Settings, then System and performance, and finally Performance. Toggle off the “Fade inactive tabs” option. Your sleeping tabs will no longer appear faded.

How to Stop Sleeping Tabs from Fading

Do you want your sleeping tabs to look as bright as your active ones? You can do that. Here’s how to turn off the fading effect in Microsoft Edge:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge. Start by opening your browser.
  2. Go to the settings menu. Click the three dots ... in the top-right corner. This opens a menu.
  3. Choose “Settings.” In the menu, click on “Settings.”
  4. Find “System and performance.” In the Settings tab, look for “System and performance” on the left side. Click it.
  5. Go to the “Performance” section. Inside “System and performance” settings, find “Performance.” Click on it.
  6. Find the “Fade inactive tabs” option. Scroll down in the Performance settings. Look for a setting called “Fade inactive tabs.”
  7. Turn off the switch. This switch is probably “On” by default. Click the switch to turn it “Off.” The switch will move and might change color to show it’s off.
micrsoft edge browser more option and settings
micrsoft edge browser more option and settings
Microsoft Edge performance settings tile showing Sleeping Tabs option.
Microsoft Edge performance settings tile showing Sleeping Tabs option.
Microsoft Edge settings menu showing the 'Fade inactive tabs' option.
Microsoft Edge settings menu showing how to turn off fade inactive tabs.

That’s all there is to it! After you turn this off, tabs that go to sleep won’t look faded anymore. They will look the same as your active tabs. They will still save power in the background. This is helpful if you find the faded look distracting. Or, you might just prefer all your tabs to look the same.

Summary

This guide shows you how to turn off the visual fading effect for inactive tabs in Microsoft Edge. By default, Edge fades tabs that haven’t been used for a while to indicate they are in a low-power “sleeping” state, which saves system resources. If you find this fading distracting or prefer a consistent look for all your tabs, you can disable this feature through the browser’s settings. Simply navigate to Settings > System and performance > Performance and toggle off the “Fade inactive tabs” option. Your sleeping tabs will then appear normal, even while still conserving memory and CPU power in the background.

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Richard

About the Author

Richard

Tech Writer, IT Professional

Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.

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