How to Enable Tab Preview on Hover in Microsoft Edge
Tab preview on hover in Microsoft Edge shows a small thumbnail image of a webpage when you hold your mouse pointer over its tab. With dozens of tabs open, you can spot the page you need in seconds without clicking through them one by one.
Microsoft Edge version 120 and newer includes this visual preview by default. You can turn it on or off in the browser settings, and the steps are the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro. If the option is missing, check that Edge is up to date by opening the About Microsoft Edge page in Settings. Edge installs any available update there.
Open Microsoft Edge, click the Settings and more button (three dots) in the top-right corner, select Settings, choose Appearance from the left menu, scroll to Customize toolbar, and toggle on Show tab preview on hover. Thumbnails appear when you hover over tabs.
Enable or disable Show tab preview on hover in Edge
You change this setting from the Edge settings page. In short: click the three dots in the top-right corner, choose Settings, pick Appearance from the left menu, and find the toggle in the Customize toolbar section. The exact section name can differ slightly between Edge versions, so if you don’t see it right away, look through the Appearance page for the tab preview toggle.
Here’s how.
- Open Microsoft Edge and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots, or Alt+F) in the top-right corner of the window. A drop-down menu opens.
- Choose Settings from that menu. The Settings page opens in a new tab.
- Select Appearance from the left-hand menu. The Appearance options appear on the right.
- Scroll down to the Customize toolbar section.
- Find the “Show tab preview on hover” toggle and switch it on. Hover over any tab and a thumbnail of that page should appear.
- To disable it, switch the toggle back to the
Offposition. Hovering then shows only the usual tab title, or nothing extra.
You can’t change it from the settings page on that PC. This is most common on work or school computers.
Your changes take effect immediately, so you don’t normally need to restart anything. If the preview doesn’t behave as expected, close and reopen Microsoft Edge and try hovering again. Some tabs, such as blank or internal browser pages, may not show a useful thumbnail.
Microsoft Edge browser tab preview examples:
That should do it!
To undo any change, go back to the same toggle and set it the other way.
- Enabling or disabling the tab preview feature in Microsoft Edge takes only a few clicks in Settings.
- You can adjust it at any time, and the change applies straight away.
- Keep it on if you work with many tabs and want to find the right one fast. Turn it off if the pop-up thumbnails distract you.
- If the setting is locked, your organization's policy is managing it.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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