If you are switching to Microsoft Edge from Chrome or Firefox, I highly recommend changing some default settings as the browser isn't perfect out of the box. Here are the settings I changed to enhance my browsing experience with Edge.

1 Turn Off the News Feed

I find the Microsoft Edge news feed a nuisance and often outright distracting. Fortunately, you can easily turn it off from Page settings. To turn off the Edge news feed, click the Gear icon (Page settings) in the top-right corner. Then, scroll down and toggle off the Show feed switch to turn off the content.

If you don't want to turn off the feed completely, select the Headings option, which minimizes the content to reduce distractions.

2 Hide the Favorites Bar

The favorites bar takes away from the minimalist experience I prefer with my browsers. Also, it appears in all of my screenshots, so I like to keep it hidden on new and active tabs. To turn off the favorites bar, follow these steps:

1. Click the three-dots menu in the top-right corner and choose Favorites. Alternatively, press Ctrl Shift O to open the same.
2. In the Favorites menu, click the three-dots menu, go to Show Favorites Bar, and choose Never. You can also set it to show only on new tabs if you prefer, but I like to keep it off.
3. For quicker access to your favorites, you can add the favorites button to the toolbar. To do this, open the Favorites menu, click the three-dots menu, and then click Show Favorites button in the toolbar.

3 Use Vertical Tabs

One of my absolute favorite features of Edge is vertical tabs. It offers more horizontal screen space, which I need almost all the time. Another advantage is it reduces tab clutter by allowing you to see and open them without having to scroll through a sea of open tabs. To turn on vertical tabs:

1. Right-click on any open tab and choose Turn on vertical tabs. Alternatively, click the Tab actions menu icon in the top-left corner, then select Turn on vertical tabs.
2. If you need more sidebar space, click Collapse pane (left arrow icon) in the toolbar to collapse the tabs to show icons only. When you hover over the icons, it'll expand to reveal full tabs.
3. To restore horizontal tabs, click the Tab actions menu and choose Turn off vertical tabs.

4 Block Media AutoPlay

Some websites auto-play videos without user consent, resulting in unintended data usage and an annoying browsing experience. On Edge, you can change the media autoplay setting to block video autoplay on all websites. Follow these steps:

1. Click the three-dots menu in the top right corner and select Settings. In the left pane, open the Cookies and site permissions tab. Scroll down and click the Media autoplay option.
2. Click the Control if audio and video play automatically on sites dropdown and choose Block to block autoplay on all websites.

Remember that blocking media autoplay can also block it on websites where you may use it, such as YouTube video previews. If that's a concern, set Media autoplay to Limit and let Edge decide whether to allow or block autoplay based on your past interaction with the website.

5 Change the Default Search Engine

Bing is the default search engine in Edge. If you prefer an alternate search engine like the more popular Google search or privacy-focused DuckDuckGo, you can set them as default for Edge on your computer. To change your default search engine:

1. Head to Settings > Privacy, search, and services, then scroll down to the Services section.
2. Click Address bar and search, then click the Search engine used in the address bar dropdown and choose your preferred search engine.
3. Also, make sure to set Search on new tabs uses search box or address bar to Address bar.

6 Block Website Notifications

Almost all websites I visit ask for permission to show notifications. While I can click Block to stop these notifications on the web page, I don't remember ever needing a website to show any notifications, except in the case of a few odd social sites.

If you're bothered by consistent notification permission pop-ups, you can block them entirely by configuring your site permission settings in Edge. Follow these steps:

1. Click the three-dots menu, then choose Settings.
2. In the left pane, open the Cookies and site permissions. Under All Permissions, click Notifications.
3. Toggle off the Ask before sending switch to block websites from asking for permissions.
4. If you don't want to block permissions completely, turn on the Quiet notifications requests option to block the permission pop-up, but let Edge quietly show a notification icon in the address bar.

7 Auto-Open Favorites Tabs at Startup

My daily work routine begins with opening the same set of web pages. Instead of manually opening each website, I can configure Edge to automatically open these websites as soon as I launch the browser. To add startup pages in Edge:

1. Click the three-dots menu in the top right corner and choose Settings.
2. Next, open the Start, home, and new tab in the left pane. Under When Edge starts, select Open these pages. Then, click Add a new page, type the website URL, and click Add.
3. Alternatively, you can set all your currently open tabs as startup pages by clicking Use all open tabs. To remove a URL, simply click the three-dots menu next to a URL and choose Delete.

8 Enable and Configure Mouse Gestures

Microsoft Edge offers built-in mouse gestures that let you quickly open or close tabs, scroll to the top or bottom, enable full-screen, or open an incognito tab. This feature is handy for those who use their laptop's touchpad as the primary input device. To enable mouse gestures in Edge, here's what you need to do:

1. Go to Settings > Appearance.
2. Scroll down to Customize browser, then toggle on the Enable Mouse Gesture switch.
3. Now, click to expand Configure Mouse Gestures to explore all the mouse gestures available on Edge.

9 Enable Microsoft Autofill to Fill Forms Faster

The autofill feature in Edge can help you fill out forms faster with your name, contact number, address, and other information saved in the browser. Autofill is part of Microsoft Wallet, which is also where the browser stores your passwords, payment information, and more. To enable autofill in Edge, follow these instructions:

1. Go to Settings > Profiles, then click Open Wallet next to Microsoft Wallet.
2. Now, click the Settings tab in the left pane and scroll down to Personal info. Toggle on both the options below it.
3. In the left pane, open the Personal Info tab. Then click Add address, add all your personal information, and click Save.
4. You can also add multiple addresses to the list and choose from them when filling out a form.

10 Enable Dark Mode in Edge

I prefer dark mode for its aesthetic appeal, but it also reduces eye strain in dark environments and lowers power consumption to extend your laptop's battery life if it has an OLED display.

By default, Edge adapts to your system's default theme. However, if you prefer a dark theme just for your browser, you can manually enable it in Settings. To do this, go to Settings > Appearance, then under Customize appearance, choose the Dark option.

Edge will apply the dark theme to new tabs, menus, dialogs, and pages, but some websites may still use a light theme, ignoring your preferences. To prevent that, you can force dark mode for all websites by enabling the experimental Auto Dark Mode feature. Here's what you need to do:

1. Type edge://flags in your address bar and press Enter. In the search bar, type auto dark mode to locate the option.
2. Click the Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents dropdown and choose Enabled.

Restart your browser to apply the changes. After the restart, Edge will use the dark mode on all websites irrespective of their preferences. That said, occasionally, I have encountered image color inversion issues, so be aware of them.

These are all the small changes I made since switching from Chrome to Edge to enhance my browsing experience. Of course, you can tweak many other settings to fine-tune the browser further to suit your needs. But with these tweaks, I no longer have to consider a third-party browser.