Microsoft is finally bringing this Edge Legacy feature to the new Edge

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Microsoft Edge Dev finally supports tab previews, a feature initially lost in the move from the old Edge to the new Chromium-based Edge.

Edge Dev Hero 2020 Newfeature
Edge Dev Hero 2020 Newfeature (Image credit: Future)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft Edge Dev now supports tab previews.
  • The feature works with horizontal and vertical tabs.
  • Edge Legacy supported tab preview, but the feature is working its way through the preview channels of the new Edge.

Microsoft continues to close the gap of features that were on Microsoft Edge Legacy but aren't on the new Microsoft Edge. Recently, the Microsoft Edge Dev gained support for tab previews and is an A/B testing. The feature lets you hover over a tab to see a quick preview of its contents. Edge Canary also appears to support the feature.

Microsoft started testing tab previews in Edge Canary with an experimental flag last July (via OnMSFT). Now, you can test out the feature without having to enable a flag (Edge Dev v90.0.818.0).

If you have multiple tabs open, especially tabs from the same website, being able to preview their contents can save you from clicking around.

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For those without the feature, under edge://flags/, you can search for "Tab Hover Card Images" and set it to 'enabled' to gain the function.

Edge Dev Tab Preview

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

The feature works with both vertical tabs and horizontal tabs, so no matter how you spread out your active tabs, you can use the feature.

Microsoft has done a good job of closing the gap between the old Edge and the new Edge. While the new Edge has plenty of features and works well with the web, there were some features lost in the move. It's nice to see Microsoft roll out a popular feature from Edge Legacy onto the new Edge.

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer

Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.