Quick Help & Troubleshooting

The extension is disabled after installing on Microsoft Edge. What do I do?

Microsoft Edge disables third-party "New Tab" extensions by default for security reasons. To fix this:

1. Type edge://extensions/ in your address bar and hit Enter.
2. Find "Fluent New Tab" and toggle the switch to turn it on.
3. Open a new tab. Edge will show a warning asking if you expected this change.
4. Click the "Keep it anyway" button.

My extension disables itself or shows a security popup.

Browsers like Edge and Chrome can show security prompts in some situations, especially when using Developer Mode or loading the extension as unpacked. This behavior is controlled by the browser, not only by the extension.

In rare cases, the browser can also disable an extension automatically after an update if new permissions are added to the manifest. When that happens, you need to re-enable the extension and accept the new permissions prompt.

It is always a good idea to check the changelog after updates. If new permissions are ever required for new features, it will be documented there. Permission changes are uncommon, and we always try to ship new features without requesting new permissions to avoid mass deactivation.

The wallpaper images take a long time to load.

This is completely normal, especially when using the NASA APOD source. These images are often downloaded in 4K resolution.

To ensure your browser doesn't slow down, the extension downloads the image, converts it into a compressed WebP format, and caches it locally. Depending on your computer's speed and internet connection, this conversion might cause a slight delay. This process only happens once a day when a new image is fetched.

The extension feels very heavy or slow on my computer.

Fluent New Tab uses advanced CSS techniques like backdrop filters (Mica/Acrylic blur effects) and animations, which can be demanding on older hardware.

To improve performance, go to the settings menu and enable the Reduce visual effects option. This will turn off heavy animations and disable the background blur, making the extension significantly lighter and faster.

The interface is too small or too big for my monitor.

The extension scales automatically, but if you want to adjust the size of the elements, you can use your browser's native zoom feature.

Press Ctrl + (or Cmd + on Mac) to zoom in and make things bigger, or Ctrl - (or Cmd -) to zoom out. The browser will remember this zoom level specifically for the new tab page.

Why are custom wallpapers resized to 4K resolution?

To ensure your browser remains fast and responsive. Images larger than 4K (like 8K photos) consume a massive amount of RAM when decoded by the browser, which can cause significant lag every time you open a new tab.

When you upload an oversized image, our system automatically resizes it to a maximum width of 3840px (4K) and converts it to a highly optimized WebP format. This provides the "sweet spot" between crystal-clear visual quality and instant loading times.

Tip: For the absolute best performance, we recommend uploading images that match your monitor's native resolution.

I got a "Storage Full" or "Quota Exceeded" error when uploading a wallpaper.

The extension saves your custom wallpapers directly inside your browser's local database (IndexedDB) so they load instantly without needing an internet connection. Browsers strictly limit how much space extensions can use.

If you see this error, your browser's storage quota for your current profile is full. To fix this:

1. Try uploading an image with a smaller file size or lower resolution.
2. Clear your browser's cache and temporary site data to free up local storage space.
3. Ensure your hard drive (C: drive) isn't completely full, as browsers dynamically adjust storage limits based on available disk space.

My city doesn't load or says "not found".

The weather widget uses an external geocoding API to find the exact latitude and longitude of your city. If your city shares the same name with other places in the world, the system might get confused.

If it fails to load, try being more specific by adding your state or country code. For example, instead of typing "San Jose", try typing San Jose, CA or San Jose, Costa Rica.

My language isn't supported, or the translation is wrong/makes no sense.

The translations for Fluent New Tab are partially generated using the DeepL API. Because it's an AI translation, some words might be out of context, and some languages aren't supported by the API at all.

If you spot a mistake or want to add your language, you can either open an issue on GitHub or go to our Crowdin Project and request a new language.

We need your help! You can join Crowdin as a contributor to fix wrong translations or translate the interface into your native language. Community help is the best way to make the extension accessible to everyone.

My backup file is failing to import.

Ensure that the file you are trying to import is strictly in .json format. If you manually edited the file, make sure the syntax is valid and the keys match the original structure of the extension.

If the file is corrupted, the extension will reject it to prevent breaking your current setup.

Something is failing or completely broken.

If a specific feature isn't working, the fastest way to fix it is to clear your browser's cache for the extension.

If that doesn't work, go to your extensions page (edge://extensions/ or chrome://extensions/), locate Fluent New Tab, and click the Reload button. This will restart the extension's background scripts.

Drag & Drop from Favorites Bar is not working.

Make sure the browser favorites/bookmarks bar is visible and that you are dragging from that bar directly. Some browser policies or privacy extensions may block drag events on extension pages.

If it still fails, try disabling conflicting extensions temporarily and reload Fluent New Tab.

I cannot find folder options in Shortcuts.

The folder actions only appear after enabling Folders in Shortcuts settings. Once enabled, the Add flow will include folder creation and drag-to-folder behavior.

Convert App to Folder is missing in App Launcher.

This action depends on the Shortcuts folder system. Enable Folders first, then use the + icon on the app card to convert it into a folder shortcut.

Overlay Opacity does not seem to change anything.

Overlay Opacity only affects active wallpapers. If wallpaper is turned off, or if you are using a plain background color, the slider will have no visible effect.