How to Enable or Disable Ask Before Closing window with Multiple Tabs in Microsoft Edge

This article describes the steps you can take to turn on or off a prompt to ask before closing a window with multiple tabs when using the Microsoft Edge browser.

The Microsoft Edge browser is the default browser in Windows 11. Users are allowed to switch to their preferred or favorite browser anytime. Edge is based on Chromium, similar to Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers today.

By default, when you close an Edge window with multiple tabs, you will get a prompt: Do you want to close all tabs? You can select Close all or Cancel.

This feature is included in Edge to prevent the accidental closing of important tabs when you only want to close the current one. This is on by default, however, users can turn it off anytime.

If you noticed that you are not getting a prompt each time you close a window with multiple tabs in Edge, and you want to enable it, the steps below will show you how.

Turn on or off do you want to close all tabs prompt with Edge browser

As mentioned above, when you close an Edge window with multiple tabs, you will get a prompt Do you want to close all tabs? This is on by default.

An example screen is shown below when you close a window with multiple tabs.

microsoft edge asks before closing tabs

If you don’t get the pop-up prompt above, here’s how to turn it on.

First, open the Microsoft Edge browser.

Then click on Setting and more (Alt+F) 3 horizontal dots button on the top right corner and select Settings.

micrsoft edge browser more option and settings
Microsoft Edge browser has more options and settings

Next, click on Appearance on the left menu.

microsoft edge settings appearance
microsoft edge settings appearance

On the Settings -> Appearance settings pane, under Customize browser, toggle the button on the tile that says “Ask before closing a window with multiple tabs” to the On or Off.

microsoft edge ask before closing a window with multiple tabs button
microsoft edge asks before closing a window with a multiple tabs button

If off, Edge will not prompt you when you close a window with multiple tabs. If enabled, Edge will prompt you.

Turn on or off the prompt when you close a window with multiple tabs in Edge

Alternatively, users can use the Windows registry to show or hide the prompt in the Microsoft Edge web browser.

Open the Windows Registry, and navigate to the folder key path as listed below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

If you don’t see the Edge folder key, right-click on the Microsoft parent key, then create the subkey (Edge) folder.

microsoft edge show or hide sidebar via registry
microsoft edge show or hide prompt via the registry

On the right pane of the Edge folder key, right-click and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type a new key named AskBeforeCloseEnabled.

Double-click the new value name (AskBeforeCloseEnabled) and enter the Value data of 1 to show the prompt before closing multiple tabs in Microsoft Edge.

Value data of 0 will hide the prompt when closing multiple tabs in Microsoft Edge.

microsoft edge ask before closing a window with multiple tabs registry editor
microsoft edge asks before closing a window with multiple tabs registry editor

That should do it!

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to show or hide a prompt when closing a window with multiple tabs in the Microsoft Edge web browser. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.