11 Tips to Customize Chrome Homepage or New Tab Page

Key Takeaways 

• You may try dozens of customization styles from the Chrome Settings page.
• With Chrome flags, you get access to some experimental customization options.

1. Enable the Home Button in Chrome

Google Chrome doesn’t show the Home button by default. You can easily enable it from Chrome Settings. Let’s learn how to enable the Home button in Chrome:

Step 1: In the Chrome browser, click the three-dot icon > select Settings.

Step 2: Go to Appearance from the left sidebar > enable the toggle for Show Home button.

The home icon will immediately appear before the address bar at the top. By default, the Home button will open the New Tab page. But you can change it to a custom website, as shown in the next tip.

2. Change the Website Linked to Home Button in Chrome

You can link any webpage to the Home button in Chrome. So, whenever you click on the Home button, the associated website will open. To set or change the homepage in Chrome, follow these steps.

Step 1: In the Chrome browser, click the three-dot icon > select Settings.

Step 2: Click Appearance. Under Show home button, select Enter custom web address and enter/paste the link to the web page that you want to link to the Home button.

3. Open Custom Website in New Tab Page

Unfortunately, Google doesn’t offer a native feature to link a website to a New Tab page. You must use extensions to open a website when you open the New Tab page. You can also use extensions to enhance the functionality of the New Tab.

Check out the best extensions to customize the Chrome homepage.

Tip: Know how to change tab color in Chrome.

4. Change the Background Color of the New Tab and Refresh It Daily

If you don’t like Chrome’s default white background color for the New Tab page, you can easily change it to a different color. This color will also apply to Chrome’s tabs and address bar.

Step 1: Open the new tab page and click the Customize Chrome button at the bottom.

Step 2: First, select a color from the options. If you don’t find the desired color, click on Change theme.

Step 3: Click on Solid colors.

Step 4: Choose a color of your liking to use as background color. If you want to try a new color every day, enable the toggle for Refresh daily.

Tip: Check out other ways to change the background color in Chrome.

5. Use Background Image for New Tab and Refresh Daily

Instead of a dull, solid color, set a picture as the background of your new tab. Chrome offers a wide collection of background pictures.

Step 1: Click the Customize Chrome button on the new tab page.

Step 2: Go to Change theme.

Step 3: Scroll down, and you will find many picture albums. Click on any album to see the pictures inside it.

Step 4: Click on a picture to use it as the background of your new tab page. Or, enable the Refresh daily toggle to change the background image automatically daily.

Tip: Know how to watch YouTube while using another tab in Chrome.

6. Use a Custom Image as Chrome New Tab Page Background

Google Chrome doesn’t limit you to its set of pictures. You can upload your image and set it as the background for a New Tab page.

Step 1: Click the Customize Chrome button on the new tab page.

Step 2: Go to Change theme.

Step 3: Click on Upload an image and choose the image from your PC to set as the background picture in Chrome’s New Tab page.

Tip: To use the default background in Chrome, select Default Chrome under Themes.

7. Hide or Show Website Shortcuts

If you want a clean homepage, disable website shortcuts below the search bar. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Click the Customize Chrome button on the new tab page.

Step 2: Turn off the toggle for Show shortcuts.

You can switch between custom shortcuts or show the most frequently visited websites. Select the appropriate option.

8. Add Custom Website Shortcuts

If you select My Shortcuts in the above tip, you can keep your favorite websites as shortcuts in the New Tab page of Chrome. That way, you can access them as soon as you open the New Tab page or the homepage in Chrome.

Chrome allows you to add up to 10 shortcuts in the New Tab page. Click on the Add shortcut button to add a new shortcut. If you don’t see the Add shortcut button, replace or remove any existing shortcuts, as shown next.

9. Edit or Remove Custom Website Shortcuts

You can edit the New Tab page. Simply follow the steps below.

Step 1: In the New Tab page, hover over the shortcut you want to edit or remove and click on the three-dot icon.

Step 2: Click on Edit shortcut to change the name or URL of the shortcut. Or click on Remove to delete the shortcut.

10. Change the Startup Page in Chrome

The Startup page is different from the Home page. So, customize it differently from the Home page. To change the Startup page in Chrome, follow these steps:

Step 1: In the Chrome browser, click the three-dot icon > select Settings.

Step 2: Select On Startup from the left side > select the appropriate option.

11. Use Certain Chrome Flags

Chrome offers many flags. These are experimental features; some may be used to customize the browser. To try out flags, navigate the path below and search for a flag you need.

chrome://flags

Some Chrome flags you may try are:

• Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents: This will ensure all your web content is rendered in a dark theme.
• Chrome Refresh 2023 Top Chrome Font Style: This flag renders the bolder versions of all fonts for top Chrome components.
• Parallel downloading: This flag will potentially speed up your file downloads.
• Smooth scrolling: The flag can make scrolling webpages more fluid.