How to Customize Your Web Browser’s Homepage (and Why You Should)

Most of us open a entanglement web web browser and either gaze at whatever tabs we never closed or a homepage that ’s not quite as tailor-make as it could be . This is our launch area for the connection , which is why it ’s important to make it as utilitarian as possible .

The major browsers now make a preeminence between the home page that appear when the browser app starts up , and the new tablet Thomas Nelson Page that appear when you open a tab ( although you’re able to set the homepage to be the fresh tab page , if you desire ) . The two differ more or less . Your home page , for lesson , can be all the pages you had enter the last time you closed the web browser app , while the new tab can be more well customized with add - ons .

Your homepage is just that : a Thomas Nelson Page ( or a set of pages ) on the cyberspace . It work sense to pick one or two that you rely on , or that give you a quick overview of what ’s happening in the world at the moment . The new tab key pageboy is much more various , and can include personalise wallpaper , shortcuts to bookmarks , and so on .

Photo: Momentum

The first step in take mastery of these setting is to set your web browser app homepage to something that ’s actually utile to you , rather than whatever nonremittal the web browser app has picked . In Chrome , head to On start - up in setting ; in Firefox , it ’s Home then New Windows and Tabs in Preferences ; in Safari , you need General then Safari opens with in Preferences ; and in the new Edge , pick On start - up from configurations .

While the available option change between web internet browser , they ’re all along similar channel : you may typically set both the homepage and the novel chit page to point to the same site ( Gizmodo , for good example ) , although this is n’t an choice in Firefox . All four browsers let you congeal the current group of tab you ’ve got open as your new home page , if you stumble across a combination of website you think could work .

you could choose whatever you want as your home page , but news sites work well , so you could catch up on the headlines as soon as you lumber in . or else , try your company ’s internal organization home page if you want to get neat to work . If you think you could take the tension , maybe believe Gmail or Twitter as your home page ; if you need something calming or else , giveWindowSwapa go and peer out of someone else ’s windowpane .

The Top Sites new tab page in Safari.

The Top Sites new tab page in Safari.Screenshot: Safari

you could have a lot more fun with the new tab page , and chances are you ’re go to see this a wad more than your home page during the grade of a normal twenty-four hour period . The independent browsers , by default option , will show you a search box together with a mixture of frequently see sites and bookmarks , and perhaps a news newspaper headline or two , but you’re able to easily customise this .

The new chit Thomas Nelson Page is typically customized on the new tab Sir Frederick Handley Page itself . In Chrome there ’s a Customize release in the humbled left - script corner , and in Firefox and Edge there ’s a sprocket icon in the top right - hand corner . Safari is the elision , and in Apple ’s internet browser you need to go to General in Preferences , then start the New tabs open with drop - down menu .

If Google Chrome is your web internet browser of choice , you may change up the colour and the ground of the new tab varlet , and pick whether you want to see a grid of shortcuts that you ’ve specifically produce , or a grid of shortcuts base on the site you call most often . There will always , of course , be a Google search box right in the middle .

WindowSwap gives you an alternative homepage.

WindowSwap gives you an alternative homepage.Screenshot: WindowSwap

Firefox let you mix in all kinds of dissimilar content : A web search box , web site you visit often , page you ’ve bookmarked , Page you ’ve save to Pocket ( now built into Firefox ) , recent downloads , Firefox news , and Pocket picks ( basically a choice of interesting read from across the web ) . In terms of built - in alternative , Firefox pass you the most flexibility .

Then there ’s Safari , which offers the least in term of drug user customizability . you may see your bookmarks , the situation you visit most often , the page set as your homepage , a blank pageboy ( ? ) , or a duplication of the pageboy you ’re currently on and opening the new tab from ( ? ? ) . Not all of those options make much sensory faculty , but that ’s what you ’ve got .

With Edge , you ’ve receive three basic layouts to pick from , which can then be tweaked and edited as you like . you’re able to prefer to see a search loge , a scope figure of speech , headlines from around the web , and link to sites you regularly visit . bound lets you turn these different component on or off bet on how cluttered you ’d like your internet browser ’s new check pageboy to be .

New tab options in Firefox.

New tab options in Firefox.Screenshot: Firefox

Your last resource for your new tab page — and perhaps the most useful — are the many third - party extensions that enable you to do something completely different with this pageboy . Chrome has the most to select from ( these will work with the new Chromium - based Edge as well ) , but there are a fair few available for Firefox too .

One of our favorites is Earth View ( Chrome , Firefox ) which greets you with a arresting satellite image of somewhere on the open of the planet every meter you open up up the newfangled tab Thomas Nelson Page . From wholesale deserts to hustle urban center landscapes , it gives you a hiss ’s optic view of some of the most beautiful parts of the humankind .

pop out ( Chrome ) permit you pack a whole shipment of links and other subject into the unexampled tab Sir Frederick Handley Page — from gorgeous - look wallpapers to lists of reminders , from solace rude sounds that play in the backcloth to widgets for Spotify , YouTube and more . It ’s one of the most comprehensive new tab page chew - ins we ’ve seen , and it ’s certain to have something that you may make use of .

Tweaking the new tab page in Edge.

Tweaking the new tab page in Edge.Screenshot: Edge

Humble New Tab Page ( Chrome , Firefox ) presents a simple , customizable inclination of links and bookmarks that you may pull off as needed . Get easy accession to all the parts of the web that you gossip the most , plus a mini atmospheric condition prognosis and a radio link to the tabs that you ’ve latterly closed down , just in event you need them back .

Then there ’s Momentum ( Chrome , Firefox ) , which is one of the best - looking new tab extensions we ’ve seen . It adds in a stack of useful functionality , too — you may get timers , to - do lists , the weather forecast , shortcut , links , and more up on the new tab dashboard , though some of the features expect a paid upgrade .

There are plenty of other extensions around , as well , if you have a look through the add - on library for your web browser of choice . With all the third - political party option alongside the native pecker you get built into the browsers themselves , you ’ve stick no apology for your home page and your newfangled tablet pageboy being boring or , worse , not useful to you .

Earth View in Chrome.