How to Customize the New Tab Page in Chrome

To customize the new tab page in Chrome, open a new tab and click Customize Chrome at the bottom right. From there you can change the background, the color theme and the up to 10 shortcut tiles under the search box. For more than that, such as notes, to-dos or workspaces on every new tab, you need a new tab extension.

It is worth doing because the new tab page is the page you see most often in a day.

How do I customize the new tab page in Chrome?

Everything sits in the Customize Chrome side panel.

1. Press Ctrl + T (Command + T on Mac) to open a new tab.
2. Click Customize Chrome at the bottom right.
3. Under Appearance, pick a background image, a Chrome theme or your own photo, and a color.
4. Under Shortcuts, choose My shortcuts to pick your own sites, or Most visited sites. Turn shortcuts off entirely if you prefer a clean page.

Chrome shows up to 10 shortcuts. To add one, click Add shortcut on the new tab page and paste the address.

How do I customize the new tab page in Edge and Brave?

• Edge: on a new tab, click the gear icon. Choose a layout, then set the background, quick links and the news feed (or turn content off).
• Brave: on a new tab, click Customize at the bottom right. Turn the background image, stats, top sites and clock on or off.

How do I put notes, links and to-dos on the new tab page?

Built-in new tab pages show sites, not your own work. A new tab extension replaces the page with your saved items.

• SuperCommands turns the new tab into a home page with workspaces and widgets: clocks, quote of the day, year progress, favorites and quick notes.
• Scenario: open a new tab and your Hiring workspace shows its notes, links and to-dos; press Alt + S to search anything else you saved.
• Change the look under Settings, Theme: dark or light themes, wallpaper, brightness and warm tint.
• Skip it if you like Google's search box on every new tab and nothing else.

SuperCommands is free and open source. The local version is 100% free, forever.

Why did my new tab page change back?

• Chrome asked "Change back to Google?" after you installed a new tab extension. Choose Keep it to keep the extension's page; Change it back restores Google's.
• Two extensions want the new tab. Only one can control it. Turn off the one you do not use under chrome://extensions.
• Your work account manages Chrome. Your company can lock the new tab page, so changes may not stick.

Which one should you pick?

• Pick Customize Chrome for a new background and your 10 most-used sites.
• Pick Edge's or Brave's settings to turn off the news feed and stats.
• Pick a new tab extension like SuperCommands if you want notes, links and to-dos on every new tab. See also how to organize too many tabs and our workspace manager comparison.

FAQ

How do I reset the new tab page in Chrome?

Open Settings, then Appearance, and click Reset to default next to Theme. If an extension controls the page, turn it off under chrome://extensions.

Can I set a website as my new tab page in Chrome?

Not in Chrome's settings. You can set startup pages and a home button page, but the new tab page itself needs an extension to change.

Why does Chrome show a different new tab page at work?

Company-managed Chrome can set or lock the new tab page. Check chrome://management to see if your browser is managed.