What Is the New Tab Page?

The new tab page is what you see when you press Ctrl + T ( Cmd + T on a Mac) or click the + next to your tabs. It is the screen that appears before you have typed anything, which makes it the page most people look at more often than any website.

Every browser ships its own version of the new tab screen, and every one of them can be changed. This guide explains what's on it, what it's called behind the scenes, and how to make it work for you.

What each browser shows on a new tab

Google Chrome

Chrome's new tab page shows a Google search box, a row of shortcut tiles and, depending on your account and region, cards such as "Resume browsing". A Customize Chrome button in the lower-right corner opens a side panel where you change the background, theme color, shortcuts and cards. If an extension has replaced the page, Chrome names it in the footer.

The full Chrome new tab page only appears when Google is your default search engine. With another search engine, Chrome falls back to a simpler page (more on that below).

Microsoft Edge

Edge shows a Bing search box, quick links and, by default, a feed of news and content from Microsoft. A gear icon at the top right opens Page settings, where you can switch layouts, change the background and hide or shrink the feed. With the Copilot new tab page turned on, Edge shows a Type a link or ask anything box and Copilot suggestions instead.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox calls its new tab page Firefox Home. It shows a search box, shortcuts to sites you visit, recommended stories in many regions, optional wallpapers and, in recent versions, widgets such as world clocks, a focus timer and a checklist. A pencil button in the bottom-right corner opens the customization panel, and the same options live in Settings › Home.

The new tab page's real address

Behind the scenes the new tab page is just a web page with a special address:

• chrome://newtab in Chrome (and Brave, which is built on Chromium)
• edge://newtab in Microsoft Edge
• about:newtab in Firefox (the home page is about:home)

You can type these into the address bar to open the default page directly. In Chrome, typing chrome://newtab still opens the new tab page that is currently active, so if an extension has taken over, you'll see the extension's page.

What is "new-tab-page-third-party" in Chrome?

If you see chrome://new-tab-page-third-party in your history or address bar, nothing is wrong. It is the simpler new tab page Chrome uses when your default search engine is not Google. Because the full Google version depends on Google search, Chrome shows this basic page with shortcut tiles instead, and the Customize Chrome panel isn't available. Switch your default search engine back to Google in Settings › Search engine and the regular page returns.

Note: If you didn't change your search engine yourself and new tabs suddenly show Yahoo, Bing or an unknown search site, an extension has probably taken over. See New tab page changed? How to get yours back.

New tab page vs home page

The new tab page is not the same as your home page. The home page is what the house-shaped Home button opens, and your startup pages are what opens when the browser launches. They can all be different pages. Chrome, Edge and Firefox let you set a custom website as your home page or startup page, but none of them has a regular setting to open a custom website on every new tab. We explain all three in New tab page vs home page vs startup pages.

Can you change the new tab page?

Yes, in two ways:

1. Customize the built-in page. Change the background, pick which shortcuts appear, hide news and cards. It takes a minute and needs nothing extra. See How to customize your new tab page, or the step-by-step guides for Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
2. Replace it with a new tab extension. Browsers allow one extension to take over the new tab page. That is how people get many more shortcuts, groups of bookmarks, widgets or a page that looks nothing like the default.

Why people replace it

The built-in pages are designed around search. That works if you start every visit by typing into a search box, but most people go back to the same few dozen sites every day. The default page runs out of room quickly:

• Chrome shows a single small set of shortcut tiles, with no folders or groups.
• Edge and Firefox mix your shortcuts with news, stories and sponsored tiles unless you switch them off.
• None of them lets you keep separate sets of sites for work and home on one page.

Turn the new tab page into your bookmarks

Speed Dial 2 replaces the new tab page with your sites as visual bookmarks, organized in groups, with search, a clock, tasks and notes. Free for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Brave.

Get Speed Dial 2  –  it's free

Is a new tab extension safe?

A new tab extension can see every new tab you open, so it's worth choosing carefully. Before you install one, check who publishes it, read its privacy policy, and look at the permissions the browser asks for. Be wary of any extension that changes your search engine, shows sponsored tiles you didn't add, or asks to read data on every website when it only needs to draw a new tab. Speed Dial 2 contains no analytics or tracking code, and free users' bookmarks stay in the browser.