Customize the New Tab Page in Google Chrome

Updated 10 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

You can customize Chrome’s new tab page by changing its background, choosing a theme color, and arranging the shortcuts shown beneath the search box. Open a new tab and select Customize Chrome—or the pencil icon, if shown—to see the options available in your version of Chrome.

What You Can Customize

Chrome’s built-in new tab page is more limited than a full webpage editor, but its main controls cover the parts most people want to change. Depending on your device, Chrome version, and account or organization settings, you may be able to adjust:

Background: Choose an image or collection from Chrome’s available categories, or select an image from your device when that option appears.
Color and theme: Pick a color combination for parts of the browser, including the toolbar and new tab page.
Shortcuts: Show frequently visited sites or choose and edit shortcuts yourself.
Cards and related content: In some versions, you can control whether certain content appears beneath the main page area.

These settings change the appearance and contents of the new tab page; they do not change your default search engine, home button behavior, or the page Chrome opens at startup. Those are separate settings.

Change the Background and Theme

Open a new tab in Chrome. The built-in new tab page should show the Google search box and, commonly, shortcuts.
Select Customize Chrome near the lower-right corner. In some layouts, this appears as a pencil icon or a similar customization control.
Look for the background or theme options. Choose a collection, image, or color that is available, then preview the result.
Select Done or close the customization panel if Chrome applies the choice immediately.

To use a personal picture, look for an option such as uploading an image. Choose a file you have permission to use and keep in mind that a large or visually busy picture can make shortcuts and text harder to see. If you do not see an upload option, your Chrome version or device may not offer it in that interface.

A theme can affect more than the new tab page. Chrome themes may change browser colors and other visible elements, so check the preview before applying one. To return to a plain appearance, open the customization controls and choose the default or reset option if available.

Manage New Tab Shortcuts

Shortcuts are the site icons displayed below the search box. Chrome may offer a choice between sites it selects from your browsing activity and shortcuts you add yourself. To change them, open Customize Chrome and look for Shortcuts or a similarly named section.

Choose My shortcuts or the manual option if you want to select the sites yourself.
Use Add shortcut to enter a name and web address, then save it.
Use the shortcut’s menu to edit or remove an item when those controls appear.
Choose the frequently visited option if you prefer Chrome to populate the row automatically.

A shortcut is a convenient link, not a bookmark folder or a setting that makes the site open automatically. For a page you want available across devices or organized into folders, use bookmarks instead. The exact number and layout of shortcuts can vary with window size and Chrome’s interface.

New Tab Page, Home Page, and Startup Page

These three features are easy to confuse. A new tab page appears when you open a new tab. The home page is what opens when you select the Home button, if you have enabled that button. The startup page is what Chrome opens when you launch the browser.

To change startup behavior, open Chrome’s three-dot menu and select Settings, then find On startup. To configure the Home button, look under Appearance in Settings. The wording and available choices can differ slightly by operating system or release. Changing either setting does not, by itself, redesign the new tab page.

Likewise, the search box on the new tab page does not necessarily mean Google is your default search engine. To change that preference, open Settings and look for Search engine. Keep these settings separate when troubleshooting: a customized background will not correct a search-engine choice or a startup-page problem.

Why Customization Options May Be Missing

If the customization button is absent, first check that the tab is showing Chrome’s standard new tab page. A website, extension, or managed browser policy may replace it, leaving no built-in control to customize. Open a fresh tab and check whether the address bar shows Chrome’s new-tab page rather than a website address.

Try these checks before changing advanced settings:

Update Chrome through its built-in About Chrome page, then reopen the new tab.
Temporarily disable a new-tab or appearance extension in Extensions, then check whether the standard page returns.
If the browser says it is managed by an organization, ask the administrator whether customization is restricted. Do not try to bypass a workplace or school policy.
Check whether you are using a supported desktop interface; customization choices can differ on phones and tablets.

If a saved background disappears, verify that you are using the same Chrome profile and that the image is still available on the device if you uploaded it. Sync can carry some Chrome settings between signed-in devices, but not every display choice behaves identically everywhere. An extension that replaces the new tab page may also hide Chrome’s own design.

Extensions and Alternatives

Chrome extensions can replace the new tab page with dashboards, to-do lists, or different shortcut layouts. This can offer more flexibility than the built-in controls, but an extension may request access to browsing data or other permissions. Review its requested permissions, publisher, and privacy information before installing it, and remove it if you no longer use or trust it.

You can also keep Chrome’s standard new tab page and use bookmarks, the bookmarks bar, or pinned tabs for quicker access. These approaches are often simpler if the main goal is reaching a few sites quickly rather than changing the whole page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a personal photo as my Chrome new tab background?
On supported desktop versions, open Customize Chrome and look for an upload-image option. If it is missing, that version, device, or managed setup may not support uploading there.

How do I remove shortcuts from a new tab?
Use Customize Chrome and its shortcut controls to choose a different shortcut mode. You may also be able to remove an individual shortcut from its menu.

Can I make a different website open every time I open a new tab?
Chrome’s standard new tab controls are for customizing its built-in page, not assigning a separate website to every new tab. Some extensions offer replacement pages, but review their permissions and privacy details first.

Why does my new tab open a different page?
A new-tab extension, browser management policy, or other configuration may be replacing Chrome’s standard page. Review installed extensions and check whether Chrome is managed.

Does changing the new tab page change what opens when Chrome starts?
No. Startup behavior is configured separately under Settings and On startup.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.