Customize Opera Speed Dial: Full Guide

Yes, you can customize Opera’s Speed Dial page. You can add, remove, reorder, rename, and change the background image of the tiles that appear on every new tab. This guide walks you through all the built-in options, plus a few advanced tricks for power users.

Formula

The Speed Dial customization itself doesn’t use a formula—it’s a visual interface. However, the calculator above shows the formula for average pace and speed, which is useful for runners and cyclists who might also use Opera’s built-in timer or fitness apps. The pace formula is:

pace = finish time / distance

Where finish time is in minutes and distance is in kilometers. Speed is the inverse: speed = distance / (finish time / 60) to get km/h.

Worked Example

Using the defaults: finish time = 50 minutes, distance = 10 km. Pace = 50 / 10 = 5.00 min/km. Speed = 10 / (50 / 60) = 12.00 km/h. The calculator shows these results rounded to two decimals.

Why Customize Speed Dial?

Speed Dial is the page that appears when you open a new tab in Opera. It shows a grid of your most-visited sites, but you can also pin any site you want. Customizing it saves time, reduces visual clutter, and makes your browser feel more personal. You can group related sites (like work vs. personal), use custom images for tiles, and even add a notes widget or weather forecast.

How to Add and Remove Tiles

1. Open a new tab to see the Speed Dial grid.
2. Click the + (plus) tile at the end of the grid to add a new site. Type or paste the URL, then press Enter.
3. To remove a tile, hover over it, click the three-dot menu (⋯) that appears, and select Delete.
4. To reorder tiles, simply drag and drop them to a new position.

How to Change the Background Image

Opera lets you set a custom background for the Speed Dial page. Click the Settings (gear) icon on the Speed Dial page, then choose Background. You can pick from built-in images, upload your own photo, or set a solid color. The background applies only to the new tab page, not to the browser theme.

How to Rename and Edit Tiles

Hover over a tile, click the three-dot menu, and select Edit. You can change the title, the URL, and even the tile’s thumbnail image. Opera automatically fetches a screenshot, but you can upload a custom image if you prefer. To rename a tile, just type a new name in the title field.

Common Problems and Fixes

• Tiles not saving changes: Clear your browser cache or restart Opera. This usually fixes sync issues.
• Speed Dial missing after update: Check if you’re logged into Opera Sync. If not, your customizations may be stored locally and lost during an update.
• Custom image not showing: Make sure the image is in a supported format (JPG, PNG) and under 2MB. Very large images may fail to upload.
• Drag and drop not working: Try clicking and holding the tile for a second before dragging. If that fails, use the arrow keys in the edit menu to move tiles.

Advanced Customization Options

Opera also allows you to add widgets to the Speed Dial page, such as a clock, notes, or a to-do list. Click the + tile and select Widgets. You can also enable the Speed Dial folder feature to group multiple tiles into a folder—just drag one tile onto another to create a folder. For power users, Opera’s opera://flags page has experimental options like changing the number of columns, but these are unstable and not recommended for everyday use.

Comparison with Other Browsers

Firefox and Chrome have similar new-tab customization, but Opera’s is more integrated. Firefox requires add-ons for most customization, while Chrome’s default new tab page only shows recent sites. Opera’s Speed Dial is more like a hybrid of the two, offering built-in widgets and background images without extra extensions. Safari’s start page also allows customization, but it lacks the folder grouping that Opera offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I restore the default Speed Dial background?

Go to the Speed Dial settings (gear icon), then Background, and select Default. This will revert to the original wallpaper that came with your Opera theme.

Can I sync my Speed Dial across devices?

Yes, if you enable Opera Sync. Go to Settings > Sync, sign in, and make sure Speed Dial is toggled on. Your tiles, folders, and backgrounds will sync across all devices where you’re logged in.

Why does my Speed Dial show a blank tile?

This usually happens when the site’s thumbnail fails to load. Try refreshing the page, or edit the tile and manually set a custom image. If the tile is blank because the site is blocked, you may need to allow third-party cookies in Opera’s privacy settings.

Can I add a website that doesn’t have a favicon?

Yes, Opera will still create a tile with a generic icon. You can upload a custom image in the tile’s edit menu to replace it.

Is there a way to hide the Speed Dial entirely?

Yes, you can set a different page as your new tab page. Go to Settings > On startup, and choose Open a specific page or set of pages. Enter a custom URL, or use a blank page by typing about:blank.

Does customizing Speed Dial slow down the browser?

No, the Speed Dial customization is purely visual and doesn’t affect performance. However, using many high-resolution background images may use a bit more RAM, but the impact is negligible on modern computers.

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in t | Finish time | min | 50 | 0
in d | Distance | km | 10 | 0
out pace | Average pace | min/km | t / d | 2
out speed | Average speed | km/h | d / (t / 60) | 2