What you can change on Chrome's home page

When you open a new tab in Google Chrome, you see a background image, a search box, and shortcuts to your most-visited sites. You can change the background image to a photo of your choice, a solid color, or one of Chrome's built-in themes. The search box and shortcuts stay in the same place — you are only changing what appears behind them.

Chrome calls these background images "themes" when they come from Google, and "custom images" when you upload your own. Both methods take less than a minute. The change appears only on your computer or device — it does not affect Chrome on other devices you own, and other people using the same computer will see their own backgrounds if they have their own Google account.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the pencil icon in the bottom right corner of any new tab to open the background editor.
  • Chrome offers built-in themes organized by color and mood, or you can upload a photo from your computer.
  • You can also upload a photo directly from your device's camera roll or photo library without saving it to your computer first.
  • Your background choice is saved to your Google account, so it will appear on any device where you sign into Chrome with the same account.
  • You can remove a custom background and return to Chrome's default at any time by clicking the trash icon.

Finding and clicking the background editor

Open Google Chrome and click the plus sign (+) to open a new tab. Look at the bottom right corner of the page — you will see a small pencil icon. Click it. A menu will appear with options to change your background.

If you do not see the pencil icon, make sure you are on a new tab page (not a website). The icon only appears on the new tab page, not when you are browsing the web. If you still do not see it, try refreshing the page by pressing Ctrl+R on Windows or Command+R on Mac.

Choosing a built-in Chrome theme

After you click the pencil icon, you will see a section labeled "Themes" with several colored squares. These are Chrome's pre-made backgrounds. Click any square to preview it — the background will change when ready so you can see how it looks. If you like it, the change is saved automatically. If you want to try another, just click a different square.

Chrome organizes these themes by color and mood — you might see options labeled "Blue", "Ocean", "Forest", or "Sunset". Scroll through the available themes by clicking the left and right arrows if more options appear than fit on your screen. There is no wrong choice — you can change it again whenever you want.

Uploading a photo from your computer

To use your own photo as a background, click the pencil icon on a new tab, then look for an option that says "Upload from device" or shows a folder icon. Click it. Your computer's file browser will open. Navigate to the folder where your photo is saved, click the photo, and click "Open" or "Select".

Chrome will resize your photo to fit the new tab page. The photo does not need to be a specific size — Chrome handles photos that are too large or too small. Once you select the photo, it becomes your background when ready. If the photo does not look the way you expected, you can delete it and try another one.

Using a photo from your phone or camera roll

If you are using Chrome on a phone or tablet, you can upload a photo directly from your device's camera roll or photo library without saving it to your computer first. Click the pencil icon, then tap "Upload from device". Your phone will open your photo library. Tap the photo you want to use, and it will become your background.

On an iPhone, you may see options to choose from "Photos", "Camera", or "Files". On an Android phone, you will see your photo library. Either way, the process is the same — find the photo you want and tap it. The photo will be resized to fit, just as it would on a computer.

Removing a background and returning to default

If you want to go back to Chrome's original background, click the pencil icon on a new tab. Find the background you are currently using — it will have a checkmark or be highlighted. Look for a trash icon or delete button near it. Click the trash icon to remove your custom background.

Once you delete a custom background, Chrome will return to its default appearance. You can upload a new photo or choose a theme whenever you want. Removing a background does not delete the photo from your computer — it only stops using it as your Chrome background.

What happens when you sign into Chrome on another device

Your background choice is saved to your Google account, not just to your computer. If you sign into Chrome on a different computer, phone, or tablet with the same Google account, your background will appear there too. This means you can set a background on your work computer and see the same background when you open Chrome on your personal laptop.

If you do not want your background to sync across devices, you can change it on each device separately. The background on one device does not affect the background on another device if you are signed into different Google accounts. If you share a computer with someone else and you each have your own Google account, you will each see your own background when you sign in.

Troubleshooting common problems

If you uploaded a photo but it does not appear, make sure the file is in a format Chrome supports — JPG, PNG, and GIF files work. If the file is very large (over 10 MB), try resizing it or converting it to JPG before uploading. If you still have trouble, try refreshing the new tab page by pressing Ctrl+R or Command+R.

If the pencil icon does not appear, you may be using a version of Chrome that is out of date. Open Chrome's menu (the three vertical dots in the top right), click "Help", then click "About Google Chrome". Chrome will check for updates and install them automatically. After updating, restart Chrome and the pencil icon should appear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a photo that is not saved on my computer?

On a phone or tablet, yes — you can choose directly from your camera roll or photo library. On a computer, you need to save the photo first or have it in a folder you can access. You cannot upload a photo directly from a website or email without saving it to your computer first.

Will my background change if I update Chrome?

No. Your background is saved separately from Chrome's software. When Chrome updates, your background stays the same. Updates only change how Chrome works, not what you have customized.

Can I set different backgrounds on different browsers?

This article covers Chrome only. Other browsers like Firefox, Safari, and Edge have their own background or theme settings, but they work differently. You would need to change the background in each browser separately.

What if I want to use a background from a website I found?

Right-click the image on the website and select "Save image as" or "read image". Save it to a folder on your computer, then follow the steps to upload it from your device. Once it is saved, you can use it as your Chrome background.

Does changing my background affect my bookmarks or passwords?

No. Your background is purely visual. Changing it does not touch your bookmarks, passwords, browsing history, or any other Chrome settings. It only changes what you see on the new tab page.