Set a specific webpage to load when you open Chrome

When you open Chrome, it shows either a blank page, your most visited sites, or whatever you set as your homepage. You can change this to any webpage you want — your email, a news site, a work dashboard, or multiple tabs at once. The setting takes about 30 seconds and lives in Chrome's settings menu.

Chrome calls this your "home page" and keeps it separate from your search engine choice. You can have Google as your search engine but load a different site when you click the home button or open a new window.

Key Takeaways

  • Chrome's home page setting controls what loads when you open the browser or click the home button, and you can set it to any single URL or multiple tabs.
  • You reach the home page setting through Chrome menu > Settings > Appearance, where you toggle "Show home button" on and enter your preferred URL.
  • If you want multiple pages to load at once, you can enter several URLs separated by line breaks in the same field.
  • Your home page is different from your search engine — you can search with Google but load a different site as your homepage.
  • If you use a work or school account synced to Chrome, your administrator may have locked the home page setting and you will need to contact them to change it.

Turn on the home button and choose your page

Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings from the menu. On the left side, click Appearance.

Look for the section labeled Home button. Toggle the switch to turn it on. Two radio button options appear below it: "New Tab page" and "Open a specific page or set of pages." Click the second option.

A text field appears. Type or paste the full web address of the page you want to load — for example, https://gmail.com or https://www.bbc.com. Include the https:// at the start. Click outside the field or press Enter. Chrome saves the change automatically.

Load multiple pages when Chrome opens

If you want Chrome to open several tabs at once, you can enter multiple URLs in the same field. After you toggle on "Open a specific page or set of pages," type the first URL, then press Enter to move to a new line. Type the second URL, press Enter again, and repeat for as many pages as you want.

Each URL must be on its own line and include the full address starting with https://. When you open Chrome or click the home button, all of those pages will load in separate tabs.

Use the home button to return to your page

Once you set your home page, a home button appears in Chrome's toolbar — it looks like a small house icon to the left of the address bar. Click it anytime to jump back to your chosen page or pages.

If you do not see the home button, go back to Settings > Appearance and make sure the toggle next to "Home button" is switched on. The button only appears when the setting is active.

What happens when you open a new tab versus a new window

Your home page setting only controls what loads when you click the home button or open a new window. Opening a new tab (Ctrl+T on Windows, Command+T on Mac) still shows the New Tab page with your shortcuts and search bar, unless you change a separate setting.

If you want new tabs to also load your home page, you would need to use an extension or change your browser startup settings. The home page setting itself does not affect new tabs — only new windows and the home button.

Troubleshoot if you cannot change your home page

If the home page setting is grayed out or you cannot type in the URL field, your Chrome account may be managed by a school, workplace, or organization. Managed accounts often have restrictions that prevent users from changing certain settings.

Contact your IT department or account administrator to ask them to unlock the home page setting. They can change it for you or give you permission to change it yourself. If you are using a personal Chrome account and the setting is still locked, try signing out and back in, or reinstalling Chrome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a different home page on my phone or tablet?

Chrome on Android and iOS does not have a home page setting the way the desktop version does. You can set a search engine and customize your New Tab page, but you cannot set a specific URL to load when you open the app. The home button feature is only available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

What if I want my home page to be a local file on my computer?

You can use a local file as your home page by typing file:/// followed by the path to the file. For example, file:///C:/Users/YourName/Documents/mypage.html on Windows or file:///Users/YourName/Documents/mypage.html on Mac. The file must be in HTML format for Chrome to display it correctly.

Does changing my home page affect my search engine?

No. Your home page and your search engine are separate settings. You can search with Google but load a different site as your homepage, or vice versa. The search engine setting is in Settings > Search engine, and the home page setting is in Settings > Appearance.

Will my home page setting sync across my devices?

Yes, if you are signed into the same Google account on multiple devices, your home page setting will sync to all of them. If you change it on your laptop, it will automatically update on your desktop and other devices using that account.