Set a New Home Page in Chrome in Three Steps

Your Chrome home page is the page that loads when you click the home button or open a new window. To change it, open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then select Settings. On the left side, click On startup. Choose Open a specific page or set of pages, then click Add a new page and type the web address you want. That address will now load every time you start Chrome or click the home button.

If you do not see a home button in your toolbar, you can add one. In Settings, scroll down to Appearance and toggle Show home button to on. You can then choose whether that button goes to your homepage or to the previous page you were viewing.

Chrome remembers your choice across all your devices if you are signed into the same Google account on each one. If you use Chrome on a work computer where someone else manages your settings, you may not be able to change the home page — your administrator can lock this setting.

Key Takeaways

  • Your home page is set in Chrome Settings under On startup, where you choose Open a specific page or set of pages.
  • You can set multiple pages to open at once by clicking Add a new page for each one you want.
  • The home button does not appear by default; you must enable it in Appearance settings if you want to use it.
  • If your Chrome is managed by an organization or administrator, the home page setting may be locked and unchangeable.

Add Multiple Pages to Open at Startup

Chrome lets you open more than one page when you start the browser. In Settings, go to On startup and select Open a specific page or set of pages. Click Add a new page once for each website you want to load. Type the full web address — for example, gmail.com or bbc.com — and click Add. All the pages you add will open in separate tabs the next time you start Chrome.

This is useful if you check the same sites every morning. You can set Gmail, your news site, and your work dashboard to all open at once. If you later want to remove one, hover over it in the list and click the trash icon.

Use the Home Button to Jump Back to Your Homepage

The home button is a small icon that takes you directly to your homepage with one click. Chrome does not show it by default, but you can turn it on. Open Settings, click Appearance on the left, and toggle Show home button to on. The button appears to the left of the address bar.

When you enable the home button, Chrome asks whether you want it to go to your homepage or to the previous page you were viewing. Choose Open the home page if you want it to always load your set homepage. Choose Open the page you were on if you want it to act like a back button instead. You can change this choice anytime in the same Appearance section.

Understand the Difference Between Home Page and Startup Pages

Chrome has two separate settings that can confuse people. Your home page is what loads when you click the home button. Your startup pages are what load when you open Chrome itself. They do not have to be the same.

You can set Chrome to open your last browsing session when you start it, instead of loading a specific page. In Settings, go to On startup and select Continue where you left off. This way, Chrome remembers all the tabs you had open and reopens them. Your home button will still go to whatever page you set separately.

Troubleshoot When Your Home Page Will Not Change

If you change your home page but it does not stick, a few things might be happening. First, check whether your Chrome is managed by an organization. In Settings, scroll to the bottom and look for a message that says "Your browser is managed by your organization." If you see this, your administrator has locked the home page setting and you cannot change it.

Second, make sure you are typing a full web address. Chrome needs the complete URL — for example, www.google.com or www.wikipedia.org. If you type only a word or partial address, Chrome may not recognize it. Third, check that you clicked Add after typing the address. If you typed it and closed the window without clicking the button, the change will not save.

If you are signed into multiple Google accounts, make sure you are in the right account. Your home page setting is tied to whichever account you are signed into. Signing out and back in with a different account will show that account's home page instead.

Set a Local File or Blank Page as Your Homepage

You are not limited to websites. You can set Chrome to open a blank page, a local HTML file on your computer, or a file stored on your network. In Settings under On startup, click Add a new page and type one of these:

  • about:blank — opens a completely blank page with nothing on it
  • file:///C:/Users/YourName/Documents/mypage.html — opens an HTML file from your computer (replace the path with your actual file location)
  • file:///path/to/your/file — on Mac or Linux, use forward slashes and the correct path to your file

A blank page loads fastest because there is nothing to read. A local HTML file is useful if you have created a personal dashboard or notes page that you want to see every time you open Chrome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing my home page in Chrome change it in other browsers?

No. Each browser has its own settings. If you use Firefox, Safari, or Edge, you must change the home page in each one separately. Chrome settings do not affect other browsers on your computer.

Can I set a different home page for each user account on my computer?

Yes, if each user has their own Chrome profile or their own Windows/Mac user account. Each Chrome profile stores its own home page setting. If you share a computer but each person signs into their own Google account in Chrome, you can each have a different homepage.

What happens if I clear my browsing data — will my home page setting disappear?

No. Your home page setting is stored separately from your browsing history, cookies, and cached files. Clearing your browsing data will not change your homepage. Your home page choice stays until you manually change it again.

Can I make the home button go to a different page than the startup page?

Yes. Set your startup pages in On startup settings, and set your home page in Appearance settings. They work independently. You can have Chrome open three tabs when it starts, but have the home button go to a completely different page.