How to Customize the New Tab Page in Google Chrome

When you open a new, blank tab in Google Chrome, you are greeted by the “New Tab Page.” By default, this page displays the Google search bar surrounded by a grid of shortcuts linking to the websites you visit most frequently.

While some people love having their most-visited sites instantly accessible, others find it distracting or a potential privacy risk (especially if you share your computer with a coworker or family member and do not want them seeing your most frequented webpages). Google Chrome allows you to deeply customize the appearance of this New Tab page, from changing the background image to hiding the shortcuts entirely.

How to Change the Background Image

Staring at a blank white (or dark grey) screen all day is boring. You can swap the background for a high-quality photograph or a solid colour.

1. Open Google Chrome and open a new tab to view the New Tab page.
2. Look in the absolute bottom-right corner of the window for a small button labelled Customise Chrome (it may also appear as a small pencil icon). Click it.
3. A side panel will slide out on the right side of your screen.
4. Under the “Background” section, click Change theme.
5. You can choose to upload your own photograph by clicking “Upload an image,” or browse through Google’s curated galleries (such as Landscapes, Art, or Cityscapes).
6. Click on a category, and then click on an image you like. The background will instantly update.

(Tip: If you want a fresh look every day, turn on the “Refresh daily” toggle switch at the top of the image gallery).

How to Manage or Hide Your Shortcuts

Those eight circular icons sitting below the search bar are dynamically generated by Chrome based on your browsing history. You can change their behaviour or turn them off completely.

1. Open the Customise Chrome side panel again.
2. Scroll down to the section labelled Shortcuts.
3. By default, it is set to “Most visited sites.” If you prefer to manually curate your own list of bookmarks on the New Tab page, click on My shortcuts instead.
4. If you want a perfectly clean, minimalist New Tab page with zero icons, simply click the toggle switch labelled Show shortcuts to turn it OFF.

If you choose to keep the shortcuts active, you can hover your mouse over any specific icon on the New Tab page, click the three vertical dots that appear next to it, and select “Remove” to delete a specific website from the grid.

How to Change the Browser Theme Colours

Finally, you can change the color of the browser tabs and the toolbar to match your new background.

1. Open the Customise Chrome side panel.
2. Scroll down to the Colour and theme section.
3. Click on any of the pre-made color swatches to instantly tint the top edge of your browser window.
4. If you want to perfectly match a specific color from your new background photograph, click the first icon (the eyedropper tool) and use it to extract a custom color directly from the image.