Why Does the Welcome Screen Keep Appearing?
When you install Google Chrome on a new computer or create a new Chrome profile, the browser immediately forces you into a full-screen “Welcome to Chrome” setup wizard. This screen aggressively prompts you to sign into a Google account, set Chrome as your default browser, and import bookmarks.
If you are a system administrator deploying Chrome to dozens of computers, or if you simply prefer using Chrome locally without ever signing into a Google account, this mandatory setup screen is an annoying roadblock. You can permanently bypass this wizard using a command-line switch.
How to Disable the Chrome Welcome Screen
You can force Chrome to skip the setup process by editing its desktop shortcut.
- Locate the Google Chrome shortcut on your Windows desktop (or taskbar).
- Right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
- Ensure you are on the Shortcut tab.
- Look for the text box labelled Target:. It will contain the path to the Chrome application, usually ending in
chrome.exe". - Click inside the Target box and place your cursor at the very end of the text, outside the final quotation mark.
- Press the Spacebar once to add a space, then type the following command exactly:
--no-first-run- The end of the Target line should now look something like this:
...chrome.exe" --no-first-run - Click Apply, then click OK.
The next time you launch Google Chrome using this specific shortcut, it will completely ignore the welcome wizard and drop you directly into a clean, empty New Tab page, ready for immediate browsing without requiring a Google login.