How to Customise the New Tab Page in Google Chrome with Custom Backgrounds and Shortcuts

Whenever you launch Google Chrome or open a fresh tab, the default New Tab page greets you with a stark white canvas, a Google search box, and a cluster of algorithmically suggested website thumbnails. Over weeks and months of web browsing, these automated suggestions often turn messy—displaying forgotten one-off websites, outdated shopping links, or unwanted duplicate portals instead of your essential daily resources.

Google Chrome features a comprehensive personalisation panel accessible right from the New Tab page. Without installing external launcher extensions that slow down browser startup or collect tracking data, you can upload high-resolution personal wallpapers, select curated landscape collections, establish customized colour palettes across the address bar, and manually pin your most crucial shortcuts. This guide demonstrates how to customise your Chrome New Tab page.

Accessing the Chrome Customisation Side Panel

Opening the built-in appearance controls takes only a single click on any standard New Tab page:

1. Open a new tab in Chrome by pressing Ctrl + T (or Command + T on macOS).
2. Look at the very bottom-right corner of the window.
3. Click the Customise Chrome button (represented by a pencil icon or text button).
4. A dedicated Customise Chrome drawer will slide out along the right edge of your browser.

Changing Background Themes and Uploading Custom Wallpapers

You can transform the visual atmosphere of your browser using personal images or Google’s high-definition artist collections:

1. In the side panel, click Change theme at the top.
2. To use your own artwork, desktop wallpaper, or family photograph: Click Upload an image, browse your computer’s folders, select any JPEG, PNG, or WebP file, and click Open.
3. To explore curated categories: Browse Google’s photo libraries such as Landscapes, Earth, Cityscapes, Textures, or Art. Click any collection and select a specific scene.
4. Daily Wallpaper Refresh: Inside any category collection, toggle on Refresh daily to automatically cycle through stunning new high-resolution images every morning.

Matching Chrome Chrome Accents to Your Theme

To establish visual harmony across your entire browser window:

1. Scroll down to the Colour section within the Customise Chrome panel.
2. Select one of the harmonious colour swatches (such as marine navy, forest green, warm amber, or rose quartz) to tint your top tab strip, Omnibox, and sidebars.
3. Alternatively, click the Custom colour dropper icon to enter an exact hex code matching your desktop wallpaper.

Curating and Pinning Website Shortcuts

By default, Chrome populates the New Tab page based on algorithmic browsing frequency. You can take full manual control over these icons:

1. In the side panel, scroll down to the Shortcuts section.
2. Choose between two display modes:
   • My shortcuts: Hand-curated by you; links only change when you edit them.
   • Most visited sites: Automatically suggested based on your browsing history.
3. Select My shortcuts to pin permanent bookmarks.
4. On the New Tab page itself, hover over any existing shortcut thumbnail, click the three dots, and select Edit shortcut or Remove.
5. To add a new portal: Click the Add shortcut (+) tile, type a concise name (e.g. Gmail or Project Board), paste the full URL, and click Done.

Hiding Shortcuts for a Minimalist Aesthetic

If you prefer an entirely distraction-free, clean background showcasing only your wallpaper and search bar:

1. Open the Customise Chrome side panel.
2. Under the Shortcuts toggle group, switch the Hide shortcuts toggle to On.
3. All shortcut tiles will vanish immediately from your screen.