In the early days of the internet, every web browser had a prominent “Home” button shaped like a little house. Clicking it would instantly teleport you back to your favorite starting page, like Google or Yahoo.
In an effort to create a cleaner, more minimalist design, Google Chrome hides the Home button by default. However, if you miss the convenience of a one-click return to your favorite website, you can easily bring it back.
How to Turn On the Home Button
Enabling the button takes only a few seconds in the settings menu.
- Open Google Chrome on your computer.
- Click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner of the window.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Appearance.
- Look for the option labeled Show home button.
- Click the toggle switch to turn it ON.
The moment you click the switch, a small house icon will instantly appear in the top-left corner of your browser, just to the left of the address bar.
How to Choose Your Homepage
By default, clicking the new Home button will simply open a standard “New Tab” page featuring the Google search bar. While this is useful, the true power of the Home button is making it open a specific website of your choice.
Immediately underneath the “Show home button” toggle you just activated, you will see two options:
- New Tab page: This is the default setting.
- Enter custom web address: Click the empty circle next to this option.
Once you click the second option, a text box will appear. Type the full web address of the site you want to use as your home base. For example, you could type https://mail.google.com to always return to your inbox, or https://www.nytimes.com to return to your favorite news site.
There is no “Save” button to click. Chrome will automatically save your preference. You can now close the settings tab, click the house icon in your toolbar, and watch as your custom homepage instantly loads.