How to Customise the On Startup Action in Google Chrome

Every time you launch Google Chrome on your computer, the browser determines which tabs, dashboards, or portals to display based on your configured startup behaviour. Whether you prefer starting afresh with a blank New Tab page, resuming your exact previous browsing session, or automatically opening a curated set of work tools, Chrome provides complete control over its initial launch sequence.

Tailoring this behaviour saves time during morning workflows, eliminates repetitive manual bookmark clicking, and ensures your essential productivity resources load instantly upon opening the browser.

Choosing Between Chrome’s Three Startup Modes

Google Chrome organises its launch mechanics into three primary operational modes:

• Open the New Tab page: Launches Chrome with a standard search bar, quick shortcuts to your most visited websites, and customizable wallpaper backgrounds. This is ideal for general browsing without clutter from past sessions.
• Continue where you left off: Restores all tabs and browser windows that were open when you last closed Chrome. If the browser unexpectedly crashes or your machine restarts during system updates, this mode reliably reconstructs your complete workspace.
• Open a specific page or set of pages: Automatically initiates one or multiple designated URLs simultaneously (such as your company intranet, webmail portal, task manager, and calendar) every time Chrome launches.

How to Change Your Startup Behaviour in Google Chrome

To configure your preferred startup settings in Chrome on Windows, macOS, or ChromeOS:

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Click the three-dot Menu icon located in the upper-right corner of the window.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu (or type chrome://settings/onStartup into the address bar and press Enter).
4. In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click On startup.
5. Select the radio button corresponding to your preferred mode:
   • Open the New Tab page
   • Continue where you left off
   • Open a specific page or set of pages

How to Configure Specific Startup Pages and Sets

If you selected Open a specific page or set of pages, you can define exactly which web addresses appear on launch:

Adding Pages Manually

1. Click Add a new page.
2. Type or paste the complete website URL (for example, https://mail.google.com).
3. Click Add to save the entry.
4. Repeat this process for any additional portals you require.

Capturing All Currently Open Tabs as Your Startup Set

If you currently have your ideal work environment open across multiple tabs and want Chrome to replicate this exact setup every time you launch:

1. Open all the relevant tabs in your active Chrome window.
2. Navigate to chrome://settings/onStartup.
3. Under Open a specific page or set of pages, click Use current pages.

Chrome will instantly snapshot all active URLs in that window and populate them into your startup list. You can subsequently remove or edit individual items using the three-dot menu next to each listed URL.

Managing Startup Behaviour Across Multiple Profiles

If you maintain separate Chrome profiles for personal and business use, each profile stores its own independent “On startup” configuration. Modifying startup pages while using your work profile will not impact the personal profile, allowing you to maintain tailored digital workspaces for every context.