Set a New Homepage in Chrome Settings

Your Chromebook's homepage is the page that loads when you open a new tab or click the home button. To change it, open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then select Settings. On the left side, click Appearance.

Under the "Home button" section, turn on the toggle next to Show home button if it is not already on. Then click the text field below it that says "Enter custom web address" and type the full web address of the page you want as your homepage — for example, www.google.com or www.bbc.com. Press Enter to save.

The next time you click the home button (the house icon that now appears to the left of your address bar), you will land on that page. If you do not see a home button yet, refresh the page or close and reopen Chrome.

Key Takeaways

  • The home button must be turned on in Appearance settings before you can set a custom homepage.
  • You must type the full web address, starting with http:// or https://, or Chrome will not recognize it.
  • Your homepage setting applies only to new tabs opened with the home button — it does not change what appears when you first start your Chromebook.
  • You can change your homepage back to Google or any other site at any time using the same Settings menu.

What Happens When You Click the Home Button

Once you set a custom homepage, clicking the home button takes you directly to that page. The home button sits in your toolbar to the left of the address bar. If you do not see it, go back to Settings > Appearance and make sure the toggle for "Show home button" is turned on.

The home button is different from the back button. The back button retraces your steps through pages you have already visited. The home button always takes you to the same page — the one you set in your homepage field.

Changing Your Homepage Back to Google

If you want to return to Google as your homepage, open Settings > Appearance again. In the "Home button" section, click the text field and delete whatever address is there. Type www.google.com and press Enter.

You can also click the radio button next to "Google" if it appears as an option in your Appearance settings. Either method works — the result is the same.

Using a Blank Page as Your Homepage

Some people prefer to open to a blank page instead of a website. To do this, go to Settings > Appearance and look for the "Home button" section. Click the text field and type about:blank (with no spaces). Press Enter.

Now when you click the home button, a blank page will load. This is useful if you want a clean start each time without any distractions or automatic page loads.

Troubleshooting: Homepage Not Changing

If you have entered a homepage address but it is not loading when you click the home button, first check that you typed the full web address correctly. The address must start with http:// or https:// — for example, https://www.wikipedia.org, not just wikipedia.org.

If the address is correct but still not working, try closing Chrome completely and opening it again. Sometimes the browser needs to restart to explore new settings. You can also try clearing your browser cache by going to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data, then selecting "All time" and clicking Clear data.

If the home button itself is missing from your toolbar, return to Settings > Appearance and confirm that the toggle for "Show home button" is turned on. Wait a few seconds after turning it on — the button may take a moment to appear.

The Difference Between Homepage and Startup Page

Your homepage and your startup page are not the same thing. The homepage is what loads when you click the home button. The startup page is what appears when you first open Chrome or restart your Chromebook.

To change your startup page, go to Settings > On startup and choose one of three options: "Open the New Tab page," "Continue where you left off," or "Open a specific page or set of pages." If you choose the third option, you can enter a custom web address that will load every time you start Chrome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set multiple homepages?

Chrome's home button takes you to one page at a time. However, you can set your startup page to open multiple tabs by choosing "Open a specific page or set of pages" in Settings > On startup and entering several web addresses separated by commas.

Will changing my homepage affect other users on my Chromebook?

No. Each user account on a Chromebook has its own Chrome settings. If another person uses your Chromebook under a different account, their homepage will be separate from yours.

What if the website I want as my homepage does not load?

Check that you have typed the address correctly and that your internet connection is working. Try visiting that website directly in a new tab first to confirm it loads. If it does, copy the exact address from your browser bar and paste it into the homepage field in Settings.

Can I use a local file as my homepage?

Yes. If you have an HTML file saved on your Chromebook, you can use it as your homepage by typing file:/// followed by the file path — for example, file:///home/user/mypage.html. However, most people find it simpler to use a web address instead.