This wikiHow teaches you how to change your browser's home page. You can make changes to the desktop versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Safari, as well as the Android versions of Chrome and the mobile versions of Firefox.
Step
Method 1 of 7: Google Chrome (Desktop Version)
Step 1. Open
Google Chrome.
The browser is marked by a yellow, green, red, and blue ball icon.
Step 2. Click
It's in the upper-right corner of the Google Chrome window. A drop-down menu will appear after that.
Step 3. Click Settings
It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Click Show home button
It's near the top of the " Appearance " heading. Once clicked, the home icon will appear to the left of the browser's URL bar.
If the switch to the right of the text " Show home button ” is blue, the “Home” button is already displayed in the browser window.
Step 5. Select the main page option
You have two options under the “Show home button” heading:
- “New Tab page” - An empty tab will be opened when you click the “Home” button. Usually, this tabbed page displays the most frequently visited sites.
- ” Enter custom URL” - Enter the address of the website (eg "www.google.com") that you want to set as the browser's home page. This bar may already contain a URL, and you will need to delete the URL before entering a new URL. This option may also be displayed as a blank column/row.
Step 6. Enter the URL if necessary
If you checked the box next to the " Enter custom URL " option (or an empty bar or an existing URL), type the address of the website you want to use as your home page, then press Enter. The site you enter will be set as the main Google Chrome page.
Skip this step if you select the option “ New Tab page ”.
Method 2 of 7: Google Chrome (Android Version)
Step 1. Open
Google Chrome.
This app is marked by a red, yellow, green, and blue ball icon.
Step 2. Touch
It's in the upper-right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear after that.
Step 3. Touch Settings
This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Touch Home page
You can see this option at the bottom of the " Basics " settings group.
Step 5. Touch the white “Off” switch
The switch color will change to blue
. With this option, the main page feature will be enabled in the browser.
If the switch is blue, Chrome is already showing a “Home” button
Step 6. Touch Open this page
This option is under the “ On ” at the top of the page.
Step 7. Touch the URL already displayed
This URL is at the top of the page.
If you don't see any URLs, touch the text field that appears
Step 8. Type in the address of the site you want to use
Often, addresses need to be entered in the format "www.[website].com". However, you'll need to check the URL of the site in question to make sure it's not ending in a ".net" or ".org" domain.
For example, if you want to set Facebook as your browser's home page, enter "www.facebook.com"
Step 9. Touch Save
The site entered will be set as the main page of the browser.
Method 3 of 7: Firefox (Desktop Version)
Step 1. Open Firefox
The browser is marked by a blue globe icon surrounded by an orange fox.
Step 2. Click
It's in the upper-right corner of the Firefox window. After that, a drop-down menu will be displayed.
Step 3. Click Options
It's in the middle of the drop-down menu.
On a Mac computer, click “ Preferences ”.
Step 4. Click the Home tab
It's in the top-left corner of the "Options" page.
Step 5. Click the "Homepage and new windows" drop-down box
This box is at the top of the page. Once clicked, a drop-down menu will appear.
Step 6. Click on Custom URLs…
This option is in the drop-down menu. A new text field will be displayed after that.
If you only want to use a blank page as the main page of your browser, click the “ Blank page ” and skip all the next steps in this method.
Step 7. Click the "Paste a URL… " text field
This column is below the " Custom URLs… " drop-down box.
Step 8. Enter the website address
Type in the website you want to use as your browser's home page, then press Enter. The new settings in the browser will be saved afterwards.
You can access the main page directly from the settings page by clicking the "Home" button in the top left corner of the page
Method 4 of 7: Firefox (Mobile Version)
Step 1. Open Firefox
The app is marked by a blue globe icon surrounded by an orange fox.
Step 2. Touch (iPhone) or (Android).
It's at the bottom of the screen (iPhone) or in the upper-right corner of the screen (Android).
Step 3. Touch Settings
It's at the bottom of the pop-out menu (iPhone) or at the bottom of the drop-down menu (Android).
Step 4. Touch Homepage
This option is displayed in the "General" settings group.
On Android devices, touch the tab “ General ” first, then select “ Home ” at the top of the page.
Step 5. Touch the “Enter a webpage” field
This column appears at the top of the page. After that, the device keyboard will be opened.
On Android devices, touch the option “ Set a Homepage, then select " Custom ”.
Step 6. Touch the “Enter a webpage” field
This text field is at the top of the page. If the main page has been set, this field will be filled with the address of the main page that is currently active.
Skip this step for Android device users
Step 7. Type in the address of the site you want
Often times, you will need to enter an address in the format "www.[website].com". However, double-check the desired URL to make sure it doesn't end in a ".net" or ".org" domain. Once entered, the site will be set as the home page of the browser.
- For example, if you want to set Twitter as your browser's home page, you'd type "www.twitter.com".
- On the Android device, touch “ OK ” to save changes.
Method 5 of 7: Microsoft Edge
Step 1. Open Microsoft Edge
This browser is marked by a dark blue icon and a white “e” above it.
Step 2. Click
It's in the upper-right corner of the browser window. A drop-down menu will appear after that.
Step 3. Click Settings
It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Scroll down and click View advanced settings
This option is at the bottom of the “Settings” menu.
Step 5. Click the "Show the home button" toggle
It's at the top of the "Advanced Settings" menu. Once the switch is clicked, a house-shaped icon will appear on the left side of the URL bar.
If the “On” label is displayed next to the switch, the “Home” button is already activated in your browser
Step 6. Click the column next to the “Home” button toggle
This column is usually labeled "Start page". A drop-down menu with the following options will appear:
- ” Start page ” - This option is used to display the “Windows Start” page which can be modified based on the location and application usage on the computer.
- ” New tab page ” - This option serves to display empty tabs.
- ” A specific page ” - This option works to open a web page from the URL you choose.
Step 7. Click the desired option
If you click " A specific page ”, you need to type the URL of the desired site (eg "www.google.com") in the " Enter a URL " field and press Enter key. Changes will be saved and the selected site will be set as Edge's home page.
Method 6 of 7: Internet Explorer
Step 1. Open Internet Explorer
This browser is marked by an icon that looks like a light blue “e” with a gold band.
Step 2. Click “Settings”
It's in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
Step 3. Click Internet options
It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Enter the address of the site you want to use
Type the address into the text field below the " Home page " heading at the top of the " Internet Options " window.
- Most sites have a "www.[website].com" format. However, you'll need to double-check your site's URL to make sure it's not ending in a ".net" or ".org" domain.
- If you want to use a blank tab as the main page of your browser, select “ Use new tab " You can also choose " Use default ” to use the computer manufacturer's website.
Step 5. Click Apply, then select OK.
After that, the changes will be saved and applied to the browser.
Method 7 of 7: Safari
Step 1. Open Safari
This browser is marked by the blue compass icon which is usually displayed in the Dock of Mac computers.
Step 2. Click the Safari menu
It's in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will open afterwards.
Step 3. Click Preferences…
This button appears at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Click the General tab
This option appears in the upper-left corner of the “Preferences” window.
Step 5. Enter the address of the site you want to use in the "Homepage" field
This column is displayed at the top of the browser window.
- Most sites use the "www.[website].com" format. However, double-check the site URL to make sure it doesn't end in a ".net" or ".org" domain.
- If the field is already filled with URLs, first delete the URL before typing the address you want to use.
Step 6. Close the “Preferences” window
The site you typed in will be saved as the main Safari page.
