Use Settings → On startup to add or remove about:blank at launch. Use Settings → Appearance → Show Home button to control the Home button. Chrome treats these as separate settings.
First identify what you want to change
A blank page can appear when Chrome starts, when you use its Home control, when it restores a previous session, or after a website opens a new tab. These are different triggers. Change the setting that matches the moment you see it.
| Where blank appears | What controls it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| When Chrome launches | Settings → On startup | Remove a specific page or change the startup mode |
| When you select Home | Settings → Appearance → Show Home button | Choose New Tab or a custom address |
| After a website click | Popup/site permission or website code | Do not edit homepage settings |
| After a crash or restart | Continue where you left off | Close the tab and test a clean session |
Set a blank page in Chrome
For the Home button, use a custom address. For startup, add the address to the specific-page list.
- Open Settings. Select the three-dot menu in desktop Chrome, then Settings.
- Choose the target. For the Home button, open Appearance and turn on Show Home button. For launch behavior, open On startup.
- Enter the blank address. Choose the custom or specific-page option, enter
about:blank, and save. - Test the correct action. Select Home or fully quit and relaunch Chrome, depending on the setting you changed.
The browser creates its own empty document. It does not load this website or another remote homepage.
Stop about:blank opening in Chrome
- Open Settings → On startup. Remove
about:blankfrom “Open a specific page or set of pages.” Choose “Open the New Tab page” if preferred. - Review session restore. If “Continue where you left off” is selected, close the blank tab before quitting or choose a different startup mode.
- Review the Home button. Under Appearance, choose New Tab for Home or turn the button off.
- Retest with extensions isolated. If the tab returns, use a private window and disable recent extensions one at a time.
If the setting changes back, review extensions and whether the browser is managed. On a work or school device, ask the administrator before changing managed items.
If a blank tab appears after one link
The homepage setting is probably unrelated. Return to the original page, retry the action once, and check for a blocked-popup indicator. If the site genuinely needs a popup, allow it for that trusted site only. Keep global popup protection enabled.
Test the same action in a private window. If it works there, stored site data or an extension in your normal profile is the likely difference. If it fails in multiple current browsers, report the broken action to the site owner.
If the address says about:blank#blocked, use the dedicated blocked-navigation guide.
When a security check is appropriate
The blank document itself is not malware. Check further if homepage or search settings change without permission, unknown extensions return, or random ads and redirects appear across unrelated websites. In that case, update Chrome, remove unknown extensions, and run the operating system's trusted security scan.
There is no built-in infection with that name to remove. Use Chrome's own settings and your trusted operating-system security tools.
Chrome-specific notes
Chrome's New Tab page is not the same as the Home button or startup page. Chrome does not provide a native field for replacing every New Tab with any arbitrary URL; extensions that claim to do so receive permissions and should be evaluated carefully.
If settings changed suddenly, Google advises checking for unwanted software. On a Chromebook or managed computer, an administrator may control startup pages.
Official source
- Google Chrome Help: Set your homepage and startup pageBrowser-maker instructions used to verify this guide on August 1, 2026.