When people think about browser homepages, they usually mean the website that appears when they first open their browser and the page they visit when clicking the home button. In many modern browsers, including the default browser on our top-rated Chromebooks, these are two separate things.

Google Chrome doesn't have what you would call a homepage when using its default settings. Instead, the browser opens to your startup page. You also won't find a home button next to the Omnibox unless your tweak the settings.

That said, you can change the startup page on Chrome, and you turn on activate the missing home button and set its homepage. So, if you want to make navigating easy or have the homepage you want at the ready when you open Google Chrome, here's how to make it happen.

Change Google Chrome's startup pages on the desktop

Google Chrome uses the same user interface on both the Windows and Mac versions. The screenshots below show Chrome for Mac. Windows users can follow the same steps to change the Chrome startup pages.

  1. Launch Google Chrome on the desktop.
  2. Near the upper-right corner of Google Chrome, click the three vertical dots to open the drop-down menu.
  3. In the drop-down menu, select Settings. It opens a new tab displaying the settings menu in Google Chrome.
    Open Google Chrome Settings
  4. Select On Startup from the left sidebar.
  5. You have three options to choose from. Select the third option, Open a specific page or set of pages.
  6. Select Add a new page.
    set a page as startup on Chrome
  7. Enter the URL for the desired startup page, then click Add.
    enter website address in Chrome
  8. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to add more startup pages.

You have successfully changed which pages Google Chrome opens every time. The next time you close Chrome and open it again, each page you listed opens in a separate tab.

Activate the home button and set its URL

If you don't see a home button beside the Chrome address bar, follow the steps to enable it.

  1. Open the Chrome Settings menu (refer to the steps above).
  2. In the left pane, select Appearance.
  3. If the Show Home Button switch is turned off, enable it.
    enable show home button in Chrome
  4. You'll see two options: New Tab page and Enter custom web address. Select Enter Custom web address.
    Entering a custom web address in Google Chrome's "appearance" menu
  5. Type or paste the website address you want to use as your homepage.
    select Chrome home button

After completing this final step, you'll see a home button to the left of the address bar at the top of Google Chrome. Clicking the home button takes you to the page you selected.

Set the New Tab page as the homepage in Google Chrome

If you want to revert to the New Tab as the main page at Chrome startup, go through the steps below.

  1. Open the On start-up menu in the Google Chrome Settings (check the steps above).
  2. Click the radio button beside Open the New Tab page.
    new tab as startup in Chrome

From now on, when you launch Google Chrome, the browser greets you with a familiar page showing Google search at the top and shortcuts to frequently-visited websites below it.

Customize the New Tab page in Google Chrome

Another advantage of using the New Tab page at startup is customization options. You can apply a stunning wallpaper or a picture of your choice, hide frequently visited websites for privacy reasons, and apply a theme to level up your Chrome experience. Let's go through them.

  1. Launch Google Chrome on the desktop.
  2. Select Customize Chrome in the lower-right corner.
    customize chrome on desktop
  3. Upload a background wallpaper from your desktop or pick one of the built-in ones.
    change chrome background
  4. Move to the Shortcuts menu to apply suggestions based on websites you visit often. You can hide website shortcuts from the same menu.
    hide chrome shortcuts
  5. As the name suggests, the Color and theme menu lets you change the feel and look of the Chrome browser.
    change chrome theme

How to set your Chrome homepage on Android

Unlike on the desktop, the Android version of Google Chrome treats the homepage and the startup page as the same thing. Changing the homepage setting changes the website you visit by tapping the home button, and it changes the page that opens every time you launch the app. Here's what you have to do to make it happen:

  1. Near the upper-right corner of Google Chrome, tap the three vertical dots to open the drop-down menu.
  2. Select Settings in the drop-down menu.
  3. Scroll down until you reach the Advanced settings, then select Homepage.
    head to Settings in Chrome for Android
    select Chrome homepage on Android
  4. If the homepage button is turned off, tap it to turn it on.
  5. You can select Chrome's homepage or enter a custom web address. Select Enter custom web address. This may be filled in with another web address. Either way, select the second option.
  6. Type or paste the desired web address into the field.
    Enable chrome homepage on Android
    enter chrome homepage address on Android

Your new custom homepage loads when you start the Chrome app or tap the home button.

How to tweak the Chrome homepage on iPhone

Unlike Android, you can't set a specific web page to open at Chrome startup on iPhone. You only get frequently visited websites, a Google search bar, and a Discover menu to glance over the news. You can long-tap on a website shortcut to remove it.

chrome shortcuts on iPhone
remove a website shortcut from Chrome

To disable Discover, tap the Settings gear at the top and select Turn Off.

turn off Google discover feed in Chrome for iPhone

Doing more with Google Chrome

Changing your homepage only scratches the surface of the options for customizing Google Chrome. The browser also lets you choose your own themes and add the new intelligent toolbar button, among other features.

Google frequently releases new Chrome builds to add new features, fix bugs, and keep it secure from vulnerabilities. You can read our dedicated post to keep track of all the Chrome releases.