Web Browsers have evolved a lot in the past decade or so. They have become very feature-rich. However, in this process, the start page of almost every popular browser has become a bit clunky. The browsers show recently visited sites, news, weather, date, and a lot of other stuff. For some, it might be useful, but some users want their startup page to be clean and minimal. If you are one of such users, stick with this article. Here’re how you can set a clean, blank startup page in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Opera.
Make the Startup Page Clean and Blank in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera
Google Chrome
In comparison to other browsers, the default start page of Google Chrome is quite clean and clear. The only elements on the start page are the Google search box, shortcuts, and some links from Google. However, if you already decided to make the start page completely clean and blank, here is how you can do it.
Step 1: Type chrome://settings/onStartup in address bar. It might be set as Open the New Tab page change it to Open a specific page or set of pages.
Step 2: Click on add a new page and enter about:blank as the URL.
Step 3: Close Chrome and restart it. Now you will get a completely blank start page.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft has ditched Internet Explorer in favor of a new Edge browser. It is based on Chromium, the same engine that is used in Google Chrome. That’s why the steps needed to set a blank start-up page in Microsoft Edge are quite similar to Chrome.
Step 1: Type edge://settings/onStartup in the address bar and you will land directly on the On Startup settings. By default, it will be set to Open a new tab.
Step 2: Select Open a specific page or pages and click on Add a New Page. Enter about:blank as URL.
Step 3: Quit Edge and relaunch it and now the startup page will be completely blank.
Mozilla Firefox
In terms of giving users the option to set a blank page as a startup page, Firefox is far ahead of any other browser. No need to go through any workarounds as the option is in-built in the browser. All you need is to select the option by following the below steps.
Step 1: Type about:preferences#home in Firefox address bar. It will take you directly to the homepage settings. By default, it will be set as Firefox Home in both “Homepage and new windows” and new tabs.
Step 2: Click on the down-facing arrow and select Blank Page from the available options. This will change your new tab and homepage to a Blank Page.
Step 3: Close Firefox and relaunch. It’ll welcome you with a completely blank page as the startup page.
Opera Browser
Opera has added a lot of built-in settings lately to capture some browser market share from its competitors. But users have complained that the default Opera start page is very clunky. The complaints are true to an extent. But nothing to worry about as I will tell you two ways to make the Opera startup page completely clean.
Method 1
Step 1: Click on the Easy Setup icon at the top right corner.
Step 2: Below the Appearance, you will see a setting named Start page with all the toggles enabled by default.
Step 3: As you want a blank page as a startup page, disable all the toggles starting from Show Wallpaper to Show Weather.
Step 4: Now close Opera and reopen it. You will get a page that is completely blank except a Google search box.
Method 2
In case you want to remove the Google search box from startup page, follow these steps.
Step 1: Type opera://settings in the address bar. Then, scroll down until you found On startup settings. By default, it will be set to Begin fresh with the start page.
Step 2: Select Open a specific page or set of pages. Now, click on Add a new page and add about:blank in the Site URL.
Step 3: Close Opera and restart it. You will now get a truly blank startup page in the browser.
Final Words- Set Blank Startup Page in Your Browser
At first, it might seem challenging to make the startup page clean and clutter-free, but it is effortless. In terms of setting blank pages as startup pages, Firefox is way ahead of the competition, followed by Opera which also has built-in options to clean the startup page.
In the case of Chrome and Edge, you can set a clean, blank startup page by adding about:blank to open as a startup. I hope you will find this tip useful to get away with the cluttered experience on the browser’s home page.
