Many of us have a favorite or frequently-visited website that we would like to display when opening a browser or clicking the home button. The following sections contain information on how to change the homepage for many of the popular Internet browsers. To proceed, select your browser from the list below and follow the steps.
Google Chrome
In the Google Chrome browser, you can set a new homepage and startup page. The following sections show you how to do both.
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Microsoft Edge Legacy
- Internet Explorer
- Safari
- Opera
How to change your homepage
This option requires you to first enable the Home button in Chrome, and then set a URL for the homepage.
Open the Chrome browser.
Click Menu in the top-right corner of the screen.
Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
Select the Appearances tab on the left side of the screen.
Under the Appearances section, set the toggle switch next to Show home button to the on position.
Type in a new home page URL and click the radio button next to it.
In the upper-left corner of the browser, next to the address bar, click the icon to test out your new homepage.
How to change your startup page
This option changes the page that loads when you first open the browser.
- Open the Chrome browser.
- Click Menu in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
- Select the On startup tab on the left side of the screen.
If you add multiple pages using this option, Chrome loads them all when it launches.
In the center of the screen, click the radio button next to Open a specific page or set of pages. To add a new startup page, click Add a new page.
Type in the URL of the page and click the Add button.
Mozilla Firefox
To change the homepage in the Mozilla Firefox browser, follow the steps below.
As we mentioned above, the entries you see listed open when you launch Chrome. To remove any extras, click the icon to the right of it and select Remove.
If you want to set the page(s) you currently have open as your startup page, click the Use Current pages button.
Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.
Click the Menu icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
On the left, click the Home selector.
Under the Home section, click the box next to Homepage and new windows.
Select Custom URLs from the drop-down menu.
Type in the URL for your desired homepage.
In the upper-left corner of the browser, click the Home icon to test out your new homepage.
Microsoft Edge
To change the homepage in the Microsoft Edge browser, follow the steps below.
If you want to set the page you currently have open as your homepage, click the Use Current page button. Use Bookmark lets you choose from a previously-stored favorite.
Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
Click the More icon in the upper-right corner.
Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
On the left side of the page, click the Appearance selector.
In the Customize toolbar section, click the toggle switch next to Show home button so that it’s in the on position (A). Then, click the second radio button and type in the URL for your preferred homepage (B). Finally, click the Save button (C).
In the upper-left corner of the browser, click the icon to test out your new homepage.
Microsoft Edge Legacy
To change the homepage in the Microsoft Edge Legacy browser, follow the steps below.
- Open the Microsoft Edge Legacy browser.
- Click the More icon in the upper-right corner.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
- Under the Open Microsoft Edge with section, select A specific page or pages.
- Enter the web address you’d like for your homepage and click the icon.
- In the upper-left corner of the browser, click the icon to test out your new homepage.
Internet Explorer
To change the homepage in the Internet Explorer browser, follow the steps below.
To add more homepages to choose from, click + Add new page and repeat the steps above.
To remove a homepage option, click the X to the right of the entry.
Open the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.
Click Tools in the upper-right corner.
Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu that appears.
Under the General tab, in the Home page section, type the URL of the web page you want to set as your home page (A). Then, click Apply (B) and OK (C).
To see if your new homepage is set correctly, click the Home icon.
Safari
To change the homepage in the Safari browser, follow the steps below.
If you want the page you have open set as your homepage, click the Use Current button.
Open the Safari browser.
Click the selector in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Select Preferences from the drop-down menu that appears.
Under the General tab in the Home page field, type the URL of the web page you want to set.
Close the current window.
To see if your new homepage is set correctly, click the Home icon.
Opera
Opera no longer has a Home button or homepage setting like most other browsers. The only option is to change the startup page that loads when you open the browser.
If you want the page you have open set as your homepage, click the Set to Current Page button.
- Open the Opera browser.
- Click the button in the upper-left corner.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
If you add multiple pages using this option, Opera loads them all when it launches.
In the left window, select Advanced to expand the menu, then click Privacy & security.
Scroll down to the On startup section. Click the radio button next to Open a specific page or set of pages. To add a new homepage, click Add a new page.
As we mentioned above, the entries you see listed open when you launch Opera. To remove any extras, click the icon to the right of it, and then select Remove.
If you want to set the page you currently have open as your homepage, click the Use Current page button.
Related information
- Best websites to set and use as your homepage.
- How to change the default language of an Internet browser.
- How to change the theme of your Internet browser.
- How to reset default settings in an Internet browser.
- How to change your browser’s default search engine.
- How to prevent or fix a web browser being hijacked.
- See the homepage definition for further information and related links.
- Internet browser help and support.
