How to Set a Custom Website as Your Default New Tab in Google Chrome (2026)

Chrome doesn’t let you change the new tab page to a custom URL through its built-in settings. Every time you press Ctrl+T (or Cmd+T on Mac), you get Chrome’s default New Tab Page with a Google search bar and shortcut tiles — and there’s no setting to swap it for a website of your choice. This guide walks you through every working method to override that behavior in 2026, from simple extensions to startup page workarounds.

Understanding Chrome’s Three Page Types

Before diving into solutions, it helps to understand that Chrome has three different “pages” that people often confuse. Getting the terminology right saves you from changing the wrong setting.

Page Type	When It Appears	Can You Set a Custom URL?
New Tab Page	When you press Ctrl+T / Cmd+T or click the “+” button	No (requires an extension)
Startup Page	When you first launch Chrome	Yes (built into Settings)
Homepage	When you click the Home button in the toolbar	Yes (built into Settings)

The new tab page is the only one Chrome locks down. Startup pages and the homepage can both be changed to any URL directly in Settings → On Startup or Settings → Appearance. If you actually need to change your startup page or homepage rather than the new tab page, skip to the “Startup Page and Homepage Settings” section below — no extension needed.

Method 1: Custom New Tab URL Extension (Recommended)

The simplest and most reliable method uses the Custom New Tab URL extension, which has been available on the Chrome Web Store since 2019 and was last updated in November 2025. It’s lightweight, open-source, and does exactly one thing: redirects every new tab to a URL you specify.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Open Chrome and go to the Chrome Web Store. Search for “Custom New Tab URL” by clicking the search bar and typing the name, or navigate directly to the extension’s listing page.
2. Click “Add to Chrome” in the top right of the extension page.
3. In the confirmation popup, click “Add Extension.”
4. Click the puzzle piece icon (Extensions menu) in Chrome’s toolbar, located to the right of the address bar.
5. Find “Custom New Tab URL” in the dropdown list. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to it.
6. Select “Options” from the dropdown.
7. In the Options page, check the box next to “Enabled.”
8. Type or paste the full URL you want (including https://) into the URL field. For example: https://todoist.com or https://notion.so.
9. Close the Options tab. Open a new tab with Ctrl+T to confirm it loads your chosen website.

Why This Extension Works Best

Custom New Tab URL is a minimal extension that requests only the permissions it needs (override the new tab page). It doesn’t collect browsing data, inject ads, or bundle additional features. The extension has over 200,000 users and a 4+ star rating on the Chrome Web Store.

Method 2: New Tab Redirect Extension

If you want an alternative, New Tab Redirect is another reliable option. It was last updated in November 2025 and carries a 4.83 rating. The setup process is nearly identical.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for “New Tab Redirect.”
2. Click “Add to Chrome” → “Add Extension.”
3. Click the puzzle piece icon in Chrome’s toolbar.
4. Find “New Tab Redirect” and click on it (or click the three-dot menu → Options).
5. Enter your desired URL in the redirect field.
6. Click Save.
7. Open a new tab to verify the redirect is working.

Method 3: Use Chrome’s Startup Page Setting (No Extension Required)

If your main goal is seeing a specific website when you open Chrome — rather than every time you open a new tab — the built-in startup page setting handles this without any extension.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. In the left sidebar, click “On startup.”
4. Select “Open a specific page or set of pages.”
5. Click “Add a new page” and type or paste your URL.
6. Click Add. You can add multiple pages if you want several tabs to open at launch.

This approach loads your chosen site(s) every time Chrome starts, but new tabs still show the default Chrome page.

Method 4: Set a Custom Homepage

Chrome also lets you assign a custom homepage that loads when you click the Home button in the toolbar.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Open Settings → Appearance.
2. Toggle on “Show home button” if it’s not already enabled.
3. Select “Enter a custom web address” and type your URL.
4. The Home button now appears in your toolbar (to the left of the address bar). Clicking it loads your custom page.

This doesn’t affect new tabs, but combined with a keyboard shortcut (Alt+Home on Windows, Cmd+Shift+H on Mac), it gives you quick one-key access to your chosen site.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If your new tab extension stops working or you keep seeing Chrome’s default page, run through these fixes in order.

Extension Is Disabled or Missing

Chrome updates occasionally disable extensions. Type chrome://extensions in your address bar and verify your new tab extension shows as enabled (the toggle should be blue). If it was removed, reinstall it from the Chrome Web Store.

Conflicting Extensions

If you have multiple new tab extensions installed, they can conflict with each other. Only one extension can control the new tab page at a time. Disable all new tab extensions except the one you want to use.

Chrome Briefly Flashes the Default Page

Some users see Chrome’s default New Tab Page flash for a split second before the extension redirects. This is normal behavior — Chrome loads its built-in page first, then the extension overrides it. The flash is typically less than half a second and there’s no way to eliminate it completely.

Extension Lost Settings After Chrome Update

After a major Chrome update, extension settings occasionally reset. Open the extension’s Options page (puzzle piece icon → three-dot menu → Options) and re-enter your URL.

Antivirus or Security Software Interference

Security software like AVG, Norton, or Malwarebytes can sometimes disable browser extensions it considers suspicious. Check your security software’s blocked extensions list and whitelist your new tab extension if needed.

Local File URLs Not Loading

If you’re trying to redirect to a local HTML file (like file:///C:/my-page.html), you need to grant extra permissions. Go to chrome://extensions, find your new tab extension, click Details, scroll down, and toggle on “Allow access to file URLs.”

Which Method Should You Use?

For most people, Method 1 (Custom New Tab URL extension) is the best choice. It’s simple, lightweight, and does exactly what the article title promises — makes every new tab open to your chosen website.

Use Method 3 (Startup Pages) if you only care about what appears when you launch Chrome and don’t want to install an extension. Use Method 4 (Homepage) if you want a quick-access button to a specific site without changing your new tab behavior.

Setting a custom new tab page in Chrome has required an extension for years, and as of 2026, Google still hasn’t added a native option. The extensions listed here are well-maintained and trusted by hundreds of thousands of users, so they’re your best bet for the foreseeable future.