How do I change my new tab page in Chrome?

Chrome's own settings only change the background, colours and shortcuts of its new tab page. To replace the page itself, install a new tab extension such as OpenTabs from the Chrome Web Store, then open a new tab.

How do I get Chrome's default new tab page back?

Open chrome://extensions and turn OpenTabs off, or remove it. The next new tab is Chrome's own page again. Your OpenTabs settings live in your browser profile, so turning it back on brings them back.

Can two extensions change the new tab page at once?

No. Only one extension can replace the Chrome new tab page at a time. If another one already does, turn it off in chrome://extensions so OpenTabs can take over.

Yes. All of it is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0-or-later licence. There is no paid plan, no trial and no account needed.

Does it slow down opening a new tab?

No. The page ships about 19 KB gzipped, loads no WebAssembly and makes no network request when it opens. Everything it shows was prepared in the background beforehand.

A Chrome new tab page that shows your open tabs

OpenTabs is a free extension that replaces the Chrome new tab page with the tabs you already have open, from every window, grouped by site. Each site's tabs close in one click, duplicates close in one press, and a Merge windows button pulls every window into the one you are in. Above the tabs you can add a short briefing of your own: news topics, markets, weather, a calendar and a to-do list.

Add to Chrome See how it looks

Free and open source (AGPL-3.0-or-later). No account. Chrome 121 or later.

What Chrome's own new tab page does, and what it leaves out

Out of the box, the Chrome new tab page is a search box and a row of shortcuts to sites you visit often. The Customize Chrome panel changes its background, colours and shortcuts. None of that tells you what you already have open: with forty tabs across three windows, the page you see every time you press Ctrl+T (⌘+T on a Mac) says nothing about them.

An extension can replace that page. OpenTabs uses the slot for the thing you were about to go looking for: the list of tabs you have open right now.

How to change the Chrome new tab page to OpenTabs

Install it from the Chrome Web Store. It is listed as Tab Manager - Duplicates & Merge | OpenTabs. Press Add to Chrome and confirm.
Open a new tab. Your open tabs are already there, grouped by site. That part needs no configuration at all. If Chrome asks whether you meant to change your new tab page, keep the change.
Add a briefing, if you want one. Open Settings from the gear icon and turn on any group: topics, markets, weather, Focus (a to-do list) or a calendar. Every group is optional and off until you turn it on.

Prefer to load the build by hand, or using Edge or Firefox? Each browser, step by step: Install OpenTabs on Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

What you see on the new tab page

Every open tab, grouped by site. Tabs from all your windows sit in one list, grouped by site and sorted by what you touched last.
Click a row to go to that tab. It switches to the tab you already have open, in whichever window it is in, instead of opening a second copy.
Close a site's tabs at once. Each site group has a close all button, and each row has its own close button.
Close duplicates. When the same page is open more than once, a Close duplicates button closes the extra copies and keeps one.
Merge windows. With more than one window open, Merge windows moves every tab into the window you are in.
Old New Tab pages, closed for you. Turn it on in Settings and New Tab pages you opened and left behind close after a time you choose.
A search box. Searches go to your browser's own default search engine.

The page is about 19 KB and makes no network request when it opens. The extension does its fetching in the background beforehand, so a new tab is a single read from local storage. How that works: a new tab page that makes no network request.

What it does not do

It does not add wallpapers or speed-dial tiles. It replaces Chrome's page rather than decorating it.
It does not upload your tabs anywhere. They are read by the extension and stay in your browser, and the extension has no analytics or telemetry.
It does not need an account. Signing in is optional and only used to publish or like a pack on the marketplace.
It needs Chrome 121 or later, the version that reports when each tab was last used.

Also on Edge and Firefox

The same new tab page installs from Edge Add-ons and Firefox Add-ons, in one click each.

Questions about the Chrome new tab page

How do I change my new tab page in Chrome?: Chrome's own settings only change the background, colours and shortcuts of its new tab page. To replace the page itself, install a new tab extension such as OpenTabs from the Chrome Web Store, then open a new tab.
How do I get Chrome's default new tab page back?: Open chrome://extensions and turn OpenTabs off, or remove it. The next new tab is Chrome's own page again. Your OpenTabs settings live in your browser profile, so turning it back on brings them back.
Can two extensions change the new tab page at once?: No. Only one extension can replace the Chrome new tab page at a time. If another one already does, turn it off in chrome://extensions so OpenTabs can take over.
Is OpenTabs free?: Yes. All of it is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0-or-later licence. There is no paid plan, no trial and no account needed.
Does it slow down opening a new tab?: No. The page ships about 19 KB gzipped, loads no WebAssembly and makes no network request when it opens. Everything it shows was prepared in the background beforehand.

Back to OpenTabs, the new tab page for your open tabs.