Firefox desktop lets you control what loads every time you open a new browser window or a new tab. You can pick the default Firefox Home page, a blank page, or your own custom URLs.
The choices live on the Home panel inside Settings and apply to every fresh window you launch, including the ones opened by the Home toolbar button.
In this guide, I have covered:
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What the Firefox Homepage and New Windows Setting Controls
Firefox on desktop lets you pick exactly what loads when you open a new browser window or a new tab. You can choose the default Firefox Home page, a blank page, or your own list of custom URLs. The setting lives on the Home panel inside Settings and applies every time Firefox launches a fresh window or you click the New Tab button.
This is a desktop-only feature. Firefox for Android and iOS use a different layout, and the custom-URLs option described below is not available on either mobile platform.
Open the Firefox Home Settings Panel
You can reach the relevant panel in two ways. Use whichever is faster.
Method one, through the menu: click the hamburger menu 
at the top right of Firefox and choose . In the left sidebar, click .
Method two, with an address bar shortcut: type about:preferences#home in the address bar and press . Firefox jumps straight to the Home panel.
You will land on a section titled “New Windows and Tabs.” It contains two dropdowns stacked on top of each other.
Pick What Opens When Firefox Starts a New Window
The first dropdown is labeled “Homepage and new windows.” It controls what loads when you launch Firefox, open a new window from the menu, or click the Home button on the toolbar.
Open the dropdown and pick one of the three options:
Firefox Home (Default) loads the new tab page with Top Sites, recommended stories, and recent activity.
Custom URLs… reveals a text field where you can type or paste one or more URLs. Separate multiple URLs with the pipe character (|), for example https://example.com | https://news.example.com. Each URL opens in its own tab when a new window starts.
Blank Page loads about:blank, which is useful if you prefer to type or click straight into your destination every time.
Two helper buttons appear under the text field once you pick Custom URLs: (fills the field with every URL from your currently open tabs) and (lets you pick a saved bookmark folder). Either button is faster than typing URLs by hand.
Pick What Opens in a New Tab
The second dropdown is labeled “New tabs.” It controls what loads when you press + (or click the plus button) inside an existing window.
The choices here are intentionally simpler:
Firefox Home (Default) opens the standard new tab page.
Blank Page opens about:blank.
Firefox does not include a “Custom URLs” option for new tabs. The custom-URL behavior only applies to new windows. If you need a specific page to open in every new tab, install an extension like New Tab Override, or edit browser.startup.homepage inside about:config.
Your choice takes effect immediately. The next tab you open will use the selected page.
Show the Home Button on the Firefox Toolbar
The dropdowns above apply whenever Firefox decides to open a home page. To trigger that home page with a single click, you can add a Home button to the toolbar.
Right-click an empty spot on the toolbar and pick . Drag the Home icon from the palette onto the toolbar wherever you want it, then click .
Clicking that Home icon loads whatever you picked in the “Homepage and new windows” dropdown. If you picked Custom URLs, every listed URL opens at once in its own tab.
How This Works on Firefox for Android and iOS
Firefox for Android has its own setting called Opening Screen, accessed from the main menu under then . You can pick Homepage, Last tab, or Firefox Home (Default). The custom-URL behavior described above is not available on Android.
Firefox for iOS does not expose a custom homepage in the same way, because Apple’s platform restrictions limit that capability.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of the Android layout, see our guide on changing the home screen in Firefox for Android.
Quick Verification Checklist
After you change either dropdown, run through this short list to confirm everything works as expected.
Open a fresh window with +. It should load the page you chose for new windows. If you set Custom URLs, every listed URL should appear as a separate tab.
Open a new tab with +. It should load the page you chose in the “New tabs” dropdown, which is Firefox Home or Blank Page only.
Restart Firefox once and repeat the two checks. Settings persist across restarts, so a clean restart confirms your choice is saved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my custom URL not load in new tabs?
Firefox only honors custom URLs for the “Homepage and new windows” dropdown. The “New tabs” dropdown is limited to Firefox Home or Blank Page. Use an extension such as New Tab Override, or change browser.startup.homepage in about:config, if you need a custom URL in every new tab.
How do I open several pages at startup?
Pick Custom URLs… in the “Homepage and new windows” dropdown and enter each URL separated by a pipe character. For example: https://mail.example.com | https://calendar.example.com. You can also click to fill the field with your currently open tabs in a single step.
My Home button is missing from the toolbar. How do I get it back?
Right-click the toolbar and choose to open the customization palette. Drag the Home icon onto the toolbar and click . The Home button then loads whatever page your “Homepage and new windows” dropdown is set to.
Does this setting apply to Private windows?
No. Private windows always open with a blank tab or the private new tab page, independent of the Homepage and new windows setting. You can read more in our guide to private browsing and new tabs in Firefox on computer.
Where did the old “Show my home page” checkbox go?
Modern Firefox reorganized these choices into the “New Windows and Tabs” section on the Home panel. The three options (Firefox Home, Custom URLs, Blank Page) replace the older checkbox layout, and your previous selection is preserved when you upgrade.
