Chrome on Android uses the New Tab page for the home button out of the box. To make the home button open a specific site like your email or work dashboard, turn on the Homepage toggle and enter the URL you want.
You'll find the Homepage option under Advanced in Chrome's Settings. Want the default back? Turn the toggle off, or enter chrome://newtab in the same field.
In this guide, I have covered:
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Change the Homepage URL in Google Chrome on Android
The home button in Chrome for Android opens the New Tab page by default. To make it load a specific site like a work dashboard, your inbox, or a news page instead, set a custom homepage URL in Chrome’s Settings. For Google’s official walkthrough, see the Chrome help page on setting the homepage on Android.
The Homepage feature is turned off by default. You will not see a home icon in the address bar until you enable the toggle.
- Launch the Chrome app on your Android phone.
- Tap the More
menu in the top-right corner and choose Settings. - Scroll to Advanced and tap Homepage.
- Turn the Homepage toggle On.
- Select Open this page from the options that appear.
- Enter the URL you want to use and confirm it.
- Tap the back button to save the change and return to the main Settings screen.
- Look for the Home icon on the address bar and tap it to load your new URL.
If the home icon is missing, reopen Settings → Advanced → Homepage and check that the toggle is still on. To make the same change on a desktop browser, follow the steps to change the homepage URL in Chrome on a computer.
Switch the home button back to the New Tab page
To make the home button load the regular New Tab page again, open the Homepage setting, turn the toggle off, and back out.
TIP: You can also keep the Homepage toggle on and enter chrome://newtab in the URL field. That keeps the home icon as a quick shortcut to a fresh tab.
For other options under the same Settings menu, see view site settings and site information in Chrome on Android. If you want to control which sites can save cookies, the guide on allowing or blocking cookies in Chrome on Android walks through those permissions.
If you also want to pick which search engine fills the address bar, the guide on changing the search engine in Chrome on Android covers the New Tab shortcuts below the URL bar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the home button missing from Chrome on Android?
The home icon only shows in the address bar when the Homepage toggle is turned on. By default the feature is off, so most users will not see the icon until they enable it under Settings → Advanced → Homepage.
What is the difference between Homepage and the New Tab page?
The Homepage is a single URL that opens when you tap the home icon. The New Tab page is the page that loads when you open a fresh tab, and it can include shortcuts, recent sites, and a search box. They are independent settings, so changing one does not change the other. For more on managing new tabs, see how to open the Incognito and new tabs in Chrome on Android.
Can I set Chrome’s homepage to open on startup only?
Chrome on Android does not have a separate “open on startup” option. The homepage is the only setting that controls what loads when the app starts, so turning the Homepage toggle on is the way to land on a custom URL each time.
How do I verify the new homepage is working?
After saving the URL, return to any tab and tap the home icon in the address bar. The custom URL should load right away. If it loads the New Tab page instead, reopen Settings → Advanced → Homepage and confirm the toggle is on and the URL is correct.
I don’t just want it to set a certain site as the “home button”, I actually want the browser to launch with that site as the … home page. Instead, opening Chrome in android always defaults to the search bar regardless of home page settings.
So, then the question is: those pages I accidentally removed, how to get them back?
Cause they seem to be removed like forever.
You cannot recover the deleted pages. However, you can find them in Browsing History.
Hey does it possible to set custom shortcuts on the default Chrome homepage on Android?
Nope, we cannot change or add custom shortcut links on the homepage of Chrome for Android. The home page shortcuts or top sites are auto-generated based on the frequent interaction with that particular site.
Help me!
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