This very short tutorial will show you how to change the Firefox 12.0 new tab homepage to something more useful. This only works in versions of Firefox 12.0 and after before doing this please update your version of Firefox.
Changing the new tab homepage from the blank white screen is a question that I am always asked about yet before the current version this was difficult to do without add-ons. When you press new tab in Firefox you are presented with a pretty useless blank page as your new tab homepage and most of us would like it to open on something useful.
You can simply change the new tab homepage when you press new tab via some advance settings in Firefox. Changing this setting means no more white screen, instead you get whatever page you want whether it be Google (like me), another search engine or some other site.
Edit: This method also works in the latest version of Firefox 13.0. Although they have changed the new tab homepage to be a bit more useful this is still the best to set a new tab to open a particular page
Accessing Firefox advance settings
First of all open a new Firefox window and type in the address bar about:config. You will be presented with a page that confirms you want to enter like below (Click images to enlarge)
It should be noted that you really don`t want to mess around in these settings unless you know what you are doing as you can cause your browser to become very unstable.
This security message is just to confirm that what you are about to do can be damaging if you change any settings that you should not.
If you follow the instructions what we are doing should not affect the performance of the browser.
Like the image on the left we now need to scroll down the page until we find the setting in the left column that says browser.newtab.url
Click on the the link so it is highlighted blue and then right click and select modify. A box will pop up asking for the address you want to open when opening a new tab. Put the address in here and press OK.
For example we have put www.computerlearnhow.com and this is the new tab homepage that we get when opening a new tab
Once you have done close down the config window and press a new tab. You should see the page you set to be your new tab homepage.
30 comments
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dirkventura
May 13, 2012 at 7:51 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks, worked like a charm!
Craig
May 13, 2012 at 8:00 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Glad it helped I know how frustrating that blank page is
vineela
May 14, 2012 at 7:14 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I have tried the same, but the new tab still opens the Funmoods Search. Can anyone please suggest
Craig
May 14, 2012 at 7:42 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
The funmoods search toolbar is a PUP (Potentially unwanted program) that ingrains itself in the browser. You should be able to disable the addon in the addon part of the toolbar. If you dont it will just keep reseting the homepage. Its a piece of software you dont really want on your PC. Take a look at this link http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/how-do-i-eliminate-funmoods/9a743911-7a50-4b54-8450-347dce4c9beb?msgId=3b194cfc-038f-4f29-9384-50e0c2da97c9
Nick Bulbeck
June 6, 2012 at 10:05 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks – worked perfectly.
I had wondered before about whether to try that, but didn’t dare in case I made Firefox dangerously unstable etc – nice to find someone who knows what they’re doing!
Craig
June 6, 2012 at 10:12 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Anytime. I am suprised it has not been made an option in the latest version as so many people have asked me how to go about doing it. Glad it helped
Mike W
June 8, 2012 at 8:02 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you so much!!! I’ve been wanting this ever since they took it away, I forget how many versions ago. I wish when they change stuff, they would give us a way to keep the old way. I still hate that the Home icon got moved all the way over to the right side of the screen. I get used to one way and develop “muscle memory” where I don’t think about the operation, my hands just do it. When they move stuff around it messes me up! I love Firefox, but they really irritate me when they keep rearranging my screen!
Craig
June 8, 2012 at 8:04 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
LOL well Im glad it helped it is frustrating when you get used to one way and then they change it
LaughingJohn
June 12, 2012 at 12:02 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Just wanted to add my thanks to the others, very handy indeed!
Craig
June 12, 2012 at 12:29 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Your welcome John
John C
June 13, 2012 at 1:39 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Very happy thanks for the help it works a charm, I was getting some random search site rather than the blank page bu tthis fixed it.
Craig
June 13, 2012 at 8:33 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
No problem John glad to know it helped I know how annoying it is when things change.
Heather H
June 16, 2012 at 2:46 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Nice! So glad to have found an answer to this issue! Thanks a million!!! (-:
Craig
June 18, 2012 at 11:12 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
No problem Heather anytime. Glad it helped
Nan
June 17, 2012 at 1:56 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I chose the Google Search homepage for my new tabs. Does anyone know how to automatically place the cursor in the search box?
paolo
June 28, 2012 at 10:12 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thanks a lot Craig
not that happy with firefox though
Craig
June 28, 2012 at 10:45 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Your welcome Paolo
Tom
August 10, 2012 at 1:40 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you Craig! I thought I might have to install an add-on and grateful that you posted the means to modify Firefox itself. Much cleaner!
Craig
August 10, 2012 at 6:28 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Anytime. Glad it helped Tom.
vipin
August 11, 2012 at 5:44 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
It works! I was fad up with an intruder. Thanks.
Craig
August 11, 2012 at 7:01 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Anytime
alec tutureanu
August 11, 2012 at 6:51 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank it really helped
Craig
August 11, 2012 at 7:02 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Anytime your welcome
Taylor
August 21, 2012 at 5:20 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
IMesh is my newtab homepage and i am SICK OF IT when i followed your directions, the option browser:newtab:url doesn’t even show up. Any idea how to help me? I’ve already deleted IMesh out of my computers programs but it will not disappear!
Craig
August 21, 2012 at 7:57 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You need to be using the latest version of Firefox.
missnikkinor@aol.com
August 30, 2012 at 3:06 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This worked, until I closed my browser and then it came right back to this imesh.com crap!
Craig
August 30, 2012 at 3:10 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Are you sure its not your homepage that you want to change? This shows you how to change the new tab not the homepage. To change the homepage go to tools, options and then the general tab. In the homepage part change the homepage to something else and click apply. Your homepage should change when you open your browser.
Barry the Lunar-tic
September 2, 2012 at 2:12 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
That worked like a dream, thanks for making it so easy
Rakesh
September 4, 2012 at 5:37 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Awesome
I was unable to get rid of that stupid “incredible page” loading on new tabs……..uninstalled from control panel, all my browser addons…the issue still persisted…………..but this thing worked ..
thanks a lot
Katie
September 13, 2012 at 11:54 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
thank you so much! been trying to get rid of the babylon.com browser that somehow made its way to my tab homepage. I now have it back to google! Thanks again!