How to change the new tab page in Chrome, with or without an extension

To change the new tab page in Chrome, click Customize Chrome at the bottom right of any new tab to change the theme, shortcuts and cards, or install an extension to replace the page entirely. If you want the new tab to be useful rather than just different, install AyeTab, a free extension that puts developer tools on every tab and runs them offline.

Below are both routes step by step, plus how to tell which extension owns your new tab and how to undo it.

Before you start: three pages people mix up

Chrome has three pages that sound alike, and each is set in a different place.

Only the startup page and the homepage accept a web address in Settings. The new tab page itself changes through Customize Chrome or an extension.

Method 1: change it with Customize Chrome

This works without installing anything. Google's help page says you need to be signed in to your Google Account and use Google as your default search engine.

1. Open a new tab.
2. Click Customize Chrome at the bottom right.
3. Under Appearance, choose Change theme. Pick a theme from the gallery or select Upload an image to use your own picture. Turn on Refresh daily inside a collection if you want a new background each day.
4. Under Shortcuts, choose My shortcuts or Most visited sites, or turn off Show shortcuts to hide them.
5. Turn cards on or off if you do not want suggestions below the search box.
6. Pick Light, Dark or Device mode.

To undo, open the same panel and select Reset to Default Chrome at the bottom.

Method 2: replace it with an extension

An extension can take over the whole page. Here is how with AyeTab, our pick for anyone who works in the browser:

1. Open AyeTab's page on the Chrome Web Store, linked from ayetab.com.
2. Click Add to Chrome and confirm.
3. Open a new tab. You now see a list of tools on the left and the selected tool on the right.
4. Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) to search for a tool, or simply paste a JSON blob, JWT, Base64 string or URL and AyeTab suggests the tool for it.
5. Star the tools you use most so they stay at the top.

Every AyeTab tool runs locally in the browser. There is no account, nothing you paste is uploaded, and it works offline once installed. Its own page notes that replacing the new tab needs no extra permission; it asks only for side panel and storage access. If you prefer to keep Chrome's normal page, the same tools are on the web at app.ayetab.com.

Other extensions follow the same install steps. Momentum gives you a daily focus page with a free plan and a paid Plus plan, Bonjourr a minimalist page, and Tabliss a page full of widgets and backgrounds. Install one at a time, so you always know which one is in charge.

How to see which extension controls your new tab

Chrome can show a footer on the New Tab page. According to Google, if an extension controls your new tab, you will find it named there. If the footer is hidden, turn it on under Footer in the Customize Chrome panel.

How to get the default new tab back

1. Go to chrome://extensions.
2. Find the extension that controls the new tab.
3. Switch it off, or click Remove.

The next tab you open shows Chrome's default page again. If a new tab page you never chose keeps coming back, Google advises checking for unwanted software and resetting your browser settings.

Which method to choose

Customize Chrome is enough if you only want a new background and fewer shortcuts. If you want the tab to save you time, an extension is the better route, and AyeTab is the one that hands developers working tools instead of another dashboard.