Chrome opening the wrong page every time you launch it gets old fast. Change its startup settings to open your favorite website, several sites, or the tabs you left behind. The Home button has its own setting, so you'll find that covered here too.
Set the page Chrome opens at startup
On your Windows PC, Mac, Linux computer, or Chromebook, open Chrome's More menu.
Select Settings.
Choose On startup.
Select Open a specific page or set of pages.
Click Add a new page.
Enter the website address you want Chrome to open.
Click Add to save it.
Repeat Add a new page for each additional website you want waiting at startup.
Your startup page and homepage are different
The names sound interchangeable, but they control different things. A startup page opens when you launch Chrome; your homepage opens when you select the Home button. To set that button's destination, go to More > Settings > Appearance, enable Show Home button, and choose the New Tab page or enter a custom address.
Prefer a fresh start? Select More > Settings > On startup > Open the New Tab page. This opens the New Tab page without assigning a specific website.
To pick up your previous browsing session, select More > Settings > On startup > Continue where you left off. Chrome restores that session instead of opening a fixed list of addresses.
The older Open the home page startup option is no longer a current choice. To open the same website at startup and through the Home button, enter its address in both settings.
Use the tabs you already have open
No need to copy every address. Open the tabs you want Chrome to use as your startup pages.
Go to More > Settings > On startup.
Select Open a specific page or set of pages.
Click Use current pages.
If the resulting list isn't what you wanted, enter each address through Add a new page and click Add. Use the controls below to edit or remove unwanted entries.
If Chrome opens extra or outdated pages
An unwanted address left in your startup-page list opens alongside the sites you actually want.
Return to More > Settings > On startup > Open a specific page or set of pages.
Open More beside the address you want to change.
Select Edit to update that address.
For an entry you no longer need, open its More menu.
Select Remove.
If an unwanted page keeps coming back after you change the list, check for extensions and unwanted software using the fixes below.
On Android, change the homepage
Open Chrome on your Android phone or tablet.
Tap More.
Select Settings.
Under Advanced, tap Homepage.
Choose Chrome's homepage or enter a custom page.
Remember that this sets the Android homepage, not a desktop-style startup-page list; Chrome on iPhone and iPad doesn't offer a custom homepage setting.
Fix an opening page that keeps changing
Start with the extension controlling your opening page, then work through the remaining fixes if the problem continues.
Open More > Extensions > Manage extensions.
Turn off the extension controlling your opening page, or select Remove and confirm with Remove.
Set your preferred pages again under More > Settings > On startup.
If the unwanted page returns, open More > Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults.
Then select Reset settings. This preserves bookmarks and saved passwords but affects other settings and extensions. Applicable profile settings also reset across signed-in devices.
Configure your startup pages again under More > Settings > On startup.
If unwanted software repeatedly changes the setting, remove it before resetting Chrome and configuring startup pages again.
On Windows, open Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
Select the unwanted application, and choose Uninstall.
On Mac, open Finder > Applications.
Right-click the unwanted application, and select Move to Trash.
Then select Empty Trash.
When a work or school device controls startup
On a managed work or school device, your organization can set Chrome's startup pages and restrict extension removal. An enforced setting leaves that choice with your administrator.
Ask your administrator to change the startup pages or select Allow the user to decide for the Pages to load on startup policy.
Once control is returned to you, open More > Settings > On startup to set your preferred pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I go directly to Chrome's startup settings?
Yes. Enter chrome://settings/onStartup in desktop Chrome's address bar and press Enter. Choose your startup option on that page.
Can I reach startup settings using the keyboard?
On Windows or Linux, press Alt+F or Alt+E to open Chrome's menu, then select Settings and On startup. On Mac, press Command+, to open Settings, then select On startup. Use Tab, the arrow keys, and Enter to navigate the controls.
Will my startup settings carry over to another computer?
Settings saved to your Google Account update on other signed-in devices. To choose what Chrome saves, open More > Settings > You and Google, select your account name, and choose which information to save. Configure startup pages in the desktop profile you want to use.
Does a website shortcut change Chrome's startup page?
No. A website shortcut opens its chosen site when you launch that shortcut. It doesn't change Chrome's stored startup preference.