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Mozilla Firefox - Tabbed Browsing

Completely Disable the New Tab Page

SUMMARY: Completely disable Firefox's New Tab Page, including the top-right button.

Newer versions of Mozilla Firefox show a "New Tab" page whenever you open a new tab. This shows the top sites accessed with the browser so you can frequently get back to them.

While many people like this feature, others would rather have a clean page when opening a new tab, not needing to see their most-visited sites. Plus, depending on their security / privacy configuration, they may not see any sites on this page, only nine blank rectangles. Thus, you can click the button at the top-right of the page to hide the sites / rectangles. However, that button still exists, and some people want a completely clean new tab page...


1. Enter about:config in the address bar and press Enter.

2. If prompted, read the "This might void your warranty" dialog and click the "I'll be careful, I promise!" button.

3. Next to "Search", enter browser.newtab.url and press Enter.

4. You should see the same text underneath "Preference Name". Double-click the text.

5. In the "Enter string value" dialog box, enter about:blank and press Enter.


Using a blank page as Firefox's "New Tab Page"



Now when you open a new tab it should appear completely blank, with no websites or buttons. Hurray :)

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The MalekTips website was created in 1998 by Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. The page's goal is to freely disperse computer-related tips, hints, and informative articles. Tips are organized to be easy to find, and are presented clearly, in easy-to-understand language. MalekTips also provides information and links to public-domain, open source, freeware, shareware, and commercial software available for download.