The Blank Page: What It Is, and How to Remove It from the Web Browser About the Blank Page Address Bar
When launched recently, web browser developers integrated the About:blank page into the web browser address bar to allow users with a fresh and empty white browser page to easily enter a web address they want to visit without any hassle. Almost all the web browsers have an about:blank page.
- Google Chrome: chrome about:blank page
- Learn about the blank page in Mozilla Firefox
- Apple Safari’s About:blank page
- Microsoft Edge: Microsoft Edge about:blank page
- Internet Explorer about:blank page
- Vivaldi: Vivaldiabout:blank page
- Maxthon Browser: Accessing the about:blank page in Maxthon Browser
- Falkon: Falkonabout:blank page
- The epic privacy browser
- RockMelt
- Brave
- Slim Browser
- Torch Browser
- Konqueror browser
- Nightly
We demonstrated that nearly every browser opens with an empty white screen or page known as about: blank page. This is not a bug or error; rather, it is an intentional web browser startup page designed to facilitate easy navigation to any web address of your choice without interference.
This post, however, will shed more light on what it means when a web page is blank, why you get the about blank page, and how to remove or get rid of it if you don’t want your browser to start with the about blank page in the future.
What Is About Blank Page, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Other Browsers?
The about page in most browsers is internal directory navigation that helps you locate or find the browser’s internal features and settings, whereas in another browser it’s a first blank page display that tells you that you are ready to enter the web address you would like to visit.
About: A blank page as a navigation tool
As previously mentioned, you can use the about a blank keyword to locate a setting in a browser, as well as directories you want to access. For example, if you want to locate the download directory in Google Chrome, you could simply type About:download, and your Chrome download directory will pop up. You could also use it for navigating to Chrome settings by entering “About:settings,” and you will be taken to Chrome settings.
- List of Google Chrome About: Navigation: List of Chrome URLs
- About:extensions
- About:settings
- About: Downloads
- About:Bookmarks
The post contains a comprehensive list of Google Chrome commands or URLs. Scroll down and become familiar with them.
Is about blank useful?
Yes, an about blank page is useful in that it saves you from the suggestions of a static or changing home page that web browsers often suggest or auto-make your home page. Furthermore, the about page allows you to easily access any website you desire. So most browsers display a blank page if they don’t have a home page suggestion for you. While browsers mostly suggest the Google search engine as your home page or your last open tabs, as well as other search engines like Yahoo, Bing, or Yandex,. They all take you to their Search engine report page.
How to Set About Blank Page as Your Default Browser Home Page; Set Browser Default Home Page; How to Remove the About Blank Page?
If your browser does not open in blank about the page, you can set it yourself by following the below instructions:
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More.
- Select Settings.
- Under “Appearance,” check the box for the Show Home button.
- To choose your homepage, click Change below the “Show Home” button. To choose your homepage, click Change.
- To use a custom home page, tick the New tab or the Custom tab, and enter the web address of the site or page you want to use as your default home page.
Is the blank page a virus or malware?
Technically, the about blank page is nowhere near a malware or virus; however, we encountered an instance where key loggers and internet fraudsters used the about page or blank screen to prevent users from accessing any website or visiting any web URL. You most likely have a virus or malware infection if the about page still appears after changing it from your default home page.
How to Clean Up About Blank Page Virus or Malware How to resolve the issue
If the about page keeps showing up even when you change it from being your default home page or even when you type in a web address to visit and it returns you to the about blank page, do this:
- Verify if the device remains connected to the internet.
- Make sure the URL or address you want to visit is correct and functional.
- Clear your browser history, cache, and cookies.
- Scan your system with an antivirus or antimalware program.
- Close or restart your browser.
- Restart your device.
- Update your browser to the latest version.
- Uninstall and install your browser again.
Recommendation: Use Malwarebytes to scan your computer; it has a free version that can perform manual scans and remove malware. The paid premium version just adds automatic background scanning. Malwarebytes supports both Windows PCs and Macs.
Here is a report from someone who infected an organization, resembling a blank page display.
Issue: Each time I open Google Chrome or open a new tab, the page appears completely blank, and the search bar reads “about: blank.” No matter what I do—adding a theme, turning off extensions, etc. I can’t get it to show just the Google site or the normal home screen. I cannot tell if this is associated with the malware I had to remove from my computer, but please help.
It is extremely frustrating. This same blank page appears even when I open up a new incognito tab! My settings indicate that an organization controls my browser. This account should not be controlled by anyone because it is not my school account.
He performed the recommended malware cleanup and installed a fresh version of the browser, which resolved the issues.
You can get rid of it. How?
See, you can’t get rid of the about blank page as part and parcel of your browser, but you can remove it from being your default home page in your browser settings following the instructions we show you at the top of the post, “How to Set About Blank Page as Your Default Browser Home Page—Set Browser Default Home Page—How Do I Get Rid of the About Blank Page?” To refer to this sub-top above to get rid of or fix the default appearance of the blank page, refer to the sub-top above.
You can also use the same instructions for removing the blank home page from Chrome and fixing the blank page in Google Chrome. The same thing is applicable to Mozilla Firefox.
How to remove Mozilla Firefox
In Mozilla Firefox, click menu > Options > Home. For new windows and tabs, select your desired home page for new windows and new tabs. Make sure you don’t have “about:blank” or “Blank Page” selected here. Prevent Firefox from opening in blank windows
How to remove an extension in Apple Safari
In Apple Safari on a Mac, click Safari > Preferences > General. Under Homepage, remove “about:blank” and enter your desired home page. On macOS Catalina, disable about:blank in Safari.
How to remove the blank page in the Microsoft Edge browser
In Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser, click menu > Settings >On startup. When you launch Edge, select “Open a new tab” or remove about:blank from the list of pages it opens when you launch it. Remove about:blank from the new Microsoft Edge’s startup pages.
How to Remove a Blank Page in Internet Explorer
Click the gear-shaped menu button and select “Internet Options.” Remove “about:blank” from the home page box at the top of the General Pane. Enter the address for your desired home page. Prevent Internet Explorer from opening with a blank page.
A list of Google Chrome URLs: Google Chrome About: Navigation
- (chrome://bookmarks/)
- chrome://bluetooth-internals/#adapter
- chrome://blob-internals/
- chrome://about
- chrome://accessibility
- chrome://appcache-internals
- chrome://apps
- chrome://autofill-internals
- chrome://blob-internals
- chrome://bluetooth-internals
- chrome://bookmarks
- chrome://chrome-urls
- chrome://components
- chrome://conflicts
- chrome://conversion-internals
- chrome://crashes
- chrome://credits
- chrome://device-log
- chrome://devices
- chrome://dino
- chrome://discards
- chrome://download-internals
- chrome://downloads
- chrome://extensions
- chrome://flags
- chrome://gcm-internals
- chrome://gpu
- chrome://help
- chrome://histograms
- chrome://history
- chrome://indexeddb-internals
- chrome://inspect
- chrome://interstitials
- chrome://interventions-internals
- chrome://invalidations
- chrome://local-state
- chrome://management
- chrome://media-engagement
- chrome://media-internals
- chrome://nacl
- chrome://net-export
- chrome://net-internals
- chrome://network-error
- chrome://network-errors
- chrome://new-tab-page
- chrome://newtab
- chrome://ntp-tiles-internals
- chrome://omnibox
- chrome://password-manager-internals
- chrome://policy
- chrome://predictors
- chrome://prefs-internals
- chrome://print
- chrome://process-internals
- chrome://quota-internals
- chrome://safe-browsing
- chrome://sandbox
- chrome://serviceworker-internals
- chrome://settings
- chrome://signin-internals
- chrome://site-engagement
- chrome://suggestions
- chrome://supervised-user-internals
- chrome://sync-internals
- chrome://system
- chrome://terms
- chrome://thumbnails
- chrome://tracing
- chrome://translate-internals
- chrome://usb-internals
- chrome://user-actions
- chrome://version
- chrome://webrtc-internals
- chrome://webrtc-logs
These lists of blank page commands also work in Mozilla Firefox.
