How to set up Google Chrome web browser to make it easier and better for to use.
There are many settings within Chrome that you can change and in this guide, we’re going to be focusing on setting the Start Page, Home Page and Search Engine in Chrome.
The Start Page is the very first web page that you see when you start Chrome (go onto the Internet). The Home Page is the web page that displays when you click the Home button.
In Google Chrome you can change these pages to be just about any webpage that you’d like them to be. They can be the same page or different pages.
The search engine is what actually searches the internet for whatever you’re looking for. There are many different search engines that you could use. They’ll all give slightly different results for any given query that you enter. So it’s important to set the right one for you.
How to Access the Google Chrome Settings
All of Google Chrome’s settings are available under the Settings icon, which is the three vertically stacked dots in the top right of the screen.
- Left-click on the three dots and then click SETTINGS on the menu that appears.
- The Chrome Settings page will open with the main menu on the left.
- On smaller screens you may have to click the 3 horizontal lines in the top left to expand the main menu.
Set a Start Page in Chrome
A Start page is the web page that you’ll see whenever you stat Chrome. It’s the first page that loads.
By default the start page in Chrome will be set to the Google home page, which is usually good enough. However you don’t have to leave it at that. You can have virtually any web page as the start page.
The easiest way of setting the Start page in Chrome is to simply go to the web page that you want to use, for example, this very website.
To set the Start page in Chrome –
- Navigate to the web page that you ant to use as the Start page, then click the 3 dots in the top right corner of Chrome and click Settings on the menu.
- On the main menu, click On Startup.
- Select “Open a specific page or set of pages” and then click Use Current Pages.
- You’ll see the web address (URL) for that web pages appear. From now on whenever you open Chrome, that web page will be the first to load.
More Than One Start Page?
Having more than one start pages in Chrome is a possibility, but it’s not a good idea. Having multiple start pages means each one will open as a separate tab when you launch the browser. This’ll really slow Chrome down.
On a home computer it’s much better to have just one Start page in Chrome and any other web pages you need saved as bookmarks on the Bookmarks Bar.
If you find that there are more than one start pages set, you can easily remove the ones you don’t want.
To delete a start page, click the 3 dots to the right of it and then click Remove on the menu that appears.
Setting a Home Page and Show Home Button in Chrome
The Home button is a quick way to get back to the Home page. You can set the Home page to be any web page you like, such as a news portal or your favourite search engine.
While it can be the same as your startup page, many people set it to a fast-loading search engine like Google to make starting a new search simple and quick.
As with most browsers, the Home button in Google Chrome appears as a small house icon on the toolbar.
Clicking on it takes you to whichever web page you’ve set as the Home Page.
Show the Home Button in Chrome
At its’ default settings, Chrome doesn’t show the Home button. So if you’re looking at your browser right now and wondering where it is, then it probably isn’t enabled (turned on).
To show the Home button in Chrome –
- Click the 3 vertical dots in the top right hand corner of the browser window. On the menu that opens, click Settings.
- Click Appearance in the main menu.
- Then click the switch button to Show the Home Button.
Setting a Home Page
With the Home button enabled in Chrome, you can now set a Home page.
Click the radio button and then type in the web page address (URL) of the page you want to use.
Generally speaking, I would always have your Home page set to Google. The Google page loads up very quickly and allows you to begin searching the Internet.
How to Set the Search Engine in Google Chrome
A search engine is a powerful computer that keeps a massive database of websites.
When you search for something online, the search engine looks through its database to find the websites that best match your search (query)
You can easily change the default search engine used by browsers like Google Chrome.
How to Change the Search Engine in Chrome.
To change the default search engine that Chrome uses, click the 3 dots in the top right corner and then click Settings.
On the Settings page, click Search Engine in the main menu.
Google is the Default Search Engine in Chrome
As you’d expect, Google is the default search engine for Google Chrome. You can set a different search engine for Chrome to use if you prefer, or change it back to Google if it’s previously been altered.
To change the search engine in Chrome, click the Change button. On the popup window, select your preferred search engine and then click the Set As Default button.
Summary.
Changing the search engine will affect your search results. Different engines will offer different websites in the search results for the exact same query.
Setting a Start page and Home page in Chrome is pretty much straightforward. You’ll just need the URL (web address) of the pages that you want to use and the enter them into the settings.
Personally I like to have the Google home page set for both but it’s entirely your choice. It’s whatever suits you.
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Chrome Bookmarks
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