How to Customize Firefox Homepage & Startup

This guide shows you how to set your own homepage and control what Firefox loads when it starts, so you can land on a favorite site, a blank page, or your open tabs every time. You’ll learn both the standard settings and the hidden preferences that give you finer control. No technical background is needed—just a few minutes and your Firefox browser.

What You’ll Need

• A computer with Firefox installed (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
• The URL of the page you want as your homepage, if you have one.
• A few minutes of time—the process takes less than five.

Step-by-Step

1. Open Firefox Settings. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the dropdown, select Settings. On macOS, you can also go to Firefox > Preferences from the top menu bar.
2. Go to the Home panel. In the Settings page, look for the Home section in the left sidebar. Click it to see all options related to your homepage and new windows.
3. Set your homepage. Under New Windows and Tabs, you’ll see a dropdown labeled Homepage and new windows. Click it and choose one of the following:
   • Firefox Home (Default) – Shows the default Firefox start page with shortcuts, top sites, and recommended articles.
   • Blank Page – Loads a completely empty page, which can feel faster and more private.
   • Custom URLs… – Allows you to type one or more website addresses.
4. Enter your custom URL(s). If you chose Custom URLs…, a text field appears. Type the full address, including https:// (for example, https://news.ycombinator.com). To use multiple pages, separate each URL with the pipe symbol | (for example, https://example.com|https://example.org). Firefox will open each of these in separate tabs when you start a new window.
5. Set the new tab page. Below the homepage setting, you’ll see a dropdown for New tabs. This controls what appears when you open a new tab (Ctrl+T or Cmd+T). You can choose Firefox Home (Default), Blank Page, or Custom URLs…. If you want a blank new tab but a custom homepage, set them separately.
6. Adjust startup behavior. Now click the General section in the left sidebar. Scroll down to Startup. Next to When Firefox starts, you have three options:
   • Open the home page – This opens whatever you set in step 4.
   • Open a blank page – Shows a blank tab immediately.
   • Open previous windows and tabs – Restores all tabs and windows from your last session. This is handy if you were in the middle of something.
7. Apply changes. There is no save button—Firefox applies your choices as soon as you make them. Close the Settings tab and test by opening a new window (Ctrl+N or Cmd+N) and by restarting Firefox.
8. Use the toolbar shortcut (optional). If you want a quick way to set the current page as your homepage, drag the padlock or page icon from the address bar onto the Home icon in the toolbar. A prompt will ask if you want to make it your homepage—click Yes.

Common Mistakes

• Typing a URL without the protocol. Firefox can usually handle example.com, but it’s safer to include https://. If you leave it out, Firefox might search for it instead of navigating to the site.
• Confusing “homepageâ€� with “new tab.â€� These are separate settings. Changing one does not affect the other. If you want both to be the same, you must set them individually.
• Expecting multiple URLs to open in the same window. When you set multiple URLs with the pipe symbol, Firefox opens them in separate tabs within the same window. This only works for the homepage, not for new tabs (which will open only the first URL).
• Using a search term instead of a URL. If you type “weatherâ€� in the custom URL field, Firefox will perform a search, not open a specific page. Always use the full web address.

Tips

• Use a blank page for speed. A blank homepage and new tab page load faster than any website, especially on slower connections.
• Take advantage of multiple homepages. If you check several sites every morning (email, news, calendar), list them all with | separators to have them open at once.
• Pin important tabs. Instead of setting a homepage, you can pin tabs by right-clicking a tab and selecting Pin Tab. Pinned tabs stay open and are restored when you restart Firefox, even if you choose “Open previous windows and tabs.â€�
• Use about:preferences shortcuts. You can type about:preferences#home or about:preferences#general directly into the address bar to jump straight to the relevant settings page.
• Sync your settings. If you use Firefox Sync, your homepage and startup preferences will sync across devices, so you don’t have to set them again on each computer.

Troubleshooting

My homepage won’t change. First, make sure you’re editing the correct field. Check that you’re in Settings > Home, and that the dropdown next to Homepage and new windows says Custom URLs… and your URL is in the box. If it still doesn’t work, try restarting Firefox completely (close all windows and reopen).

Firefox ignores my startup setting. If you chose “Open previous windows and tabs� but Firefox opens a blank page, you may have a conflicting extension (like a “new tab� add-on) that overrides the default behavior. Try disabling extensions one by one in Settings > Extensions & Themes to see if one is the culprit.

My multiple homepages only open the first one. Double-check that you used the pipe symbol (|) with no spaces around it. Also, remember that this feature works for new windows, not for new tabs. If you’re testing with a new tab, you’ll only see the first URL.

I set a custom homepage, but a different page appears. Some websites or extensions can hijack your homepage. Go to Settings > Home and verify the URL. If it’s correct, run a malware scan—some adware changes browser settings without your permission.

Changes work, but only sometimes. If you have Firefox set to restore the previous session, that will override your homepage on startup. To always see your homepage, choose “Open the home page� under When Firefox starts. You can also disable session restore for specific tabs by closing them individually before quitting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a different homepage for each window? No, Firefox only allows one global homepage setting. All new windows will use the same homepage. You can, however, use multiple URLs to open several pages at once.

How do I make Firefox open my last session automatically? Go to Settings > General > Startup and select “Open previous windows and tabs.� Firefox will restore everything from your last session.

What’s the difference between “homepageâ€� and “new tab pageâ€�? The homepage appears when you open a new window or click the Home button. The new tab page appears when you open a new tab (Ctrl+T). They are independent settings.

Can I use a local file as my homepage? Yes. Type file:/// followed by the full path to the file (e.g., file:///home/username/mypage.html). On Windows, use file:///C:/path/to/file.html.

Will changing my homepage affect my startup speed? It can. A heavy website will take longer to load than a blank page. If you want the fastest startup, choose a blank page or set Firefox to open previous tabs (which may load them lazily).

How do I reset my homepage to the default Firefox Home? In Settings > Home, select “Firefox Home (Default)� from the dropdown. If that option is missing, click the “Restore Defaults� button at the bottom of the page.

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