Set Chrome’s Startup Page and Home Button Separately
By ON Lab · Sources checked November 6, 2026
Chrome’s startup page opens when you launch the browser. Its homepage opens when you select the Home button. To use a particular website for both, configure the two controls separately.
Choose a startup website
Google documents this desktop route: open Settings → On startup → Open a specific page or set of pages. Select Add a new page, enter the address, and select Add. Alternatively, Use current pages selects the pages currently open. Check that those are the pages you intend to launch.
To change an existing startup entry, use the menu beside that entry and choose the edit or delete action. Google also documents opening the New Tab page or continuing the previous session as different startup choices.
Choose the Home button’s destination
Open Settings → Appearance and enable Show Home button. Below it, select the New Tab page or enter a custom page address. This changes the button’s destination; it is a separate choice from the startup list.
Check the two outcomes
Our suggested acceptance check is to write down the intended reference address first. Use a trusted public page with no unsaved work. After configuring the controls, select Home and compare the destination with that address. Separately, at a safe point when ongoing work is saved, check what appears on a fresh browser launch.
For example, you might want a reference library at launch but the New Tab page on Home. A correct Home-button result does not establish that the launch setting is correct. Record both destinations instead of treating either one as proof of the other.
Keep a different problem separate
This setup guide does not establish why a website redirects you to another country, why an extension changes a New Tab page, or how to recover a lost session. If the saved address is correct but a different destination appears, record the original address and the resulting address before looking for guidance about that specific behavior.
Scope: documented desktop Chrome startup and Home-button controls. This is a configuration and checking guide, not a claim that a particular website or profile was tested.