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Restore Classic New Tab Page in Google Chrome

Starting in Chrome 69, the browser features significant changes to the user interface. These include a 'Material Design Refresh' theme with rounded tabs, the removal of the 'Secure' text badge for HTTPS web sites replaced by a Lock icon, and a reworked new tab page. If you are not happy with the New Tab page, you can restore its classic look.

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In Chrome 69, developers made the New Tab page more customizable, so users can quickly add custom shortcuts and change the page background image natively without installing third-party extensions. However, the new page displays web site shortcuts as favicons. Previously, the browser was showing them as thumbnails.

Chrome New Tab Background Image

Some users are not happy with this change. Thankfully, it is still possible to restore the classic New Tab page.

Note that the reworked New Tab page does have some major improvements too besides background customization and custom shortcuts. For example, sites that you have removed from the New tab page no longer return to it. The browser remembers which sites you don't want re-appearing there. But if you want to go back to the earlier behavior, read on.

Google Chrome comes with a number of useful options which are experimental. They are not supposed to be used by regular users but enthusiasts and testers can easily turn them on. These experimental features can significantly improve the user experience of the Chrome browser by enabling additional functionality. To enable or disable an experimental feature, you can use hidden options called 'flags'. Often, flags can be used to revert new features and restore the classic look and feel of the browser for some period of time.

There is a special flag which allows restoring the classic New Tab page. Here is how it can be done.

To restore the classic New Tab page in Google Chrome, do the following.

  1. Open the Google Chrome browser and type the following text into the address bar:
    chrome://flags/#ntp-ui-md

    This will open the flags page directly with the relevant setting.

  2. Set the option is named New Tab Page Material Design UI. Set it to Disabled using the drop down list next to the flag's name.Google Chrome Disable New Tab Page
  3. Restart Google Chrome by closing it manually or you can also use the Relaunch button which will appear at the very bottom of the page.Google Chrome Relaunch Button
  4. The classic look of the New Tab page will be restored.

Before:

Google Chrome New Tab Page

After:

Google Chrome Classic New Tab Page

Also, see how to add 8 thumbnails to the new tab page in Google Chrome.

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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

5 thoughts on “Restore Classic New Tab Page in Google Chrome”

  1. OMG have been scouring the net looking for a fix for days.
    Thankyou so very very much for this.
    I hated the new little round icons and dearly wanted the pictures back.
    You sir are a godsend, thankyou again.

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