What Is About Blank in My Browser and Should I Remove It?
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Updated on January 17, 2025

What is about:blank?

The about:blank page, also called About Blank, is an intentionally empty page that’s built into Chrome and most other common browsers. If the about:blank page appears, there’s usually nothing to worry about. It’s not a sign of any issue with your browser — it just means that there’s nothing else to show at the moment.

Screenshot of about:blank page in Google ChromeThe about:blank page is intentionally empty.

Since the about:blank page is empty and uncluttered, it loads quickly and can serve as a good homepage for slow computers and mobile devices, or when you have a slow internet connection. It’s also useful during low-battery emergencies or for those who want to start a fresh browsing session with a minimalist feel and fewer distractions.

As part of the larger collection of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) schemes used by most common browsers (which also includes https:, view-source:, and others), the “about:” scheme in the address bar allows access to your browser’s internal pages. The term “blank” then acts as a command to your browser to display a blank page. There are other “about:” commands available too — about:downloads brings up your downloads page and about:newtab opens a clean new tab.

Although it’s not a security tool itself, the about:blank page can act as an extra defense mechanism alongside Chrome security extensions. It can help redirect you away from harmful content like scareware pop-ups. And by manually opening about:blank, you may also avoid interacting with malicious websites.

What is about:blank#blocked?

About:blank#blocked is a blank page that a browser displays instead of a dangerous site if one is detected. If you’re trying to visit a website and access is denied for security reasons, you’ll probably see about:blank#blocked. Like the empty About Blank page, about:blank#blocked cannot be completely disabled because it’s built into Chrome and most other common browsers.

What causes the about:blank page to appear?

Browser settings may cause about:blank to appear, for example, when the browser is unable to reach another page you tried to visit, or if a page is being blocked for security reasons.

Since it’s part of your browser, the about:blank page isn’t really a problem, although it can be a symptom of an issue that needs fixing. Getting to know the uses of about:blank can also be handy. For instance, the About Blank address bar works just like a search bar, allowing you to use your browser’s default search engine without loading any webpage first.

About Blank is not an actual webpage, but an internal part of your browser. Here are some of the reasons that can cause the about:blank page to display:

  • No other homepage is set for your browser.

  • Internet connectivity issues are occurring.

  • The URL you entered can’t be found.

  • A dangerous website was blocked by the browser.

  • Cache problems are affecting a website from loading.

  • A file or page is still loading in the background.

  • Too many browser extensions are open.

To get past about:blank on any web browser, you just need to enter a valid URL or search term into the address bar.

Is about:blank harmful?

The About Blank page itself is not harmful. About:blank is an internal feature of your browser, and isn’t directly associated with malware or malicious activity. However, there are some potential threats that may be indirectly associated with about:blank. Here are a few:

  • Hijacking: Browser hijacking could be to blame if opening about:blank results in unexpected redirects to advertisements or harmful websites.

  • Phishing: Cybercriminals can create a fake page that imitates the about:blank page, using it as part of a phishing scheme to steal your personal information.

  • Hacking: If about:blank suddenly becomes your homepage without your knowledge, it could indicate unauthorized access to your browser settings. This could signal that a hacker or malware has gained access to your browser login or device.

If you think your device has been infected with malware, check out our guide to removing a virus from your computer or getting rid of mobile malware.

How to stop about:blank pop-ups

When a pop-up advertisement fails to load or is blocked by your browser, it may appear as a window displaying about:blank. Getting lots of about:blank pop-ups could be a symptom of adware, ad hijackers, or another issue with your browser. In this case, the about:blank pages are simply showing the signs of a problem but are not the problem itself — pop-ups in general are the nuisance here.

To stop blank pop-ups from appearing, you can change your browser settings to help remove pop-ups altogether:

If about:blank starts popping up regularly, or alongside other potential signs of malware like device crashes or sluggish performance, run a virus scan to be sure your device is clean.

How to remove about:blank

If the About Blank page pops up once in a while, you can remove it by simply navigating to another site. It isn’t possible to get rid of About Blank completely, because it’s part of your browser (the same goes for fixing about:blank#blocked). But you can fix the issue of the about:blank page appearing as your homepage.

Here’s how to remove about:blank as your homepage in Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox.

How to remove about:blank on Chrome


  1. Open Chrome, click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner, and select Settings.

  2. Click On startup and select Open a specific page or set or pages.

  3. Click Remove next to about:blank.

    Removing about:blank as startup page

How to remove about:blank on Safari


  1. Open Safari, go to the Safari menu, and click Settings.

  2. Click the General tab, then delete about:blank and type in your new preferred homepage.

    Click the General tab, then delete about:blank and replace it with your preferred homepage.

How to remove about:blank on Firefox


  1. Open Firefox, click the three horizontal lines, and select Settings.

  2. Select Home from the left-side menu.

  3. Next to Homepage and new windows select Firefox Home (Default).

    Removing about:blank as the Firefox homepage.

How to remove about:blank on Edge


  1. Open Edge, click the three horizontal dots, and select Settings.

  2. Click Start, home, and new tabs.

  3. Select Open these pages.

  4. Then click the three dots next to about:blank, and delete.

    Removing about:blank from the Edge homepage

Is the about:blank page useful?

The about:blank page can be useful for a few reasons, such as helping to safeguard your device against certain security threats. Additionally, some users set about:blank as their homepage to speed up their browsing experience.

There are other useful “about:” commands you might like to use, too. The specific commands available depend on which browser you’re using.

Common about: commands for Chrome


  • about:downloads displays your download history

  • about:newtab opens a clean browser tab

  • about:history shows your browsing history

  • about:extensions lists installed browser extensions

  • about:bookmarks opens the bookmark manager

  • about:settings opens the settings page

  • about:about shows all the “about” commands you can use

Common about: commands for Safari

Even though Safari can display the about:blank page, it doesn’t use about: commands. It has similar options, such as the following example commands:

  • option + command + L displays your downloads

  • command + Y opens your browsing history

  • control + command + 1 shows or hides the bookmarks sidebar

  • command + D adds a bookmark

Common about: commands for Firefox


  • about:addons lists installed browser extensions

  • about:config gives access to browser settings

  • about:downloads displays a list of downloads

  • about:support offers help and troubleshooting information

  • about:profiles lets you set up and manage browsing profiles

  • about:about shows all the about: commands you can use

Common about: commands for Edge


  • about:settings opens Edge’s settings page

  • about:downloads shows your download history

  • about:history shows your browsing history

  • about:extensions lists installed browser extensions

  • about:favorites opens the favorites (bookmarks) manager

Set about:blank as your homepage

About:blank uses minimal resources, so setting your homepage to About Blank can be handy if you’re low on power or have a slow computer. Some people simply prefer a blank homepage to start a browsing session, and they may use about:blank along with blocking Chrome popups to maintain a clutter-free, minimalist browsing experience.

You can set your homepage to about:blank on most browsers — such as Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox.

How to set about:blank as your homepage on Chrome


  1. Open Chrome, click the three vertical dots in the upper right corner, and select Settings.

  2. Click On startup in the left-side menu, then select Open a specific page or set or pages.

    Selecting "Open a specific page or set pages" under "On Startup" in Google Chrome settings
  3. Type in about:blank and click Add.

    Entering about:blank as the homepage URL in Google Chrome.

Using about:blank as your homepage should help your computer speed up, but too many browser extensions may be bogging your device down. You can also remove Chrome extensions you don’t use and see if it improves performance.

How to set about:blank as your homepage on Safari


  1. Open Safari, click the Safari Menu, and select Settings.

  2. Click the General tab and set your homepage to about:blank.

    Setting about.blank as the homepage on Safari.

How to set about:blank as your homepage on Edge


  1. Open Edge, click the three horizontal dots in the upper right corner, and select Settings.

  2. Click Start, home, and new tabs. Select Open these pages, then click Add a new page.

    Adding a new page to set up new tabs in Microsoft Edge.
  3. Type about:blank and click Add.

    Setting up about:blank as a new homepage in Microsoft Edge.

How to set about:blank as your homepage on Firefox


  1. Open Firefox, click the three horizontal lines, and select Settings.

  2. Click Home, and then select Blank Page next to Homepage and new windows.

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Domenic Molinaro
27-05-2022