The thumbnail feature in Google Chrome can be a blessing and a curse. It provides easy access to your most frequently visited websites, but it can also clog up your browsing experience or even reveal your browsing habits to others.
Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place to gain control of your new tab page. In this post, we’ll show you how to disable and remove thumbnails and shortcuts from Google Chrome’s new tab page, on both desktop and mobile.
Understanding the Thumbnail Feature in Google Chrome
The thumbnail feature in Google Chrome is designed to help users quickly access their most frequently visited websites. When you open a new tab in Chrome, you see thumbnail previews of these websites. While this can be a handy feature, it may also display sites that you don’t want to show up on your new tab page.
- Each thumbnail is a shortcut to a frequently visited site.
- By default, Google Chrome’s new tab page displays 8 thumbnails.
- Chrome automatically populates these based on your browsing history.
Some users may want to disable this feature to protect their privacy, especially when browsing in front of others, while others simply find the feature distracting.
How to Remove Thumbnails from Google Chrome’s New Tab Page
To remove thumbnails from the new tab page in Chrome, follow these simple steps:
- Open Chrome and start a new tab.
- Hover your mouse over the thumbnail you want to remove.
- Click the three dots at the top right corner of the thumbnail.
- Select “Remove Shortcut” from the drop-down menu.
This will remove the specific thumbnail from the new tab page, but Chrome might replace it with another from your browsing history.
How to Disable the Thumbnail Feature
If you want to completely get rid of thumbnails from the new tab page in Chrome, you will have to take a different approach:
- Open a new tab in Chrome.
- On the bottom right, click “Customize”.
- In the new window, select “Shortcuts”.
- Here, you can choose to “Hide shortcuts” completely.
Now, your new tab page will appear without any thumbnails or shortcuts.
How to Customize Thumbnails on the New Tab Page
For those who still find value in the thumbnail feature but want more control over which sites appear, Google Chrome offers an option to manually customize your shortcuts:
- Open a new tab and click on “Add shortcut”.
- In the pop-up box, add the name of the shortcut and the URL of the website you want to add.
- Click “Done”.
You can add up to ten custom shortcuts this way.
Removing Thumbnails and Shortcuts on Chrome Mobile
Google Chrome’s mobile version also includes thumbnail shortcuts. Here is how you can remove them:
- Open the Chrome app on your mobile device.
- Tap on the three dots at the top right corner of your screen.
- Go to “Settings” and then “Homepage”.
- From there, you can toggle off “Top sites” to stop showing shortcuts on your new tab page.
Whether you want to protect your privacy, declutter your browser, or customize your browsing experience, these steps will help you manage the thumbnail and shortcut features in Google Chrome. By adjusting these settings, you can ensure your new tab page in Chrome reflects your preferences and needs.
FAQs
How Do I Remove Thumbnails From Google Chrome Permanently?
To remove thumbnails from Google Chrome permanently, you can follow these steps:
– Open Google Chrome.
– Go to the Chrome new tab page by clicking the new tab button.
– Move your cursor over the thumbnail you want to remove.
– Click on the “x” button that appears on the top right corner of the thumbnail.
– Confirm the removal by clicking “Clear” when prompted. By following these steps, you can easily remove the thumbnails from Google Chrome.
How Can I Remove Shortcuts From The Chrome New Tab?
To remove shortcuts from the Chrome new tab, you can do the following:
– Open Google Chrome.
– Go to the Chrome new tab page.
– Move your cursor over the shortcut you want to remove.
– Click on the “x” button that appears on the top right corner of the shortcut.
– Confirm the removal by clicking “Clear” when prompted. By following these steps, you can remove the shortcuts from the Chrome new tab.
