Make your page visually
Click the logo, grey search text or footer text to change it. Click any other button to edit its text or URL. Use Add button to create a button like “I’m Feeling Lucky”. Use the toolbar to change the page background color or tab title.
All links start unassigned. The URL editor starts with Google’s start page, which you can change or clear.
Loading your editable start page…
Edit all buttons, including shortcuts and language links
You can give Chrome your own New Tab design. This tutorial uses nithiGoogle as the finished example: its page looks the way you want, while Google supplies the search results.
What your extension needs
A Chrome New Tab extension needs an HTML page (index.html) and a manifest (manifest.json). HTML and JavaScript must be separate. Any JavaScript belongs in script.js, with no inline JavaScript in the HTML. All three files are included in the extension ZIP you download from the tool, with the version number you choose.
You can also build your own page and manifest, then follow the last step below to add the extension to Chrome. Export static HTML gives you a standalone webpage with inline JavaScript instead.
The nithiGoogle example is version 1.6.
Add the extension to Chrome
- Extract the downloaded extension ZIP, or use the folder you built yourself. Move your extension folder somewhere you will keep it.
- Type
chrome://extensionsin Chrome’s address bar and press Enter. - Turn on Developer mode in the top-right corner.
- Click Load unpacked. Select the folder containing
manifest.json,index.htmlandscript.js. - Open a new tab, or press Cmd+T on Mac / Ctrl+T on Windows and Linux. If Chrome asks about the change, choose Keep it.
Keep the folder in place while using the extension. After editing its files, return to chrome://extensions, click Reload on your extension and open a fresh tab.
References: load an unpacked extension, override the New Tab page, and extension JavaScript policy.