What Is about:blank? A blank page comes by default for most web browsers. It is mostly seen in Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and other browsers.
This is a page most major web browsers redirect you to at startup. In the same vein, corrupted profile data can also cause your browser to show a blank page. But it is not a big deal. It often comes with the inscription “About:blank” in the URL bar section.
So many of you can agree with me that it can be annoying sometimes. Moreover, all hope is not lost as this issue can be fixed. This is a complete guide on how to Get rid of the About:blank Page on your browser.
Why Is about:blank Useful?
Surprisingly, this is so many internet users’ default choice of their home screen. When you try to ask them why? They will simply tell you that it gives them an empty screen each time they launch their browser – Which is good for me too.
If you are in this category, you can as well go to your browser default setting and select “about:blank” against the Webpage option. Apply it as your default page each time you open your browser.
I will also like to let you know that whenever your browser doesn’t have anything to load as the default page, they often load “about:blank” screen. It is just a way of giving you a clean sheet to start up your browsing.
What’s Good About Blank Pages
- Increases privacy upon launch of your browser
- Controls bandwidth when you open your browser
- Regulates processes used on an older PC.
- Display a homepage that is blank.
- Stops the opening of multiple Tabs or windows from the previous session.
Is It a Virus or Malware?
I will like to make it clear here that it is not a virus issue. It does not pose any danger to your device. If you suspect your device is under attack, you can use antivirus to conduct a scan. But the attack is not caused by the “about:blank”.
This is because the page is not served from an external source, so it is not harmful.
Note: Malware can force your browsers to go opening blank pages. The page itself is not dangerous but the malware.
Tips to Note
This page is popularly called About Blank. Once again, it is not a big deal Even though malware can force your browsers to open blank pages on rare occasions. It is a page that shows up most of the time when you launch your browser. Empty most of the time. This inscription is seen in the address bar and browser screen.
When I was not fully aware of what it is, I used to confuse it for a bad internet connection or bad link. Outside the About Blank, browsers still use other commands such as “about: about,” “about:cache,” and “about:plugins.”
All About Blank does not really have any website page they are actually linking to. It is just a blank empty page. You can’t call it a URL. It just does the hidden function and command by the browser.
The command is that the browser opens blank pages when launched the first time or when a new tab is opened. This is done without pointing to any known web page.
Most of these browsers have a way of taking over when you open their executable files. It gives them the sole right to perform several functions that eats-up your bandwidth and system resources.
I call this invisible madness. It is always stressful to handle. Moreover, I will hand you a tool to help you manage what happens when your browsers are launched.
Common Causes of about:blank Pages
What could lead your browser to display an “about:blank” page? There are several reasons that could lead to this. The most reasons are as listed below:
- When you click on a download link that opens a new tab. Your browser will have no other option than to open a blank page to initiate the download.
- Blank pages can show up when you mistype a URL web address. This about:blank page shows up your browser does not know what else to display,
- It can also show up when your browser has no idea what to do based on the information process.
- The next reason that can cause your page to load blank pages is when HTML, Java, and other codes can force the browser to open a blank page due to the inability to process it at that time.
We will give you a simple manual solution to this issue. This will require you to manually insert the URL of your favorite startup page into the Home page editing screen on your web browser settings or Option Configuration panel.
This challenge is often seen in Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and other browsers.
Some people chose to use it as their default browser home screen.
How To Get Rid Of The About:Blank Page In Different Browsers
Internet Explorer
Step 1
Visit your browser and press “Alt-X” to popup the Tool menu, select “Internet Options”
Step 2
Now, Click on the “General” tab in the option. Look out for the “about:blank” in the Home Page section and change it to your favorite URL.
Step 3
Next, click on the “Apply” button and then click “OK”. With that done, you will need to restart your internet explorer. On restarting, you will automatically see your specified URL load on the default browser home page.
Remove “about:blank” from Your Mozilla Firefox
Step 1
Launch your browser and press “Alt-t-O” to review your Firefox Options configuration panel.
Step 2
Next, click on the “General” tab. On the Home Page field, change the “about:blank” to your choice Webpage URL.
Step 3
Click the “OK” button to save the effected change.
Google Chrome
Step 1
Type “Chrome://Settings” in the URL Address bar of your browser and press Enter on your Keyboard.
Step 2
In the displayed Page, Click “Set Pages” next to Open a specific Page or Pages. Look out for “about:blank” on the startup page list and click on it. Change it to your favorite website URL.
Step 3
Click the “OK” button to effect the changes done.
This is all that is needed to remove “about:blank” page in your browser.
Mac Safari
If you are using Apple Safari on your Mac(1), you can fix this issue fast. Simply click Safari > Preferences > General. Under Homepage, remove “about:blank” and enter that choice default home page of yours.
Microsoft Edge
If you are using Edge, you are not left out of this. (2) Go to your web browser settings click menu > Settings > On startup. Select “Open a new tab” or remove about:blank from the list of pages Edge opens when you launch it. This will automatically return your home screen to your chosen web page.