Ever wondered how you can get rid of that default homepage on your Firefox browser? Want to customize your start page with Firefox, but don’t know how? Check out our quick guide on Firefox Homepage settings for Android, iOS, Mac and PC and you’ll be back surfing in no time flat. Best of all, you’ll get the look you want when you open your browser.
What Exactly is a Firefox Homepage?
Your Firefox homepage is sometimes called a “start page”, “homescreen”, or “start screen”. When you first open your browser, this will be the page that initially loads and gets you started with Mozilla Firefox.
You can customize this page in a number of ways including choosing a specific web page or search engine. You can even set it to be completely blank. Typically, it has your most frequently visited sites displayed and/or news and other information.
Mobile devices using the Firefox app will usually have a blank page by default with your most visited sites displayed as thumbnails. These are titled as “top sites”.
Setting Your Firefox Homepage for PC or Mac
This process is fast and easy and doesn’t require any special computer skills as it is very intuitive. Just follow our easy instructions.
- First things first, you’ll need to open your Firefox browser.
- Next, click on the 3 vertical lines in the top right hand corner or your screen.
- Click on “Options” in the drop down menu.
- Now, select “Home” on the left hand side of the screen in the menu.
- You will now see “Homepage and New Windows” displayed on the screen. Click on the drop down menu and choose one of the three options:
- Firefox Home (Default)
- Custom URLs
- Blank Page
- Once you have selected your option, it will immediately be enabled and your set to go.
Note: If you select “Custom URLs”, you will need to enter the address for the site you want displayed.
Setting Your Homepage on Firefox for iOS
By default, the Firefox homepage with the iOS app will display “Top Sites”, which are your most commonly visited sites. They will be displayed as thumbnails and can easily be removed by tap/hold for a few seconds until the pop-up menu gives you the option to “remove”. Click “remove” and the thumbnail is gone.
Conversely, you can add pages you want to the “Top Sites” display by opening those pages and doing the tap/hold method until the pop-up “Pin to Top Sites” appears. Select it and it will automatically be added to your homepage.
If you would like a different site/page to load when you open your browser instead of the default “Top Sites”, go to the menu icon in Firefox and select “Settings” and then “Homepage” and enter the URL for the site you want as your homepage.
Setting Your Homepage on Android Devices
Setting your homepage with an Android device gives you a few more options. With Android, you can have the official Firefox Homepage, which displays widgets and your “Top Sites” or you can set it to display a website of your choosing.
To make changes to the default settings, tap the Menu button. Now tap “Settings”, then “General”, then “Home”, and finally “Set a Homepage”. You’ll now be able to choose between Firefox Home or Custom. If you choose Custom, you will need to enter the URL for the site you want to be displayed.
Like iOS, if you would like to customize your Top Sites and Widgets, just tap/hold the thumbnail until you have the option to “remove” it. Adding sites is done just as you would with the iOS version by opening the desired site, tap/hold, and then select “Pin to Top Sites”.
Blank Pages and Final Thoughts
You can customize your Firefox Homepage as often as you like simply by repeating the steps above. If you choose a blank start page for your Firefox Homepage, you will benefit from faster load times when opening your browser as it won’t need to download as much information when it opens.
Whatever options you choose, you are now in control of your browsing experience. Feel empowered? Get to surfing!
