Making Google your homepage means your browser opens straight to the Google search page every time you start it or click the Home button. On Windows 10, the steps depend on which browser you use. This guide covers Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, plus how to make Google your default search engine so searches from the address bar go to Google too.
Quick answer
In your browser’s settings, find the startup or home page option, choose to open a specific page, and enter https://www.google.com. In Edge, that’s Settings > Start, home, and new tabs. In Chrome, it’s Settings > On startup. In Firefox, it’s Settings > Home.
Microsoft Edge
Edge is the default browser in Windows 10, so start here if you’re not sure which one you use.
Open Google when Edge starts
- Click the three dots in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
- Select Start, home, and new tabs on the left.
- Under When Edge starts, choose Open these pages.
- Click Add a new page, type https://www.google.com, and click Add.
Set the Home button to Google
- On the same settings page, turn on Show home button on the toolbar.
- Select the option to enter a URL, type https://www.google.com, and click Save.
Make Google the default search engine in Edge
- Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services.
- Scroll down and open Address bar and search.
- Set Search engine used in the address bar to Google.
Menu names in Edge change occasionally. If you don’t see these exact labels, type “search engine” or “home button” in the search box at the top of Edge’s Settings page.
Google Chrome
Open Google when Chrome starts
- Click the three dots in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
- Select On startup.
- Choose Open a specific page or set of pages.
- Click Add a new page, enter https://www.google.com, and click Add.
Set the Home button to Google
- In Settings, select Appearance.
- Turn on Show home button.
- Select the custom address option and enter https://www.google.com.
Chrome’s default search engine is already Google. To check, go to Settings > Search engine.
Mozilla Firefox
- Click the menu button (three lines) and choose Settings.
- Select Home on the left.
- Next to Homepage and new windows, choose Custom URLs.
- Enter https://www.google.com.
To make Google your search engine, open the Search section in Settings and choose Google under Default Search Engine.
What about the new tab page?
The homepage setting doesn’t change what appears when you open a new tab. In Chrome, the new tab page already includes a Google search box. In Edge, new tabs show Microsoft’s own page with Bing search and a news feed. You can simplify it by clicking the gear icon on a new tab and choosing a focused or minimal layout, but Edge doesn’t offer a built-in option to make new tabs open Google. If that matters to you, opening Google from the Home button or a pinned shortcut is the simplest workaround.
Pin Google to the taskbar
For one-click access from anywhere in Windows 10, pin Google to your taskbar. In Edge, open google.com, click the three dots, and choose More tools > Pin to taskbar. In Chrome, open google.com, click the three dots, choose Cast, save, and share > Create shortcut, and then right-click the new desktop shortcut to pin it.
Homepage vs. default search engine
These are two different settings:
- Homepage or startup page: The page the browser shows when it opens or when you click Home.
- Default search engine: Where your searches go when you type in the address bar.
Setting both to Google gives you the most consistent experience.
If your homepage keeps changing
If something keeps switching your homepage to another site, such as Yahoo or an unfamiliar search page, a browser extension or unwanted program is usually responsible.
- Check your browser’s extensions and remove any you don’t recognize.
- Open Settings > Apps in Windows and uninstall unfamiliar programs installed around the time the problem started.
- Run a full scan with Windows Security.
- Reset your browser settings if needed. In Chrome and Edge, search Settings for Reset settings.
See how to get rid of Yahoo on Google Chrome for detailed steps.
Related: How to make Yahoo your homepage on Windows 10.
A Google homepage still leaves the address bar on Bing until you change the default search engine to Google as well.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make Google my homepage on a work computer?
If the setting is greyed out with a message like “managed by your organization,” your IT department controls it. Ask them to change it.
Will this change my default browser?
No. Changing the homepage only affects that browser. To change your default browser, go to Settings > Apps > Default apps in Windows 10.
Can I open Google and other pages at startup?
Yes. In Edge and Chrome, add more than one page to the startup list. Firefox lets you enter several URLs separated by a vertical bar ( | ).
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.