Why do you see an about:blank page on your browser screen when surfing the internet? Do you want to know the cause and solution to remove about:blank from your homepage? You have landed up on the right article, here in this article we will be sharing all the features and solutions for the removal of about:blank.
If you see “about:blank” in your browser’s address bar, you’re looking at an empty page built within your browser. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and other browsers include it.
There is nothing incorrect about:blank. Many individuals choose: blank as their home page to ensure that their web browser always starts with an empty white screen. If your web browser usually starts with about: blank and you don’t like it, we’ll teach you how to change that.
What Does about:blank Mean?
This is a blank page generated by your web browser. The “about:” portion of the URL instructs the browser to display internal, built-in web pages. In Chrome, for example, you may put about: settings into the URL bar to see the Settings page, or about: downloads to view Chrome’s record of file downloads.
The about:URL scheme is used by browsers to process internal commands and includes about:blank pages. Most browsers support a number of “about” commands, including about:about, about:cache, and about:plugins.
When you put about: blank into the URL box and hit Enter, your web browser will display an empty page with no content. This page is not from the internet; it is part of your web browser.
Why do I see About:Blank?
The “About” portion of the Universal Resource Identifier (URI), which handles internal commands, is used by all browsers. The browser will simply show what you want when you use the About with several internal instructions in the About:URL format.
- about:about is used to see a list of Chrome URLs, internal pages, and URLs for debugging.
- about:blank displays an empty page from the browser, not the internet.
- about:cache to see the cached pages.
- about://version to see all the specifications and version details of your browser.
Why Is about: blank Useful?
Many individuals set their homepage to about: blank. When you open your browser, you will see an empty page.
To accomplish this, simply go to your browser’s settings and instruct it to open with “about: blank” rather than another web page.
If a web browser launches and doesn’t know what else to display, it may open the blank about: blank page. After all, a browser must always display something, and loading about it: blank is a method of presenting a blank page.
The Most Popular Consumer Reasons for Using blank Pages in ‘about:blank’
You may be wondering why anyone would want to use a blank page in http://about:blank.
People prefer the concept of starting their browser with a blank page for a variety of reasons, including preventing the browser from opening several tabs or windows from the previous session.
- Ensured privacy at launch
- By opening a non-internet browser tab to begin their session, they can control their bandwidth.
- Making the homepage inactive
- Process control on an older PC
- Avoid distractions.
The concept of http://about:blank may appear weird, but as seen above, it serves a useful function. The most typical purpose for a customer to use about blank is to direct the web browser to open a blank page when it is launched—or even for each new tab or window. About: blank keeps the setup fast and clean, with no distractions, which is important because today’s programs are meant to entice you or keep you addicted to them so that they may profit financially. To name a few, you may be aware of this with Facebook, Twitter, the start pages of Edge and Firefox, and even the Yahoo home page.
Is It a Virus or Malware?
The about blank page contains no viruses or other potentially harmful content. If you are concerned that your computer may be infected with malware, we recommend running a scan with your preferred antimalware tool.
We prefer Malwarebytes and recommend running a scan with it on your PC. Manual scans and virus removal are available in the free version. The premium Premium version just includes background scanning. Malwarebytes is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers.
Causes of about:blank Pages
An about:blank page can appear in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons.
The following are the most typical reasons of about blank pages:
- When you click a download link that opens in a new window or tab, the browser is required to show about blank page to begin the download.
- You mistype a web URL, resulting in the erroneous website, which may include viruses or malware, or you see an about:blank page if the browser is unable to determine what to show.
- Based on the information processed, the browser has no notion of what to do. Inconsistencies in HTML, Java, and other scripts might cause the browser to display a blank page because it is unable to process anything.
Why is ‘about: blank’ blocked?
When the page you are loading is blocked for security reasons, the About:blank#blocked page is shown. Chrome shows the About Blank blocked page because it is unsure of what to show in that situation.
How do I fix about:blank blocked?
To fix the error of about.blank error follows the given steps:
Remove “about:blank” from the Homepage and enter the appropriate home page. Click menu > Settings > On startup in Microsoft’s new Edge browser, which is based on Chromium. Remove about:blank from the list of pages Edge opens when you run it by choosing “Open a new tab,” if it appears there.
How to Fix an ‘about: blank’ Home Page
If, as previously indicated, you changed your home page to a blank one, go to settings and update your homepage to anything you like. Most browsers provide already used or pre-included features to make your life simpler. Enter a new URL into the box or area if you removed and reinstalled your browser.
If the blank page problem persists, consider deactivating any extensions you may be using, closing, and re-opening the browser. Add-ons (including pop-up blockers) might create issues, therefore removing them may resolve the issue. Finally, you may reset your settings to the factory defaults. This is an extreme choice, but if nothing else works, try it.
How do I fix Google Chrome About blank?
To fix Google Chrome’s About Blank page you can do the following things-
- Clear cache
- Disable all extensions
- Reset your browser
- Uninstall and then install Chrome again
- Use another browser.
How Can You Get Rid of ‘About: blank’?
There is no way to get rid of or delete about blank. It’s built into your web browser and will always be there beneath the hood. You don’t have to view it again if you don’t want to.
If you always see about: blank when you open your web browser and would rather view your browser’s New Tab page or another web page, just change your web browser’s home page.
How to get rid of ‘about: blank’ in Google Chrome
In Google Chrome you can follow the given steps to get rid of about.blank:
Navigate to the menu > Settings in Google Chrome. Scroll down to the “On startup” area and choose “Open the New Tab page” or remove about: blank from the websites that open on startup and replace it with your preferred web page.
How to get rid of ‘about: blank’ in Mozilla Firefox
To remove http://about:blank in Mozilla Browser follow the given steps:
In Mozilla Firefox, go to the menu, then Options, then Home. Choose your preferred home page for new windows and tabs. Make certain that “about:blank” or “Blank Page” are not selected here.
How to get rid of ‘about: blank’ in the Safari browser
In order to remove ‘about; blank’ in the safari browser for iOs devices, for the given steps:
Click Safari > Preferences > General in Apple Safari on a Mac. Remove “about: blank” from the Homepage and replace it with your own home page.
Click menu > Settings > On startup in Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser. Remove about: blank from the list of pages Edge opens when you run it by selecting “Open a new tab.”
You may modify this in Internet Explorer by going to the Internet Options box. (Of course, you shouldn’t be using Internet Explorer anymore; even Microsoft advises against it, but it may still be essential for some old business programs and other legacy software.)
Click the gear-shaped menu button and select “Internet Options.” Remove “about: blank” from the home page box at the top of the General pane. Enter the address of your desired home page.
How to Stop Those ‘About Blank’ Popups
Stopping ‘about: blank’ pages is dependent on why they are shown in the first place. If you’ve changed your browser settings to open blank pages, you must return to the browser settings and undo any modifications.
If you frequently receive about: blank pages, you should first cease using malware or viruses since they might ruin the browser, and then uninstall and reinstall Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or whichever browser you use. Removing malware from your PC may also result in missing files and browser settings that were not repaired/replaced after the infection was removed.
Aside from the two cases mentioned above, you should usually leave the about: blank feature alone. Blank pages are currently used by many antivirus and anti-malware solutions to prevent hazardous URLs from running code or fooling you into taking action.
Should You Set About Blank as a Start Page?
Setting about:blank as your own browser page is easy and simple. Using internal commands, extensions, advanced settings, or contacting customer assistance are not issues for you. Let’s demonstrate how to use the control panel in most major browsers to set about: blank.
How to Set about:blank For Google Chrome
- By selecting the three small dots in the browser’s up
- per right corner, you may access the Google Chrome menu. When you reach the “On Startup” section, continue to scroll down the list.
- In the Site URL field, choose “Open a specific page or set of pages,” and enter “about:blank.”
- When you’re done, click “Save.”
How to Set about:blank For Microsoft Edge
- In the browser’s upper right corner, select the three dots menu button.
- Click the On startup section under Browser Settings.
- Select Open one or more specified pages. Choose Edit from the three dots on the right, then enter about:blank.
How to Set about:blank For Safari
If you use Apple Safari, follow these steps:
- Select > Preferences > General
- In the Home page section, type about:blank
- Close the tab and your settings will be saved
How to Set about:blank For Mozilla Firefox
- Choose “Options” from the drop-down menu in the top right corner of the browser.
- From the left navigation menu, choose “Home.”
- In the Home page and new windows area, choose Custom URLs.
- Enter about:home in the text box.
- Your updated default Home page settings will be kept after you dismiss the menu.
Conclusion
In most cases, viewing an about: blank page on your browser isn’t a sign of an infected device; it suggests you haven’t selected a homepage or your browser is having trouble displaying information. However, if it occurs when you try to access particular websites or when you boot up your computer, it indicates the presence of a potential problem.