Do you even remember when you started using the tabbed interface on browsers and got used to it? I really don’t, but I understand one thing for certain, and it’s that it saves me a lot of time and effort. It makes my browsing easier on the whole. However, there is not much one can do with a blank new tab page. And this is the very reason most modern browsers have tried implementing the thumbnail interface.
Previously we saw how to customize the new tab settings and enhance our experience on Google Chrome. On those lines, today we will see what can be done with Mozilla Firefox.
Well, if you are using Firefox 13 or later, you must have noticed that you have a new tab page that shows up to 9 thumbnails of your most recently and frequently visited web sites. Besides, you can always delete the ones you do not want, rearrange the thumbnails or pin your favorite websites.
At any given time, if you want to switch back to the blank page you can toggle the view by clicking on the icon at the top right (shown in the above image) of the interface.
Cool Tip: You can also pin the bookmarks by dragging and dropping them on any of the thumbnail.
If you are not satisfied with the number of tiles and wish to increase the number of rows and columns then you may give a try to the New Tab Tools extension for Firefox
Open Specific Websites on New Tab Page
Most of know how to point the home page of Firefox (or any other browser) to a specific website. How about simulating the same on a new tab? We have talked about a nifty add-on called NewTabURL that helps you in the process, before. Let us see how to do it manually.
Step 1: Open a Firefox tab and enter about:config on its address bar. Hit Enter.
Step 2: On the preferences window search for browser.newtab.url. You will see only one option for the result.
Step 3: Double click on it and enter the URL of the site that you prefer to open with every new tab page. For example, I have it set to Guiding Tech.
Wallpaper For Firefox Start Page
To use the home page as new tab page set the values to about:home. For a blank new tab set it to about:blank.
Cool Tip: We also have a trick to use the home page as a task reminder. Now, you can use it on a new tab too.
Custom New Tabis another add-on for Firefox that helps you to customize the new tab page on the same lines. You may try it if you find the above process a little techie.
Add Backgrounds to New Tab Page
There is a cool extension called Browser Backgrounds that puts wallpaper on every new page. And each time it would show a new background making things more interesting.
Conclusion
These are the very basic methods to customize a new tab page on Firefox. There are many add-ons in the market that help you make the page flashy and decorative but that only adds to the weight and makes the browser slow. If you know of more tricks on this from do share with us.
Also See#Firefox #How-to/Guides
Did You Know
The Mozilla Firefox browser was originally called Phoenix 0.1.
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HomeInternet10 Best Add-ons to Customize New Tab in Firefox
One time I wrote about wallpaper apps for Linux, and the feedback I got was – almost unanimously – that nobody cares about wallpapers.
There’s truth to that criticism. Most people use their computers for work, and don’t spend time staring at the desktop, admiring the wallpaper. They do, however, spend a lot of time using the web browser. That’s why it makes sense to tweak the browser and make it as powerful as possible with a smart selection of extensions.
Tab management extensions are incredibly popular for both Firefox and Chrome. Even an empty tab page can be transformed into something useful. Firefox has adopted the “speed dial” format with tiles back in 2012, but its default new tab page is not particularly customizable. Thankfully, there are add-ons to fix that. We’ve already shown you some cool extensions for tweaking the new tab page in Chrome, and today we’ll see how to do that in Firefox.
1. Super Start
Super Start is my current new tab add-on, so let’s start with it. On the surface, it’s just a regular speed-dial-style extension that lets you create shortcuts for your favorite links. Once you dive into the customization options, you’ll discover that Super Start can do much more.
You can display a to-do list on the new tab page, group bookmarks by drag-and-dropping them onto each other, and insert placeholders (empty tiles) to arrange bookmarks in any way you want. If tiles look too big for you, there’s the text-only mode that saves space and lets you show more bookmarks on the page.
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Optionally, Super Start can display a navigation bar with a search field at the top of the page. If you want to use Super Start on another computer, you can export (and import) all your links.
Outstanding features: custom CSS; option to quickly add any website to Super Start from the right-click menu
2. Moment
Moment is as simple and minimal as it gets. There are no superficial features – it just displays the time, date, and weather information. While it might be useful to include links to favorite websites, Moment is not that kind of add-on. This is actually a good thing; after all, there are plenty of other add-ons for that. It’s only fair that there’s something for the minimalists, too.
Besides, Moment is not completely stripped down: the Options dialog lets you change colors, font, and date format. If you’re confident in your CSS skills, you can even try modifying Moment in that way.
Outstanding features: lightweight; loads quickly; lets you write custom CSS
![]() 3. New Tab Tools
New Tab Tools improves upon the default new tab page in Firefox while retaining a similar appearance. You can display your bookmarks as tiles, and each tile can have a custom image or icon. Alternatively, you can let New Tab Tools generate thumbnails for them. New Tab Tools can show recently closed tabs, as well as create tiles from the browser history. The menu bar with links to downloads, add-ons, and preferences is optional, and you can adjust its position.
The only problem with New Tab Tools is that the Options dialog can be confusing; more specifically, the “Tiles” section where you’re supposed to navigate by clicking the arrows to reach the individual settings for each tile.
Outstanding features: tile transparency; custom images and colors for each tile
4. Viewmarks
The primary purpose of Viewmarks is to visually organize your bookmarks. Since it’s possible to make Viewmarks load instead of the default new tab page, we’re including it in the list. Your bookmarks are represented as thumbnails, and there is a handy visual search feature that lets you look through your browsing history. You can assign tags to your bookmarks, give each bookmark a star-rating, and keep deleted bookmarks in the Trash folder for a quick restore if necessary. If you take bookmark management seriously, Viewmarks can make you happy.
Outstanding features: automatic thumbnail creation; quick navigation similar to a file manager
5. Bookmark Dial
If you’re one of those rare people whose browser bookmarks are perfectly organized, Bookmark Dial might be just right for you. Instead of adding links one by one, Bookmark Dial can populate the new tab page with a selected folder from your bookmarks. Thumbnails (images on the tiles) are also generated automatically, and you can rearrange them by simply drag-and-dropping them around. As with some other add-ons on this list, it’s possible to further tweak Bookmark Dial with custom CSS.
Outstanding features: option to manage bookmarks from the right-click menu; tiles can be resized manually
6. Blink
Blink looks plain and simple, initially showing only time and date. But what about those icons in the top right toolbar? You’ve guessed it – that’s where you’ll find the best part of Blink. Integration with the popular news aggregator service Feedly lets you see the latest content from your favorite blogs and websites right on the new tab page. All you have to do is select the desired sources or topics in the appropriate dialog. This makes Blink great for people who want to jump right into the news when they open Firefox.
Outstanding features: option to choose between latest, trending, or balanced news; neat, Pinterest-like interface
7. TabTrekker
TabTrekker is often mentioned as the best alternative to Chrome’s Momentum (which is, sadly, still unavailable for Firefox). If you’re more concerned with the aesthetic features of your new tab page than with a bunch of bookmark-related options, try TabTrekker. It uses beautiful photographs from all around the world as the background, and rotates them automatically. Of course, this means that TabTrekker won’t work properly without an Internet connection. If you want, it can also display the weather information, time, date, a search bar, and your most visited websites.
Outstanding features: attractive design; simple and straightforward settings
8. SiteLauncher
…and now for something completely different. SiteLauncher is not your typical new tab add-on; in fact, it doesn’t actually modify the new tab page. However, the functionality it provides is very similar to other add-ons on this list. Instead of loading in a new tab, SiteLauncher shows up as an overlay on any website you’re currently visiting when you press its keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Space).
You can change the size, text, and colors of the overlay, add a bit of transparency if you wish, and create groups of links. The most important feature is that you can assign a letter to every website displayed in SiteLauncher, and open it by simply pressing the desired key – no need to click around with the mouse. SiteLauncher can replace your home page, and there are plenty more features in the Options dialog that make it worth checking out.
Outstanding features: quick to access; highly customizable appearance
9. Start.me
Start.me is a godsend for people who prefer keeping their bookmarks in the cloud, accessible from any computer connected to the Internet. Naturally, this requires an account, which is free and which you can create with an email address, or log in with your social media credentials.
Start.me integrates well with Google Apps, and lets you add email, weather, and social networking widgets to your new tab page. You can import bookmarks and RSS feeds, and export everything, including your notes and to-do lists. Start.me can look as busy or as minimal as you want – use all the widgets, or just display your favorite bookmarks. It’s a good kind of choice, isn’t it?
Outstanding features: dozens of widgets to choose from; the search bar can crawl several search engines simultaneously
10. Speed Start
Speed Start sports a classic speed dial look, but with a twist: everything is customizable. You’re free to rearrange and resize items on the new tab page, whether they’re single links to websites or groups (folders) containing multiple links. There’s no need to worry if something goes wrong, as Speed Start can backup and restore all your settings and bookmarks.
When the Windows volume is all the way up but things are still too quiet, here are some things you can try to make things a bit louder.Related: 1. Check the Software VolumeIf you’re listening to something within an app and things seem a little quiet, check if you can adjust the audio within the software itself. Increase vlc max volume 10.
Search engines can be added to Speed Start as separate items, so you can display several at once. Of course, background image and colors can also be changed, and adding links to folders is as simple as drag-and-dropping them over the existing folders.
Outstanding features: support for mouse gestures to load links in a new tab; zooming and scaling for larger/smaller displays
Why settle for a blank new tab when you can use it to boost your productivity, remind yourself with notes and to-do lists, or sort your most important bookmarks? If the add-ons we’ve suggested so far don’t suit you, take a look at two other popular choices: FVD Speed Dial and Fast Dial. The former is chock-full of features, while the latter is focused on doing one thing, but doing it right.
What’s that – you don’t want to install any add-ons at all, yet you still want a custom new tab page?
Very well. Consider visiting the /r/Startpages subreddit, where you can get inspired by other people’s ideas, and in some cases, freely copy their code. Another fantastic resource for this purpose is deviantART, where people share HTML files for free – all you have to do is download them, then set them up to load as your new tab page in Firefox.
Small soldiers squad commander download. SEE ALSO: 8 Best Data Saving Android Browsers to Surf the Web Faster
Do you know of any other cool add-ons for new tab customization? How do you make sure your new tab page doesn’t look boring? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments below.
Featured Image Courtesy: Flickr
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When you are browsing on the Internet, when you click on a link. The new link or tab will open. If you don’t want your browser to switch to the link that opens in the new tab, you will have to set your browser so as to force links to open in the background. This way, you continue to remain focused on the same page, while opening the external links in the new tabs. This is how you can do in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Opera browsers.
Force Links to open in background in Internet Explorer
In Internet Explorer, you can easily change this setting via Internet Options > General tab > Tabs button > Uncheck Always switch to new tabs when they are created.
Force Links to open in background in Firefox
Open your Firefox browser. In its address bar, type ‘about:config’ and hit ‘Enter’. Instantly, a warning message will flash on your computer screen. Ignore it if seen and press the ‘I’ll be careful, I promise’ tab.
Proceeding further, try locating ‘browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground‘ in the configuration window of advanced settings. Use the search bar to simplify your search process. In search bar, just type “browser.tabs” and hit Enter.
When seen, you will observe by default the ‘browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground’ value is set to false. You’ll have to change he value.
For this, double-click on browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground and set its value as ‘true’. That’s it! You can disable this if you want at any point of time by simply settings its value as false again.
Force Links to open in background in Chrome
Chrome does not offer any straight-forward method to force links open in background. Nevertheless, there are some different approaches you can follow and force Chrome to make links open in background.
Move Links to Tab Bar New Tab
Click to move the link on a web page and drop it anywhere in the Tab bar. You will observe that the link automatically gets opened in new tab. You can move the tab anywhere in the address bar you want.
Using Chrome extension
Open _new & _blank in new background tab: Forces all links that have _new or _blank as target to open in a new background tab, instead of a foreground tab. The plugin however does not seem to work for Google Reader entry titles, it will open two tabs instead.
Force Links to open in background in Opera
Open Opera > Tools > Quick Preferences > Ensure Block unwanted Pop-ups is checked.
Next type about:config in address bar and hit Enter. Scroll down to Target Destination.
Type ‘2.’ Save and Exit.
Hope this helps!
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Microsoft’s new browser, Edge on Windows 10, brings forth some new features. In this post, we’re not going to focus on everything, but mainly the New tab page, one that is similar to what Opera has done in the past. The New tab features allow users to change the way tabs behave when they are created, and what is shown. Folks can choose to only display a Blank tab, Top sites or Top sides and suggested content.
Edge browser New tab page
A Blank tab is the classic tab behavior, preferred by me, but considered by some to be too boring. Hence, the reason Top sites tab behavior was brought into play. When a user chooses top sites to be shown when a new tab is created, every time a new tab is open, it shows the web sites most used. This makes it easier for Edge users to quickly get to their favorite websites without having to type in the URL bar or perform a Bing search.
Finally, there’s the Top sites and suggested content feature. This one is similar to top sites, but it goes one step further. The tab shows the top sites along with suggested web content from MSN. It means if users want to get the most out of this tab, then they will require to have an active internet connection.
The question right now, is how does one gain access to these settings. Well, Microsoft has made it quite easy to understand. In fact, the configuration section on Edge is more simplified than Chrome and Firefox, and far more than Internet Explorer.
To get there, just click the “More action button” at the top right corner of the browser. Scroll down to the button that says, “Settings.” Click on it, and then simply scroll down until the option that says, “Open new tab with” is in view. From there, users can change tab behavior to suit their needs.
I’ve been using Edge for quite some time now, and it is safe to say the new tab features work really well. However, the top sites and suggested content feature in my find is not very well done. Suggesting content is great, but Microsoft does not give users the option to customize and choose the type of content they would rather see.
You can also customize or turn off MSN News Feed in Edge browser Start Page.
More Edge browser tips and tricks here.
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