About Blank – What Does about:blank Mean and How Do You Remove It?
Whether you’re using Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, or other browsers, the term about:blank (also known as About Blank) refers to an empty page on your web browser.
In both the URL bar and the tab’s page title, the page has the label about blank. When you click a link or open one in a new tab or window, you’ve probably seen this empty page appear from time to time.
What does about:blank actually mean? Is it a virus, a poor Internet connection, or a malfunctioning link that’s causing the problem? I’m not sure what I can do to put a stop to it.
An about blank page can display on your screen for a multitude of reasons. The blank pages aren’t a reason for concern in general.
In a about:blank tab or window, there is no webpage to load, and it is not designed to do so.
These windows, on the other hand, aren’t just blank pages; they’re blank pages with concealed browser features. The bottom line is that about blank is exactly what it sounds like: a blank page that isn’t a URL; it’s a browser command.
This article discusses what about blank is and why you can see it when surfing the web or clicking on a link.
• What triggers it to show up?
• Why may you want to use it?
• whether you’ll be able to get rid of it; and
• if you need to be concerned about it
So, let’s get started.
What Does about blank Mean?
About:blank is a page that appears when your browser is unable to display any further content. It’s not a web page, but rather something that happens inside your browser.
Browsers employ the about:URL scheme to perform internal commands, and about:blank pages are part of that scheme. Most browsers support various “about” commands, including about:about, about:cache, and about:plugins.
You’re reading an empty page built by your web browser if you see “about: blank” in the address bar. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and other browsers all contain it.
about:blank is in perfect working order. Many individuals choose about:blank as their default home page, guaranteeing that their browser always opens with a blank white screen.
If you don’t like how your web browser always begins with about:blank, we’ll teach you how to change that.
This is a web browser’s default blank page. The section of the address that begins with “about:” instructs the browser to display internal, built-in web pages. For example, in Chrome, type about:settings into the URL bar to access the Settings page, or about:downloads to get Chrome’s list of file downloads.
Your web browser will load an empty page with nothing on it if you type about:blank into the address box and hit Enter. This page isn’t from the internet; instead, it’s a feature of your web browser.
What are the causes of about:blank?
So, why does a blank page appear now and then? The following are some of the most important reasons:
• If the browser doesn’t know where to go or what to do when it comes across a bad link/URL
• If the browser doesn’t know where to go or what to do when it comes across a bad link/URL
• If the browser doesn’t know where to go or what to do when it comes across a bad link/URL, it has to do something – so it shows you about:blank
• Certain browsers will display about:blank instead of advancing into unsafe terrain if they identify something dangerous (such as malware).
Why Is about:blank Useful? What Is about blank Used For?
Top Consumer Reasons for Using about:blank Pages
You might be wondering why someone would want to use a blank page.
For a variety of reasons, many enjoy the idea of starting their browser on a blank page, including:
• Preventing the browser from opening multiple tabs or windows from the previous session
• Assuring privacy upon launch
• Managing bandwidth by starting their session with a non-internet browser tab
• Leaving the homepage blank
• Creating a blank site
• Managing processes on an older PC
• Avoiding distractions
Although the concept appears weird, it serves a useful purpose, as demonstrated above. The most typical purpose for a user to use about blank is to tell their browser to open a blank page whenever they launch it—or even for every new tab or window.
About blank makes the startup simple and free of distractions, which is important because today’s apps are designed to entice you in or keep you attached to them so they can profit. Facebook, Twitter, the start pages of Edge and Firefox, and even the Yahoo home page, to mention a few, maybe aware of this.
Is it a virus or malware?
The about blank page isn’t malicious or harmful in any way.
If you’re concerned that your computer may be infected with malware, we recommend running a scan with your preferred antimalware tool.
Malwarebytes is one of our favorites, and we recommend running a scan with it on your computer. The free version allows for manual scans and virus eradication. Only the premium Premium edition has automatic background scanning.
Malwarebytes is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers.
How to Make about blank Your Homepage
If you choose, you can do so by making about:blank your default browser start page.
In Google Chrome:
1. Type chrome:/settings into the address bar and hit Enter.
2. Select Open a specific page or set of pages from the On startup section by scrolling down.
3. The URL of your existing default start page will appear. Select Edit from the menu by selecting the three vertical dots on the right.
4. Type about:blank in the Site URL field. When you’re finished, click Save.
When you open your browser now, it will display the about:blank page instead of displaying any web pages or running any scripts. Many people believe that this improves the speed with which Chrome and other browsers open.
In Firefox:
1. Go to the menu in the upper right corner of the browser and choose Options from the drop-down menu.
2. From the left navigation menu, choose Home.
3. In the Homepage and new windows section, choose Custom URLs…
4. In the field, type about:home.
5. When you close the menu, your Homepage settings will be retained.
Note that you can achieve the same thing by selecting Blank Page from the selection instead of Custom URLs.
In Apple Safari, go to:
1. Open Safari and go to Preferences > General.
2. Type about:blank in the Homepage section.
3. When you close the tab, your settings will be saved.
In Microsoft Edge, you can
1. Click on the three-dot menu symbol in the upper right corner.
2. Navigate to the On startup section of the Settings menu.
3. Choose Open a specific page or page from the drop-down menu.
4. Click the three dots to the right, then Edit, then type about:blank into the box.
If you still use Internet Explorer, type:
1. Select the gear-shaped menu icon from the menu bar.
2. Go to Internet Options.
3. Type about:blank in the Home page area.
4. To close the window, select OK.
What Is the Most Effective Way to Get Remove About blank?
About blank is impossible to get rid of or erase. It’ll always be there under the hood of your web browser because it’s a part of it. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to see it again.
If you want to see your browser’s New Tab page or any other online page when you open it, all you have to do is modify your web browser’s home page.
The free version allows for manual scans and virus eradication. Only the premium Premium edition has automatic background scanning.
What Is the Most Effective Way to Get Remove about:blank?
In Google Chrome, visit the menu > Settings.
In Mozilla Firefox, go to the menu > Options > Home. Choose your favorite home page for new windows and tabs. Make certain that “about:blank” or “Blank Page” are not selected.
In Apple Safari on a Mac, go to Safari > Preferences > General.
Remove “about: blank” from 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 can modify this in Internet Explorer’s Internet Options window. (Of course, you shouldn’t be using Internet Explorer any longer.) Even Microsoft advises against using Internet Explorer. However, it may still be required for some legacy business applications and software.)
Select “Internet Options” from the gear-shaped menu button. Remove “about:blank” from the top of the General pane’s home page box. Enter the URL for the home page you want to visit.
