What is ‘About:Blank’ and How to Remove It?

If your web browser has a ‘roughly: empty‘ and wondering what it is and how to remove it, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we examine the purpose of this page, what the potential security risks are, and what you can do to ensure you never see this page again.

What is the “about:blank” page?

That ‘roughly: empty‘ is not specific to one browser or another. You can find it in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Brave, Opera and most other popular web browsers.

The key is literally in the name: a roughly: empty The page is literally a blank page in your browser tab. You’ve probably noticed that it pops up from time to time when you open a new tab or when you first open your browser.

However, as you will see below, a slightly modified version of the roughly: empty it can also mean that it is infected with malware (probably a browser hijacker).

Reasons to use a blank “about:” page

Even if you don’t want to see it roughly: empty Page that appears every time you open a new tab, many people like this idea.

While it may seem impractical to have to navigate through a blank page before you start browsing, here are some of the most common reasons you might use a blank page:

• To avoid distractions
• To ensure your home page is always blank
• To regulate processes on an older PC and prevent your browser from taking up system resources
• To speed up bandwidth by opening your browser in a non-Internet tab every time you start a new session
• To ensure privacy on startup (preferably in an open work environment
• To prevent your browser from opening too many cached tabs or windows from previous sessions

Of all the above reasons, the most compelling reason to use about:blank pages is CPU and memory usage.

On a low-end PC, you’ll find that Firefox and Chrome (among others) consume an absurd percentage of available system resources in the first few seconds after opening the browser; This could result in messing up some applications and processes. . They run at the same time.

This behavior can be avoided entirely by setting up an about:blank page.

Possible viral infection

In the vast majority of cases, this blank page is not malware and should not be considered a threat to your computer’s security, especially if you have one Make sure your browser is updated to the latest version available.

However, in the past we have seen some adware that exploits the “about:blank” feature to trick users with promotional offers.

Most of the time, browser hijackers alter your browser’s home page, especially in situations where your antivirus detected a virus threat but failed to properly eliminate the infection.

Common symptoms that include this possibility are:

• Unwanted adware programs get installed on your PC without your explicit consent.
• The random text on the web page is automatically converted into hyperlinks that you can click on.
• You see browser pop-ups that often recommend fake updates or other software installations.
• You will see pop-up ads inserted into the websites you visit most often.

If you experience any of the symptoms outlined above, this is the best thing you can do Run a thorough scan for Malwarebytes and clean your system from potentially unwanted malware and adware.

How to remove about:blank page

There is no permanent way to remove those roughly: empty Side. This is an integral part of your browser and will always be hidden under the hood of your browser.

However, there are ways to ensure you never see it again if you don’t want to.

If you want to see them New tab or any other website when you open your browser, you can change the default behavior in your browser settings.

The instructions for this are of course different depending on the browser used.

To make things easier for you, we have created a selection of sub-guides that will walk you through the process in all major browsers.

Google Chrome

If you’re using Google Chrome, click the action icon (three dots) in the top left and click Settings in the pop-up menu that just appeared.

In the next menu, go to the On startup section and select Open the new tab or simply remove the “about:blank” page from the list of websites that opens each time the browser is started.

MozillaFirefox

If you are in Mozilla Firefox, click the action button (three dots icon) and then go to Options > Start.

From the menu that just appeared, select the desired home page to use when opening the browser. Make sure that ‘roughly: empty‘y empty page You will not be selected.

safari

If you’re in an Apple ecosystem and using Safari, go to Preferences, Then click (or tap). General Language.

Once you’re in general settings, delete the blank “About” page and replace it with the home page you want to use instead.

Microsoft Edge

If you are using Microsoft Edge or a derivative of this browser framework, you can remove the about:blank page by going to Settings > On startup.

Select there Open a new tab or simply remove roughly: empty in the list of pages that Edge opens by default.