You might have heard about:blank, but you don’t know what it is. You might have seen it when you first open a new Chrome browser session – an empty page with about:blank in your address bar.
It might be visible when you click on a link that will download something from the Internet or when you click on a link that will take you to another website.
Did you ever wonder why the word “blank” appears? And what exactly is it? Let’s find the answer.
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Do you have to worry about:blank?
Is about:blank a blank page, as its name implies? Or is there more to it?
Is it beneficial? Do you want to keep it or throw it out?
It can cause confusion and make people worry. A blank page can lead people to believe it is a virus, some malware or that something has happened. They don’t know what the problem is or what causes it.
These are the questions that this article addresses. This article will explain why the page appears in your browser URL field. It also explains why you might want to keep it. If it doesn’t, it will show you how to remove it and prevent it from appearing again.
Why Your browser shows about:blank?
You are viewing a Chrome-built empty page if you see an empty page with address:about:blank. This is a common feature in modern browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
This page is automatically loaded when there is nothing else.
If a user doesn’t specify a webpage they want to load, and the browser does not know what it should show. Instead, it displays a blank page built into the browser.
Even if it is empty, the browser must display something.
Are about:blank is a virus?
It isn’t malware in and of itself. It’s as innocent as possible.
You don’t have to be concerned about it.
In rare cases, about:blank could be a symptom from a virus.
This can be a sign that your computer is blocking malware/viruses when it encounters a malicious link/URL.
You may also see it after you have deleted malware. The browser will not know what to do after this process.
If you have any concerns about your computer having a virus, it’s a good idea.
What is about:blank?
This is just a page that your browser has built, as we mentioned before.
It is not a website, it is a page that comes from the Internet. It is nothing more than a blank page that appears in your browser.
It is part of the “about” URI Scheme, which is impeded by a variety browsers.
The “about” URL Scheme part of a naming convention tells the browser which pages to display.
There are many Chrome URLs that can be used in Chrome, some of which are listed below.
- About:downloads to see the download list
- About:bookmarks To view your saved bookmarks
- About:accessibility displays accessibility information for every tab that is opened in the browser
- About:apps allows you to see the apps included with Chrome browser as well as those that are installed by the user
You can search them all by typing about:about
What are the Benefits about:blank?
Many users love this page as their homepage. This page ensures that the browser opens with a blank white page.
This makes it blazingly quick and starts the browser very quickly. It doesn’t take too long to request a page from the Internet. The browser just waits for the response.
This can reduce data usage when your internet connection is slow or you have limited bandwidth. This will allow you to save your computer and network resources.
You can also use a default blank page to help you stay on track and not get distracted. Focus on finding and visiting the page that you are looking for.
How to configure about:blank on your homepage
You will need to adjust the settings of your browser to make about:blank the default start page.
Navigate to your settings menu, and click “Settings”.
You could even have typed:settings!
- Type “start-up” in the search box
- Choose “Open a page” or “Open a set of pages”.
- Click “Add to a New Page” and then type “about:blank”.
- Finally, press “Add”
You’ll see an empty page when you open a new tab.
How to stop about:blank?
This page isn’t something you can “get rid of”, it’s a feature that is built into your browser, and will always be there.
You can prevent your browser from opening with a blank page if it does so. You can change the settings to stop it from being your default homepage.
Follow the steps in the previous section to delete “about:blank” from the “Open a specific page or set” option. Then, select your favourite website. You can also choose “Open the New Tab Page” instead.
Conclusion
About:blank should not be considered a security risk.You can also change the display in your browser settings if you don’t like it.
