15 Best ‘New Tab’ Extensions for Google Chrome Fans
You wake up. You are hesitant to take out your laptop or sit in front of a work desk with delicious coffee nearby. After the system boots, you load Google Chrome and think how nice it is to get rid of all those open tabs someday. You open a new tab anyway and begin your morning containment ritual.
While we can fix your intrusive tabs and even your fatigue issues, I think it’s important to bring a little condo joy to an under-serviced part of your morning ritual: your browser’s new tab window.
Think about it. You’re probably looking at this ugly, search-filled screen more than any other website, as it’s the first thing you see when you try to navigate elsewhere. I have nothing against Chrome’s search box or its quick list of sites you visit frequently, but you can do better. Here are a few of our favorite New Tab extensions:
Toby
We’ve talked about Toby before , and it’s still a great way to organize all those ugly open tabs into content on one screen. Better yet, you can sync this new tab across all instances of your browser, that is, if you log into Toby’s service.
View of the Earth from Google Earth
The premise of this extension is simple: you can dream of new places to visit without ever leaving your desktop. And even if you have no intention of venturing out to some distant island or snow-covered landscape – all the features pulled from Google Earth and added right on the New Tab page – you’ll be able to download any pop-up favorites for re-viewing. … Or just trust that fate (in the form of a new random image every time you load a new tab) will bring you back together again.
Google Arts and Culture
If you prefer new art to admire over gorgeous locations, the Google Arts & Culture extension for your browser is like a museum pass. Same as Earth View from Google Earth: you get one new picture every time you open a browser tab, although you can also set the extension to update “daily” if you want more time to evaluate the work.
New Draft tab
It’s easy. Your “new tab” page turns into a giant notepad when you install the New Tab Draft extension. Whatever you enter will persist between browser sessions – locally, however, which is great for privacy, but not so good if you switch frequently between desktops and laptops. However, it’s best to open a separate app to record your thoughts.
FlashTabs
If you are in a place where you have tons of facts and figures to memorize – you are a student, an actor, or trying to brush up on your Star Wars knowledge – then FlashTabs is a great way to take the test. myself. Open a new tab; get a new card. You can even rate certain cards based on difficulty if you know you need to see some of them that you miss more often than others.
Markdown New Tab
Similar to the New Tab Draft extension, Markdown New Tab lets you take and save notes whenever you open a new tab. And what you write persists across browser sessions. Unlike the New Tab Draft, the Markdown New Tab – you probably guessed it – lets you format your thoughts using the always useful Markdown syntax that you should definitely learn. (You can even leave notes on the Markdown syntax in the Markdown new tab if you really want to get the meta.)
Pulse
Another Lifehacker favorite , the Momentum extension turns your boring old “new tab” page into a big jumble of information and inspiration. He is not cluttered, especially since you can turn different parts of his experience on and off at will. This includes: a button to expand highlighted links, a bookmark bar (if you don’t need one in your default browser window), a search box, local weather, a way to enter what you’re focusing on today, inspirational quotes, and a to-do list. You even have a lovely new photo to look at every day.
Alternatively, you can also try Leoh New Tab , which takes the same approach but with slightly different styling (and widgets).
Striped cat
You get a new feline friend on every tab you open – and you might even find a few rare ones! Tabby Cat is one of the greatest New Tab extensions ever. End of story. (You can also buy other cute animals like dogs, birds and bears for as little as $ 1 each, in case your pet is tied to a different location.)
Tab for a reason
Nobody likes ads, I understand. Install the Tab for a Cause extension and you have a Momentum-like page with some widgets, a timing, and a nice photo to look at. You will also get some banner ads, but they don’t lie somewhere in the pocket of some adventurous extension developer. Instead, the proceeds go to a charity of your choosing. Any little thing helps!
Speed dial 2
It’s simple, but maybe that’s all you need. With the Speed Dial 2 extension, you add big fat buttons representing your favorite websites to your “new tab” page. If you have multiple sites that you check on a regular basis, it will at least save you a little time from having to type them into Chrome’s address bar or click a bookmark in the toolbar.
If you want to get creative, you can also use the sidebar to display recently closed tabs, apps, and your bookmarks. Your apps can also appear in a dedicated bottom bar for easy access.
Unsplash Instant
Open a new tab, get a new free photo from Unsplash to tag it. Open another tab, get another photo. This Unsplash Instant is a simple, clean and original Chrome extension that brings your “new tab” page to life without unnecessary clutter.
Initab
If you’re a developer or an experienced user, maybe you should try Initab . This extension augments your “new tab” page with data, including popular posts from your favorite subreddits, github issues and pull requests, and a recent history of stack overflows, to name a few items. I especially like the “Relevant History” section, which only displays snippets from your browser history that match certain keywords.
Samtab
It’s unusual but fun. You and your colleagues must register with Sametab using your company’s email addresses. And when you do, you’ll all see the same “new tab” page every time – a great way to send out ads or provide helpful resources for everyone at work.
Currently
If you only care about the time and / or the weather, now is here to meet that need. This browser extension puts these two useful pieces of information – and just that – in each new tab you open. It’s a simple implementation, but it looks great.
Blank new tab page
You are a nihilist. A blank new tab page does exactly that: you have nothing to look at. There is no search box. There is no website list. No time. There is no beautiful photo. Nothing. Sometimes we all need a little peace and quiet.