How to hide most visited sites in Chrome’s New Tab page

by Matthew Adams

Windows & Software Expert

Last update:February 15, 2021

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Google Chrome’s default New Tab page includes a search box and displays thumbnail shortcuts for users’ most visited sites.

However, what if users don’t really need the most visited websites included at the bottom of Chrome’s New Tab page?

There are a few ways users can remove those thumbnail shortcuts from the New Tab page, but Chrome doesn’t include an option to turn them off within its Settings tab.

Keep in mind that our previously mentioned tips and solutions may be easily applied by all those looking for ways to:

• Hide most visited sites in new tab page/Chrome extension – Assuming that’s your main concern, rest assured that you can delete the browser’s data or turn Off the Top Sites from Site Engagement Setting.
• Remove most visited sites in Chrome – Another quick fix to consider is adding the Remove Most Visited Pages Extension to Chrome.
• Disable most visited sites in Chrome Android – To do so, you just need to tap and hold the website’s icon until a new window pops up. Then, just select Remove in the pop-up window.
• Chrome doesn’t show recent sites – If that’s an issue you often face, consider switching to a different browser. Unlike Chrome, Opera’s Top Sites always holds the web pages you visit most often.

How can I hide the most visited sites in Chrome’s New Tab?

1. Switch to a new browser

When it comes to keeping webpages truly organized, there is no better option than Opera. As expected, the Home screen includes Top Sites, a section with the web pages you most often.

The more you visit certain websites, the higher they will show up here. However, it is incredibly easy to scroll up and down to find your other favorite sites or even hide the most visited ones from Settings.

Unlike it happens in Chrome, you can keep tabs on related subjects in the same workspace, so you’ll never spend too much time looking for a tab again.

And you can even keep relevant pages in one place, for quick access. Take your time to get used to the efficiency of Opera’s workspaces and chances are to reconsider hiding any site, to begin with.

Opera

When hiding the most visited sites in Chrome turns into a challenge, download Opera. You’ll see for yourself how easy is to do so!

DownloadVisit website

2. Delete each shortcut separately

1. Click the Edit shortcut button at the top right of a thumbnail shortcut to open the window shown directly below.
   
   
2. Then, you just need to click the Remove button to erase it.

3. Delete the browser’s data

1. You can also remove all the most visited site shortcuts from the New Tab page by deleting browser data.
2. Click the Customize and Control Google Chrome button to open the browser’s menu.
   
3. Select More Tools and click Clear browsing data to open the window shown directly below.
   
4. Select the Advanced tab on that window.
5. Click the All-time option in the Time range drop-down menu.
6. Select the Browsing history, Download history, Cookies, and other site data, and Cached images and files checkboxes.
7. Then press the Clear data button.

4. Add the Remove Most Visited Pages Extension to Chrome

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Another option is to remove most visited page shortcuts with the Remove Most Visited Pages shortcuts extension.

That extension actually redirects the New Tab page to the Google homepage, which is almost exactly the same as the default New Tab page.

However, you can’t customize the page’s background as it doesn’t support themes. Therefore,  go on the Remove Most Visited Pages page to add that extension to the browser.

Thereafter, the browser’s URL toolbar will include a Remove Most Visited Pages icon on it to highlight that the extension is on.

The Google New Tab page will no longer display any page shortcuts so long as the extension is on.

You can turn off the extension by entering this in the URL bar and then clicking the button at the bottom right of the Remove Most Visited Pages box: chrome://extensions/

5. Turn Off the Top Sites from Site Engagement Setting

1. Enter this in the URL bar and press the Return button: Chrome://flags
2. Enter Top Sites from Site Engagement in the search flags box at the top of the page.
3. Note that the Top Sites from Site Engagement option isn’t included in the latest version of Google Chrome.
4. Select Disabled on the drop-down menu for the Top Sites from Site Engagement option.
5. Then press the Relaunch Now button to restart Google Chrome.

Some Chrome users can turn off New Tab page’s most visited sites shortcuts with a Top Sites From Site Engagement flag option in earlier 2018/2019 versions of the browser.

So, that’s how users can remove most visited sites shortcuts from the New Tab page. Alternatively, users could just add New Tab page extensions to Chrome instead.

Extensions such as Infinity New Tab give users more customizable New Tab pages that don’t include most visited site shortcuts.

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