How do I change the home page for my web browser?

The term "home page" can have two meanings. The first and most common meaning is a web page that you created yourself to display information about you. For more information about personal home pages and creating them at Indiana University, see At IU, what is Mypage, and how can I publish a web page there?

The second type of home page, addressed in this document, is the page that automatically opens when you start your browser or click the home button.

Follow the appropriate instructions below to change the web page that automatically opens each time you open your browser.

On this page:

• Firefox:
  • Firefox 3 for Windows
  • Firefox 3 for Mac OS X
• Internet Explorer:
  • Internet Explorer 7 and higher
  • Internet Explorer 6
• Safari

Firefox 3 for Windows

1. From the Tools menu, select Options... , and then click Main.
   
   
2. You can set your home page(s) using any of the following methods:
   
   
   • Next to "Home Page:", type the URL you want to display when you start your browser, for instance: http://kb.iu.edu/

     If you would like multiple web pages to appear in tabs when you start Firefox, separate the URLs with a pipe ( | ), for example:

     http://kb.iu.edu/|http://uits.iu.edu
   • To make the current page or all currently open tabs your home page(s), click Use Current Page.
   • To select a site from your bookmarks, click Use Bookmark.
   • If you would like your browser to open to a blank page, next to "When Firefox starts:", select Show a blank page.
   
   
3. Click OK to save the settings.

Firefox 3 for Mac OS X

1. From the Firefox menu, select Preferences... , and then click Main.
   
   
2. You can set your home page(s) using any of the following methods:
   
   
   • Next to "Home Page:", type the URL you want to display when you start your browser, for instance: http://kb.iu.edu/ If you would like multiple web pages to appear in tabs when you start Firefox, separate the URLs with a pipe ( | ), for example: http://kb.iu.edu/|http://uits.iu.edu
   • To make the current page or all currently open tabs your home page(s), click Use Current Page(s).
   • Click Use Bookmark... to select a site from your bookmarks.
   • If you would like your browser to open to a blank page, select Use Blank Page from the drop-down menu at the top of the window.
   
   
3. Close the menu to save the settings.

Internet Explorer 7 and higher

In Internet Explorer 7 and higher, you can set either a single home page or several of them, which will open in tabs. To set a single home page:

1. Go to the page you'd like to set as your home page.
   
   
2. Click the down arrow to the right of the Home icon and select Add or Change Home Page... .
   
   
3. Select Use this webpage as your only home page and click Yes.

To create a set of home pages to be displayed in tabs:

1. Open each page in a separate tab.
   
   
2. Click the down arrow to the right of the Home icon and select Add or Change Home Page... .
   
   
3. Select Use the current tab set as your home page and click Yes.

Alternatively, add each web page individually to your home page tabs by selecting Add this webpage to your home page tabs.

Internet Explorer 6

1. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options... .
   
   
2. You can set your home page using any of the following methods:
   
   
   • Under "Home Page", type the URL you want to display when you start your browser, for instance: http://kb.iu.edu/
   • To make the page you are viewing your home page, click Use Current Page.
   • If you have installed Internet Explorer from IUware, clicking Use Default will set your home page to: http://www.iu.edu/

     Otherwise it will set it to:

     http://www.msn.com/
   • If you would like Internet Explorer to open to a blank page, click Use Blank.
   
   
3. Click OK.

Safari

1. From the Safari menu, select Preferences... .
   
   
2. You can set your home page using any of the following methods:
   
   
   • In the "Home page" field, type the URL you want to display when you start your browser, for instance: http://kb.iu.edu/
   • If you would like to make the page you are viewing your home page, click Set to Current Page.

     Using the pull-down menu next to "New windows opens with:", select the page that appears when you open a new browser window (but not when you click the Home button). The options are Home Page, Empty Page, Same Page, or Bookmarks.

3. Click OK.

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