How to remove shortcuts/most visited sites button in android Google chrome homepage?

[Javier P]

Sorry just seen you sneak in lol

Haha. Gotcha this time.

 

[B. Diddy]

I think the issue with that suggestion is that it will only remove that particular shortcut -- but I suspect after a short time, a new shortcut will take its place. The OP is hoping to completely get rid of the whole feature from the newtab screen, which doesn't seem possible. That's why I'm trying a workaround where the new tab or homepage is changed to google.com, not chrome://newtab/

 

[acsurfer]

I think there must be some minor differences between the Chrome version that's on Samsung and the one on Pixels, judging by the menu you shared.:-\

So just to be clear -- the Google page with the 8 frequently visited sites is technically the newtab page (chrome://newtab/), while google.com is the basic Google homepage with the search bar but without the frequently visited sites (but potentially with the Discover feed). You're saying that you're unable to change the homepage in Chrome's settings from chrome://newtab/ to google.com?

The Google page with the 8 frequently visited sites is the newtab page (page that appears after pressing new tab) and it has with some news articles links below (which I assume is discover feed)

google.com is the basic Google homepage with the search bar but without the frequently visited sites and without Discover feed. (whole page only has google.com in the top url bar and google search bar box)

I can change the homepage in Chrome's settings from chrome://newtab/ to google.com

 

[acsurfer]

Don't you get this menu if you long press any of those icons?View attachment 315095

I long press and remove those icons one by one, after removing one, it will auto be replaced by a new one, I almost removed 20 then all the 8 buttons disappeared. All is removed already now, so now no more 8 icons in the new tab. Hope it does not come back later when I visit new sites.

Only thing left after pressing new tab is some news article links (which I guess is called "Discover feed"), if possible I would like to remove those too but if not possible I will leave those alone. It has a small header "Articles for you" and a Show/Hide button beside. I can press to Hide but not sure if there is a way to totally remove the header too.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Google page with the 8 frequently visited sites is the newtab page (page that appears after pressing new tab) and it has with some news articles links below (which I assume is discover feed)

google.com is the basic Google homepage with the search bar but without the frequently visited sites and without Discover feed. (whole page only has google.com in the top url bar and google search bar box)

I can change the homepage in Chrome's settings from chrome://newtab/ to google.com
https://i.imgur.com/sycrQsc.png

Ok, so does that solve your problem? If you've successfully set the homepage to google.com, then whenever you open a new tab, it should default to that homepage, which shouldn't have the frequently visited site shortcuts.

 

[mustang7757]

Ok, so does that solve your problem? If you've successfully set the homepage to google.com, then whenever you open a new tab, it should default to that homepage, which shouldn't have the frequently visited site shortcuts.

Your correct in this that setting home page to google.com eliminates this

 

[acsurfer]

Ok, so does that solve your problem? If you've successfully set the homepage to google.com, then whenever you open a new tab, it should default to that homepage, which shouldn't have the frequently visited site shortcuts.

It seems like it is coming back after I visited new sites. Not sure it more will appear, maybe it is detected by the frequency of visit or duration.

 

[acsurfer]

Ok, so does that solve your problem? If you've successfully set the homepage to google.com, then whenever you open a new tab, it should default to that homepage, which shouldn't have the frequently visited site shortcuts.

It does not solve my problem. It reappears after visiting some sites

 

[mustang7757]

It does not solve my problem. It reappear after visiting some sites
View attachment 315101

If you hit home it will take you to home page , but you have to press home

 

[acsurfer]

If you hit home it will take you to home page , but you have to press home

Home page is google.com is fine clean page, only google search box in the page and no links to anywhere. I am happy with that.

Now the problem is I do not want to see the 8 buttons (like the Belkin, Espn buttons) when I press new tab. It has increased to 5 now after visiting some sites so I think it will increase to 8 again later.

Maybe if there is a way to let a new tab auto immediately load google.com will solve the problem.

 

[mustang7757]

Home page is google.com is fine clean page, only google search box in the page and no links to anywhere. I am happy with that.

I do not want to see the 8 buttons (like the Belkin, Espn buttons) when I press new tab. I has increased to 3 now after visiting some sites so I think it will increase to 8 again later

Understand, more I'm looking into this just might be the way chrome is , question is it the same in Samsung browser haven't checked there ?

 

[mustang7757]

Just checked in Samsung browser ,looks good

 

[acsurfer]

Understand, more I'm looking into this just might be the way chrome is , question is it the same in Samsung browser haven't checked there ?

Samsung browser does not have this problem, but I prefer to use Chrome browser.

It is weird that google does not provide a way to customize on or off the 8 buttons, I always thought google likes to be clean and minimalist.

 

[mustang7757]

Samsung browser does not have this problem, but I prefer to use Chrome browser.

It is weird that google does not provide a way to customize on or off the 8 buttons, I always thought google likes to be clean and minimalist.

Yeah , maybe in future updates

 

[B. Diddy]

It's odd, because this is what I see when I set google.com as the homepage:



As you can see, it's slightly different from your screenshot. I tried going to various sites and then going back to the homepage, and I never got the new shortcuts. I wish I could help more, but that would probably require me to go get a Samsung device and play around with Chrome there.:-\

 

[acsurfer]

It's odd, because this is what I see when I set google.com as the homepage:

View attachment 315106

As you can see, it's slightly different from your screenshot. I tried going to various sites and then going back to the homepage, and I never got the new shortcuts. I wish I could help more, but that would probably require me to go get a Samsung device and play around with Chrome there.:-\

I see the exact same thing like your screenshot if I close all my tabs (I close by pressing the square number button and press x one by one) and then reopen chrome.

Can you try on your screenshot press menu three dots button then press [new tab], post a screenshot of what you see when you have 2 or more tabs opened?

The screenshots I posted above are after pressing [new tabs], you can see the more than 1 tabs number opened in the square icon.

The new buttons will appear after visiting the same site a few times, example if I access samsung.com I open a new tab and go to samsung.com close then go to history and click the samsung.com then load then close, open new tab and repeat. Then close the whole browser and repeat with some sites again. open, load site, close tab/chrome for a few times on a same site and then when I press the [new tab] in the menu, i see new buttons appearing at the 8 buttons area.
Now my 8 buttons reappeared.

 

[B. Diddy]

Can you try on your screenshot press menu three dots button then press [new tab], post a screenshot of what you see when you have 2 or more tabs opened?

Ah yes, when I select New Tab (or tap the tab management button and tap the (+) new tab button there), I do see the newtab screen with the shortcuts. But if I tap the Homepage button, it brings up the plain google.com site. Can you rely on the Homepage button, or do you not have that option on your Chrome?

(BTW, I think I said before that the Homepage button isn't available on Chrome on the Pixel -- I now see that's no longer the case!)

 

[acsurfer]

Ah yes, when I select New Tab (or tap the tab management button and tap the (+) new tab button there), I do see the newtab screen with the shortcuts. But if I tap the Homepage button, it brings up the plain google.com site. Can you rely on the Homepage button, or do you not have that option on your Chrome?

(BTW, I think I said before that the Homepage button isn't available on Chrome on the Pixel -- I now see that's no longer the case!)

Yes I have the homepage button. My homepage looks exactly like the screenshot you posted.

I use new tab very often, so when I open a new tab I would see 8 frequently visited buttons there, I can then press the home button to make the new tab load google.com and the 8 buttons would disappear and look like your screenshot. It is an extra step to press the home button to make the 8 buttons disappear and I do not see a point to it, I might just type in the url I am going to and load the site immediately after opening new tab.

I actually wanted the 8 buttons to disappear at all times to make it neat and clean, I do not want the 8 buttons to appear at all tabs at any time. Seems like it is not possible. Maybe you could help make a suggestion to google to have an option to remove the 8 buttons if you can. I saw other threads many people are keen to remove 8 buttons too but could not easily do it and waste time searching around for this problem without solution.

 

[chawke]

Same issue here. Surprised there still isn't a way to disable it. Guess the best we can do for now is submit feedback to Google (Menu > Help & feedback > Send feedback).

 

[acsurfer]

Ok, so does that solve your problem? If you've successfully set the homepage to google.com, then whenever you open a new tab, it should default to that homepage, which shouldn't have the frequently visited site shortcuts.

My problem is not solved.

I have set the homepage in Chrome's settings from chrome://newtab/ to google.com
https://i.imgur.com/sycrQsc.png

Then I open a new tab (press 3 dots>new tab, or press +), and a new tab opens and I see the 8 frequently visited sites in the middle of the new tab. How can I set new tab to open google.com page (instead of a new tab that does not have any url loaded and show 8 frequently visited sites in the middle)