About:blank may be something you do not know anything about. But you notice that when you open a blank page you will see http://about:blank before the page content will load. So, what does it mean to your browser and how can you handle your browsers from opening about:blank.
About:blank means a blank white page in your browser tab, whether you’re using Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, or any other browser type.
The page is displayed in the address bar as well as in the title of the tab with the tag “about:blank.” You have probably seen this blank page appear in your browser on occasion when you click a link or open a link in a new tab or window.
What does White Blank mean?
If “about:blank” is displayed in your web browser’s address bar, a blank page is embedded in your web browser. It’s part of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and other browsers.
There’s nothing wrong with it: empty. Many users use about: blank as their homepage to ensure that their web browser always opens with a blank white screen. If your web browser is still open with the space above: and you don’t like it, we’ll show you how to prevent it.
What is About:blank?
In a simple and layman’s language, a browser’s about:blank is a blank page in your web browser. There are other blank pages in your browser window such as about:settings, about:about, and many more. All these are built to make the browser interactable.
Meanwhile, the about:blank offers some helpful tips while using your browsers.
The http://about:blank in your browser window is blank page built into your web browser. The “about:” section of the address instructs the browser to display internal embedded web pages. For example, in Chrome, you can type about:settings in the address bar to open the Settings page, or about: downloads to see a list of Chrome file downloads once you click on the enter button.
If you type about: blank in the address bar and press Enter, your web browser loads a blank page with nothing. This page does not come from the internet but is embedded in your web browser. It doesn’t matter whether your browser is connected to the internet or not.
Why is About:blank Useful?
- It helps users to start a window in a browser without loading an actual page.
- It can control the number of computer resources your window will consume when starting.
- It gives your browser the mandate to display about:blank when the window doesn’t understand what to display.
- You will see https://about:blank when you click a link to a downloadable file or resource that opens in a new tab.
- You will also see an about blank page when you open a malicious link before your Windows Defender snaps it from your downloading section.
Is About:blank a Virus or Malware?
http://about:blank is not a malware or a dangerous link. But, if you are concerned that your computer contains malware, we recommend running a scan with the anti-virus program of your choice.
We use Malwarebytes and recommend that you scan your computer with it. The free version can perform manual scans and remove malware. The paid premium version only adds automatic background scanning. Malwarebytes supports both Windows PCs and Macs.
Uses of About:blank
You might be wondering why users would want to use a blank page. The idea sounds strange, but it has realistic goals. Most often, the web browser is prompted to open a blank page on startup or even a new tab or window.
Browsers like Chrome and Firefox love to take control when you open their executable file. You get excited and do all kinds of behind-the-scenes tasks that consume bandwidth and resources.
While the “invisible madness” can be difficult to stop, there are things you can control, such as: what is opened at startup. People like the idea of starting their browser on a blank page for some reasons, including:
- Prevent the browser from opening many tabs or windows from the previous session
- Ensure confidentiality at the startup
- Adjust the bandwidth by opening a tab outside the internet to start your session
- Leave the homepage blank
- Process control on an old PC
What causes “About Blank”?
A “fairly blank” page can appear in different ways, most of the time because you clicked a download link that opens in a second window or tab. In this case, the browser must display a blank page to start the download. No information other than the delivery of the file is displayed on the download page, so the page is blank.
Of course, you can also enter a web address incorrectly and get the wrong page, leading to security issues or a blank page: if the browser doesn’t know what to display.
The browser can also open a blank page if it doesn’t know what to do based on the processed information. Variations in HTML, Java and other code can force the browser to open a blank page because it cannot process anything. A window or tab MUST be opened. So use the about:blank command.
What is About:blank on a Phone
About:blank on a phone browser is similar to your computer or laptop browser. It’s a blank page on your browser and it doesn’t imply that the phone has a virus. However, the way the about blank works on your PC is similar to how it works on your mobile.
Why am I seeing About:blank Page
While this doesn’t contribute to how your browser connects to the internet, the http://about:blank is yet a crucial part of your browser. Your browser works in the following ways while using it to surf the net.
- When you open your browser, you enter the URL when you want to visit when you click on the search button or enter button on your keyboard.
- Now, your browser will connect to the web server, request the page or URL you entered and the server release the necessary code to display the content of the webpage you entered.
- Next, your browser will convert the request into HTML or PHP.
- Once the code has been converted, the browser will display the information contained.
- However, in normal circumstances, you will notice that the about:blank page won’t appear that is why you don’t see it when you are browsing a webpage directly without opening a new tab.
But, in a situation whereby you need to work with the https://about:blank page the browser works differently.
- Firstly, you are on a website to download a file, say a game. Once you find the downloadable file you need to click on the download button to download the file.
- If in the link, there is a paramenter “target=”_blank” in the link command <a>link</a> to download the embedded file.
- The target=”_blank” command the browser to download the said file but display a blank page while on a new tab once the file started downloading on your browser.
And finally, you’d see the downloaded file on the page whole URL is https://about:blank.
This is can be frustrating for some users but this is the best way for developers to use code file for downloading an embedded link.
How to Get Rid of About:blank?
You can’t get rid of or delete about:blank. It’s part of your web browser and will always be under the hood. However, you don’t have to see it again if you don’t want to.
If you still see About Blank If you open your web browser and prefer your browser’s new tab or a different web page, all you have to do is change your web browser’s home page.
In Google Chrome, go to Menu> Settings. Scroll down to the “On startup” section and select “Open New Tab” or remove about: blank from webpages that open on startup and select your preferred webpage.
In Mozilla Firefox, click Menu> Options> Start. Choose the homepage you want for new windows and new tabs. Make sure “about: blank” or “Blank page” is not selected here.
In Apple Safari on a Mac, click Safari> Preferences> General. Remove “about: blank” from the start page and enter the start page you want.
In Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser, click Menu> Settings> On startup. Select “Open New Tab” or remove about: blank from the list of Edge Pages that open on startup.
In Internet Explorer, you can change this in the Internet Options window. (Of course, you shouldn’t use Internet Explorer anymore. Even Microsoft recommends leaving IE behind. However, some older business applications and other older software may still need to do so.)
Click the gear-shaped menu button and select Internet Options. Remove “about: blank” from the homepage area at the top of the “General” area. Enter the address of the homepage you want.
Conclusion:
Putting an end to About:blank pages depend on why they’re showing up in the first place. If you’ve adjusted your browser settings to open blank pages, simply return to your browser settings and discard those changes.
If you are getting blank pages regularly, the first thing to do is stop malware or viruses as they can damage your browser. You can then uninstall and reinstall Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or whatever you are using. Removing malware from your PC can also result in missing files and settings in the browser that cannot be repaired/replaced after malware is removed.
Aside from the above two scenarios, you should probably leave the about: blank function alone. Many antivirus and antimalware programs now use blank pages to prevent unsafe URLs from executing code or tricking you into action.
Once you’ve changed your homepage to a blank page as mentioned above, just go to settings and set your homepage as you want. Most browsers have some pre-built or legacy options that can make your job easier. Once you’ve uninstalled and reinstalled your browser, just enter a new URL in the box or section.