this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2026
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LibreWolf

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Welcome to the official community for LibreWolf.

LibreWolf is designed to increase protection against tracking and fingerprinting techniques, while also including a few security improvements. LibreWolf also aims to remove all the telemetry, data collection and annoyances, as well as disabling anti-freedom features like DRM. If you have any question please visit our FAQ first: https://librewolf.net/docs/faq/

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Local file as custom new tab page? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by IndigoGollum@lemmy.world to c/librewolf@lemmy.ml
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This is the most frustrating tech problem i've faced in a while. There are various solutions for various versions of Firefox, but none of them seem to work anymore because apparently Mozilla is waging a silent battle against people who want control over their own new tab page. For some reason.

Sorry. Just frustrated.

I'm making an HTML page that i would like LibreWolf to load by default every time i open a new blank tab with ctrl+t or the new tab button. I'm aware that i can set a new window page in my settings (not what i'm talking about), and i'm also aware of the browser extension that allows you to set a new tab page but is real buggy about local files. I'm even aware that i could hypothetically set my new tab page to a hidden page on my website that redirects to a local file, and i'm aware that that won't work because links from HTTP(S) to File are disabled.

I have tried following the following guides and solutions.

As you might guess, none of them worked.

Here's my current setup with this stuff.

I'm running GNU/Linux Debian 13 (trixie) with the KDE Plasma desktop environment version 6.3.6, KDE Frameworks version 6.13.0, and Qt version 6..8.2. But i doubt any of that matters.

LibreWolf was installed via apt and extrepo, and is on version 153.0.4-1.

I have a file at /usr/share/librewolf/defaults/pref/autoconfig.js:

// 
pref("general.config.filename", "autoconfig.cfg"); 
pref("general.config.obscure_value", 0); 
pref("general.config.sandbox_enabled", false);

I have a file /usr/share/librewolf/autoconfig.cfg:

// sets the new tab page to out local newtab.
ChromeUtils.importESModule("resource:///modules/AboutNewTab.sys.mjs").AboutNewTab.newTabURL = "file:///home/indigo/Documents/browser-home/browserhome.html";

A copy of that same file is at /home/indigo/.config/librewolf/librewolf/librewolf.overrides.cfg

None of this seems to be doing anything at all. Maybe LibreWolf handles some of these file paths differently from Firefox, and that's why no guides work. I don't know.

Does anyone know a way to do this that works in version 153.0.4-1? Right now it seems like my best options are to stick with a blank page, switch to a Chromium-based browser like Vivaldi that actually lets me do this, or use New Tab Override to load this page from my website and potentially re-download a couple megabytes of images every time i open a tab. I don't like any of those options.

So, again, does a solution currently exist, or has Mozilla won the war against customized home pages for new tabs? Does one of these still work and i just did it wrong? Will LibreWolf figure out that people want this and find a good way to implement it as a normal setting that doesn't require a CS degree?

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[–] enbee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Run a tiny instance of a server on your local machine and point the browser at the localhost link for that page?

[–] IndigoGollum@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

This is possible but now that i've seen some more limitations of New Tab Override, i might just stick with a blank page and only have my custom page for new windows. Thanks anyway.

[–] RadicalRebel@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

From my understanding after looking into this, you should only need to point the new tab URL to your local file using the file:// protocol via:

user_pref("browser.newtab.url", "file:///home/username/path/to/page.html");

Yet, any CSS, JavaScript, and images must be on your local disk as well and referenced using the absolute paths or the relative paths from the HTML file's location. If you still run into issues following these steps, it's probably the Content Security Policy blocking the scripts or external resources of your local HTML file. Before setting it as the permanent new tab, try testing the file manually first with:

file:///home/youruser/path/to/page.html

Also, be sure all the styles and scripts load correctly, then apply the config method resulting in a successful test.

[–] IndigoGollum@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Where would that piece of code go? One of the three configuration files i mentioned, or somewhere else?

[–] RadicalRebel@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

These preference go in the "user.js" file inside the profile directory, should be found in about:support by searching for the Profile Directory/Folder. It's probably something like:

~/.librewolf/< random-string >.default/

Youou need to create/edit the user.js file, here's the command:

nano ~/.librewolf//user.js

Then add the line:

user_pref("browser.newtab.url", "file:///home/username/path/to/page.html");

After this, save and restart the browser. There's a chance this just won't work as browser.newtab.url was removed ~ FireFox 40. It was replaced with an extension-based API, so ya, this might not work in modern LibreWolf... But it's worth a try. Otherwise, an extension like New Tab Override should let you set a file:// path for new tabs. It hooks into the browser.newtab API that replaced these older preferences, but I know you haven't any much luck either way.

[–] IndigoGollum@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Didn't work, but thanks anyway.

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

use New Tab Override to load this page from my website and potentially re-download a couple megabytes of images every time i open a tab.

you're using plain html (with embedded css) and 'installing' it into the addon as a local file? all external files it references are web accessible?

is the browser caching those extra assets, so you're not redownloading on every newtab (which if you're like me, would be very frequently).

fwiw, i just use a blank page. it's fastest. i've already got bookmarks sorted into folders on the bookmark toolbar, which is visible on newtab.. and that's what i use when i'm simply not just up in the address bar typing a letter or two to hit the history and bookmark search there.

[–] IndigoGollum@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I'd like to just use local files for this so i'm not downloading anything for a new tab, whether stuff is cached or not.

HTML with embedded CSS isn't a huge problem. Embedding any image that's not an SVG is more of a problem. Regular elements don't work so everything has to be actually embedded in the page. Loading an image from an HTTPS address works, but again i don't want to have to re-download things every time.

I currently also use a blank page and bookmarks. It's just not as good as a completely custom page could be.

[–] tyler@programming.dev 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Mozilla has no war on customized home pages for new tabs. Maybe try the steps you’ve listed on Firefox first, instead of a fork, so that you can actually verify the problem is Mozilla.

[–] IndigoGollum@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I know you're right, but that's how it feels when they seem to keep removing the settings people have been using to fix this.

Testing this on Firefox is a good idea, and i would do that except i've given up. Thanks anyway.