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What Is About Blank? Should You Remove It?

What is About Blank? Should You Remove It?

Regardless of whether you use Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, or any other type of browser, the term about:blank (also known as About Blank) simply refers to an empty page on your browser tab. Both the URL bar and the page title of the tab display the label about:blank for the page. You’ve probably occasionally noticed that when you click a link or open one in a new tab or window, an empty page appears.

What does about:blank mean, then? Is it spyware, an unreliable Internet connection, or even a problematic link? How do I stop it? There are numerous reasons why a about:blank page can show up on your screen. In general, there’s nothing to worry about with the blank pages.

This page defines about:blank and describes when and why you can encounter it while surfing the internet or clicking on a link.

Meaning of about:blank

The about:URL scheme is used by browsers to perform internal commands and includes about:blank pages. Most browsers support a number of “about” commands, including about:about, about:cache, and about:plugins.

It is neither necessary nor intended for a about:blank tab or window to load any webpages. These windows, however, are more than just empty spaces; they are empty spaces containing browser-useable hidden features. In the end, about:blank is exactly what it says it is: a blank page that is not a URL but a browser command instead.

What Purpose Does about:blank Serve?

Frequently Asked Questions regarding about:blank Pages

You might be perplexed as to why anyone would use a blank page.

There are several reasons why people prefer the idea of starting their browser on a blank page, including:

  1. preventing the browser from opening a lot of windows or tabs from the previous session
  2. ensuring confidentiality at launch
  3. limiting bandwidth by starting their visit with a non-internet browser tab
  4. creating a blank homepage
  5. controlling activities on a dated computer
  6. Avoid being distracted.

Although the concept seems weird, as was already mentioned, it serves useful functions. The most frequent usage of about:blank by users is to tell their web browser to open a blank page whenever they launch it, or even every time a new tab or window is opened. Since most modern applications are made to draw you in or keep you glued to them so they can make money, About:blank keeps the startup smooth and free of distractions. Facebook, Twitter, Edge and Firefox start pages, Yahoo’s home page, to name a few, may have informed you of this.

Top Motivators for Using about:blank Pages

Browsers typically use blank pages to analyse data in the background. When you launch their executable file, web browsers like Chrome and Firefox like to take over. They begin carrying out a variety of activities that use bandwidth and resources.

While it can be difficult to stop the “invisible frenzy,” other aspects are within your control, such as what appears as the rocket launches.

Typical Reasons for about:blank Pages

The occurrence of a about:blank page can take many forms and have many causes.

The following are the most frequent reasons for blank pages:

When you click a link to a download, a new window or tab will open, and the browser is compelled to show a blank page before the download may begin.

When a web address is typed incorrectly, the incorrect page is displayed, which can result in malware or viruses or about:blank pages when a browser is unable to determine what to display.

On the basis of the information processed, the browser is unsure about what to do. The browser may open a blank page if there are errors in the HTML, Java, or other scripts because they prevent them from processing anything.

Is about:blank malware or a virus?

The majority of the time, about:blank is not a computer virus, despite the misconception that many people have. When a browser is forced to show an empty page, it often just displays a blank webpage in the about:blank page scenario. The page is not hazardous to your computer because it is NOT provided to you from an outside source. Malware CAN, however, make a browser open to a blank website.

If you think your device may be contaminated with viruses, malware, or other malicious software, stop using it for personal use right once and run virus scans or a factory reset. In the digital age, safety requires knowledge.

How to Get Rid of Those Blank Popups

Whether or not to stop about:blank pages depends on the reason they were initially displayed. You must return to the browser’s settings and reverse any modifications you made to make it open blank pages.

If you frequently encounter blank pages, you should eliminate malware or viruses first because they can damage your browser before uninstalling and reinstalling Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any other browser you use. Infection removal may leave your computer with missing files and browser settings that weren’t fixed or updated after the malware was eliminated.

The about:blank functionality should probably be ignored except from the two situations mentioned above. Nowadays, a lot of antivirus and anti-malware products use blank sites to stop malicious URLs from running code or fooling you into acting.

What to Do If Your Home Page Is About:Blank?

As previously indicated, go to settings and set your homepage to whatever you prefer if you changed it to a blank page. The majority of browsers include previously used or built-in features that can make things simpler for you. Enter a new URL in the field or section if you removed and then reinstalled your browser.

If the blank page issue still exists, you might choose to disable any installed extensions and restart your browser. Disabling the add-ons in question, such as pop-up blockers, may solve the issue. The last option is to reset your settings to the factory defaults. Although it’s an extreme course of action, try it if all else fails.

In most cases, seeing a about:blank page on your browser is not a sign that your computer is infected; instead, it implies you either don’t have a homepage set up or that your browser has trouble displaying content. However, if it occurs every time you try to access a particular website or when you turn on your computer, that could be a symptom of a bigger issue.

About:blank Questions and Answers

When a website routes to about:blank, should I be concerned?

No and yes. About:blank websites don’t inherently harm your PC or device. They are a part of the system, therefore it is not a big problem to see the page once in a while. However, if you frequently encounter blank pages, there may be a deeper problem.

You might see this page instead of your home page, for instance, if your internet browser has been hacked. It’s a good idea to do a security scan just to be safe if it’s something you notice frequently without the user’s input.

How can I stop my web browser from opening with about:blank?

The best workaround for this is to change the default home page of your browser. Change it to Google, a news website, or any other website you like. If you change the home page setting in your browser, you shouldn’t see the about:blank page any longer, whether you’re using Safari, Firefox, Chrome, or even Edge.

How can I resolve about:blank problems?

There are steps you may do to correct the errors, provided you’re experiencing them on every web page and not simply when you launch your browser or go to a specific URL. As discussed previously, start by performing a virus scan. To get rid of issues, you can also erase the cache and history of the browser.

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