# Dashy > Your corner of the internet. Preview Dashy V2: a beautiful new tab dashboard with widgets, bookmarks, a side panel, custom AI widgets and Claude / ChatGPT connections through MCP. Dashy replaces the new tab page in Chrome. Local dashboard essentials work without an account. Cloud AI, optional sync and connected services have separate requirements and data flows. The original store version and the new Dashy in development are different releases. The rebuild is planned for October 2026; early-access updates are at https://www.dashyapp.com. Dashy at dashyapp.com is the new tab dashboard and side panel. It is a different product from the self-hosted dashboard project at dashy.to. AI guide reviewed 2026-09-14. Development preview. This guide describes the new Dashy being built and tested. It is not a list of features available in the original Chrome Web Store version. The complete AI package and additional model choices are not generally released yet. ## Product - [Home](https://www.dashyapp.com/): Dashy V2 preview: a customizable new tab dashboard, side panel and optional connected AI. - [New tab](https://www.dashyapp.com/new-tab): Home view or a full dashboard: wallpapers, widgets, bookmarks, calendars, notes and tasks. - [Dashy V2 features and availability](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/dashy-v2-features): Product facts, customization, widgets, bookmarks, AI connections and original versus V2 release status. - [Chrome side panel](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/chrome-side-panel): Use supported tasks, notes and dashboard tools beside the webpage you are reading. - [Dashy with AI](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai): The AI package in development: Agent, personal memory, MCP, custom widgets, wallpapers and routines, with examples and release limits. - [Compare](https://www.dashyapp.com/compare): Dated, sourced comparisons of Dashy with Momentum, Bonjourr, Tabliss and other new tab pages. - [The original Dashy](https://www.dashyapp.com/original): The difference between the original Dashy, in the Chrome Web Store today, and the rebuilt Dashy arriving October 2026. ## AI guide - [AI availability](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#overview): Development preview. This guide describes the new Dashy being built and tested. It is not a list of features available in the original Chrome Web Store version. The complete AI package and additional model choices are not generally released yet. - [Dashy Agent](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#agent): Describe what you need, review a setup, and work with the actual dashboard objects. Tasks and notes shown in a conversation stay connected to the same saved items in your dashboard. Comparison tables in those notes can be edited in the conversation or in Notes. Open Resume from the dashboard to return to saved work. The Agent brings together browser actions, web search, files, and computation. Status: Local workflows tested; cloud rollout pending. - [Personal AI memory](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#memory): Keep useful decisions and preferences with the projects they belong to. Find saved context and return to the original source instead of repeatedly explaining your work. Status: Account and sync flows tested locally; release pending. - [Connect Claude and ChatGPT through MCP](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#mcp): Connect Claude or ChatGPT to supported Dashy tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This lets an authorized assistant work with dashboard widgets, tasks and notes, rather than merely opening a chat shortcut. Compatible external tools can also connect to Dashy Agent. Status: Integration and release checks in progress. - [AI-generated custom widgets](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#custom-widgets): Describe a small tool you wish your dashboard had. Preview the generated widget, choose where it belongs, and keep using it alongside the built-in widgets. Status: Reviewed installation and recovery tested locally. - [Custom wallpapers](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#wallpapers): Describe a mood or a scene, preview a wallpaper, and choose whether to make it part of your dashboard. Status: Generation and apply flow under verification. - [Help inside your widgets](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#widget-assistance): Improve writing, summarize, translate, and extract tasks where the information already lives. AI assistance belongs in ordinary widgets rather than a separate collection of AI widgets. Status: Notes and capture flows tested locally. - [Routines and background assistance](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#routines): Save a useful workflow so you can return to it. Let small, bounded background jobs handle things like a chat title, a recap, or a capture destination suggestion. Status: Manual reuse and local controls tested; release pending. - [Model choice](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#models): On-device AI, cloud model availability and connected assistants; separate requirements and rollout limits. - [AI controls](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#controls): Disable AI, pause automatic help, review changes, and choose page/tool access. - [AI requirements](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#requirements): Account, browser, device and input requirements; local versus cloud processing. - [AI questions](https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#questions): Availability, data handling, undo, model differences and background costs. ## Help - [Support](https://www.dashyapp.com/support): How to reach the team, common questions, and where to send feedback. - [Feedback](https://www.dashyapp.com/feedback): Send product feedback, report a problem, or tell us what would make Dashy better. ## Legal - [Privacy policy](https://www.dashyapp.com/privacy): What Dashy stores, what it never collects, and how to delete your data. - [Terms of service](https://www.dashyapp.com/terms): The terms that apply to using Dashy and this site. ## Blog - [Blog](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog): Guides and notes on new tab setups, focus, and how Dashy is built. - [AI custom widgets: small dashboard tools worth building](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/ai-custom-widgets): Turn a useful idea into an AI custom widget. Six practical examples, better prompts and a preview checklist for tools you will actually use. - [AI dashboard privacy: what can it see, send and change?](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/ai-dashboard-privacy): Understand AI dashboard privacy before connecting accounts: local data, cloud prompts, MCP permissions, custom widgets and how to choose what you share. - [Best AI new tab dashboard: what is actually useful?](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/best-ai-new-tab-dashboard): Choosing an AI new tab dashboard? Compare built-in chat, connected actions and custom widgets, with Momentum today and Dashy V2's preview explained. - [Best productivity dashboards with AI: five different fits](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/best-productivity-dashboards-with-ai): Compare AI productivity dashboards for personal focus, documents, team tasks and automation. Where Momentum, Notion, ClickUp, Taskade and Dashy V2 fit. - [Claude and your dashboard: useful MCP workflows to plan](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/claude-dashboard-mcp-workflows): Plan useful Claude dashboard workflows with MCP: focused notes, clear tasks and careful layout changes. Includes example prompts and Dashy V2's status. - [Connect a new tab dashboard to ChatGPT: a practical guide](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/connect-new-tab-dashboard-chatgpt): A ChatGPT shortcut is not a dashboard connection. Learn what MCP adds, which permissions matter and how to verify that a dashboard action really worked. - [Google Calendar on your new tab: a dashboard that helps](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/google-calendar-new-tab-dashboard): Plan a Google Calendar new tab dashboard without duplicating your schedule. Compare shortcuts and integrations, permissions, useful layouts and AI limits. - [A minimalist productivity dashboard you will keep using](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/minimalist-productivity-dashboard): Build a calm new tab dashboard with a few useful widgets, readable wallpaper and optional AI. A practical layout guide with a one-week review. - [Side-panel notes: a better workflow for reading the web](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/side-panel-notes-research-workflow): Keep notes beside the page you are reading. A practical side-panel workflow for source links, quotations, comparisons and careful AI summaries. - [A student dashboard setup for classes, deadlines and focus](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/student-dashboard-setup): Organize a student new tab dashboard around the next assignment, class links, notes and study sessions. Includes a practical layout and careful AI use. - [Are New Tab Extensions Safe? Permissions Explained](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/are-new-tab-extensions-safe): A new tab page needs one permission. Here is what the others mean, how to read a Chrome Web Store listing, and the red flags worth walking away from. - [The best new tab extensions for Chrome in 2026, compared](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/best-new-tab-extensions-2026): Ten new tab pages compared on one day: users, ratings, prices, free-tier limits and browsers, with the store listing behind every number. - [How to Change Your New Tab Page in Chrome (2026)](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome): Chrome has no setting for a custom new tab URL. Here are the four ways that work, with the exact clicks, plus the same steps for Edge and Brave. - [Momentum alternatives: new tab dashboards that do more for free](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/momentum-alternatives): Momentum Plus gates soundscapes, Tab Stash and AI. Eight new tab dashboards compared on what each gives you free, with store data checked September 2026. - [Start page vs dashboard vs homepage: what is the difference?](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/start-page-vs-dashboard-vs-homepage): Chrome's homepage, startup page and new tab page are three separate settings. What each one does, and how start pages, dashboards and minimal pages differ. - [Tabliss vs Bonjourr vs Dashy: minimal new tabs compared](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/tabliss-vs-bonjourr-vs-dashy): Tabliss stopped updating in 2022. Bonjourr is 1.38 MiB and collects nothing. Dashy adds widgets, sound and time of day. A sourced three-way comparison. - [Why is my new tab Yahoo, Bing or blank? How to fix Chrome's new tab](https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/why-is-my-new-tab-yahoo-or-bing): Yahoo, Bing or an empty page in your new tab is a changed setting, not a virus. Find what changed, remove it, and stop it coming back. ## Optional - [llms-full.txt](https://www.dashyapp.com/llms-full.txt): Detailed AI product guide, release status, examples, controls and requirements, followed by blog articles. - [Sitemap](https://www.dashyapp.com/sitemap.xml): Every indexable URL on this site. --- # Dashy V2 features and availability Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/dashy-v2-features Reviewed: 2026-09-14 Dashy is a customizable new tab dashboard and side panel for Chrome. It brings everyday tools, personal layouts and optional AI into the place you start browsing. This site previews Dashy V2, planned for October 2026. V2 is not generally available yet. The original Dashy is available from its separate Chrome Web Store listing. Dashy at dashyapp.com is the new tab dashboard and side panel. It is a different product from the self-hosted dashboard project at dashy.to. ## A quiet Home view or a full dashboard Start with a clock and a wallpaper, or arrange a dashboard around tasks, notes, calendars and weather. Switch between dashboards for work, study or personal life. Add, move and resize widgets without filling every space. Learn more: https://www.dashyapp.com/new-tab ## Links and browser bookmarks Keep useful sites and apps in a Links widget. Use your own shortcuts or browse browser bookmarks with permission. Put the links beside the notes, tasks or calendar they belong with. Learn more: https://www.dashyapp.com/new-tab ## Wallpapers, soundscapes and personal styling Choose a wallpaper or use your own, change the look of your widgets, and add ambient audio when you want it. A still background and a sparse layout can be just as useful as a full productivity dashboard. Learn more: https://www.dashyapp.com/new-tab ## Tools beside the page you are reading Use Dashy in Chrome’s side panel to keep supported tasks, notes and tools beside a webpage. The new tab offers room for a full layout; the side panel offers a narrow workspace while you browse. Learn more: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/chrome-side-panel ## Dashy Agent, Claude and ChatGPT In V2 development, Dashy Agent and authorized Claude or ChatGPT connections can use dashboard tools through MCP. Examples include adding widgets, updating notes and organizing tasks. Permissions, account access and client support apply. Learn more: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#mcp ## Create a widget from your own idea Describe a small tool, preview the AI-generated widget, refine it and choose where it belongs. Examples include a water tracker, packing checklist or practice counter. Generated widgets use a sandbox and need review; cloud generation has usage costs. Learn more: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#custom-widgets ### What makes Dashy V2 different? The combination: flexible widget dashboards, a quiet Home view, bookmarks and links, a side panel, personal styling, and AI that can work with dashboard tools or help create custom widgets. Choose the pieces that fit your day. V2 is still in development; this is a feature preview, not a claim that every workflow is released. ### Can Claude or ChatGPT change my Dashy dashboard? That is a V2 capability in development. MCP connects an authorized assistant to supported Dashy tools, so it can work with widgets, tasks and notes. It is more than a link that opens a chatbot. Connection availability depends on the assistant, Dashy account access, granted permissions and the release. Public connection instructions will be published when ready. ### Can I switch from Momentum, start.me or another new tab without losing anything? Do not assume an automatic migration or exact feature parity. Compare the specific widgets, integrations, browser support and data you rely on. Keep your existing setup and export important information before switching. V2 migration details and supported imports will be published before launch. ### Do I have to use AI? No. AI is optional. Local tasks, notes, links, layouts and supported everyday widgets remain useful without cloud AI. Cloud services and AI have separate account, permission and usage requirements. ### Is this the self-hosted Dashy dashboard? No. Dashy at dashyapp.com is the new tab dashboard and side panel. The self-hosted dashboard project at dashy.to is a separate product. --- # Dashy AI product guide Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai Reviewed: 2026-09-14 Development preview. This guide describes the new Dashy being built and tested. It is not a list of features available in the original Chrome Web Store version. The complete AI package and additional model choices are not generally released yet. Dashy AI is being built into the whole dashboard: an Agent that helps set things up, remembers project context, and works with your tasks, notes, pages, and widgets. The aim is to help you act on information and pick up where you stopped, with a clear off switch. ## Dashy Agent Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#agent Status: Local workflows tested; cloud rollout pending Describe what you need, review a setup, and work with the actual dashboard objects. Tasks and notes shown in a conversation stay connected to the same saved items in your dashboard. Comparison tables in those notes can be edited in the conversation or in Notes. Open Resume from the dashboard to return to saved work. The Agent brings together browser actions, web search, files, and computation. Example: “Help me set up a dashboard for my product launch, with a task list, notes, and useful links.” The current reviewed setup flow works with a selected dashboard. Page capture lets you choose a Tasks or Reading List destination and preserves its source. Resume is a standalone dashboard action that opens unfinished tasks, selected notes, and unread pages without a model call. Search saved work finds specific items in that dashboard, including completed tasks, and works with AI off. Web search in chat is designed to return source links. Files can supply selected text or images, and supported computation runs in a bounded sandbox. Current limits: Web search, file input, reasoning, and tools must be enabled and verified for the chosen route. Local saved-work search matches words in items attached to the selected dashboard’s supported widgets; it does not search every stored document. A source link is not a guarantee that an answer is correct. Voice is still gated while provider, audio, and cost checks are completed. The animated examples on this page illustrate the intended experience; they are not live Agent runs. ## Personal AI memory Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#memory Status: Account and sync flows tested locally; release pending Keep useful decisions and preferences with the projects they belong to. Find saved context and return to the original source instead of repeatedly explaining your work. Example: “Remember that this project should use short, plain-language copy.” Memory is separate from a chat transcript. In the development build, open Settings → AI → Personal memory to review, correct, or remove saved decisions and preferences, including with AI off. Local checks across two signed-in Chrome installations cover synced corrections, offline deletion after restart, and keeping an excluded project’s memories local. Dashboard retrieval returns references to supported saved objects in the selected dashboard. Current limits: This is not an automatic index of every page you visit or every file on your device. Current dashboard retrieval covers widget-bound Tasks, selected Notes, and Reading List entries. The local sync checks use two installations of the same development build; they do not establish compatibility with older extensions, every device, or the released service. ## Connect Claude and ChatGPT through MCP Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#mcp Status: Integration and release checks in progress Connect Claude or ChatGPT to supported Dashy tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This lets an authorized assistant work with dashboard widgets, tasks and notes, rather than merely opening a chat shortcut. Compatible external tools can also connect to Dashy Agent. Example: Ask Claude or ChatGPT: “Add a task list for my launch and put it beside my notes.” Connections require the appropriate account, connector configuration, and permissions. Access can differ by app and tool. Dashboard actions, saved-content access, and external tool calls are separate capabilities rather than one unrestricted permission. Current limits: MCP support does not mean every assistant, server, authentication flow, or tool combination has been verified. Use the supported setup shown in your installed version. Disconnecting a tool does not undo actions it has already completed. ## AI-generated custom widgets Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#custom-widgets Status: Reviewed installation and recovery tested locally Describe a small tool you wish your dashboard had. Preview the generated widget, choose where it belongs, and keep using it alongside the built-in widgets. Example: “Make a card that counts the practice papers I have finished.” Preview generated widgets before adding them; they run inside a sandbox. Saved designs can be revisited from history. Installation recovery keeps the same widget identity when a save confirmation is interrupted, avoiding duplicate additions on retry. Current limits: Generated code needs review. Sandboxing limits access; it does not prove every widget is correct. Network access depends on declared permissions. Persisting a widget’s own interactive data requires its supported storage interface; an arbitrary HTML input is not automatically synced. ## Custom wallpapers Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#wallpapers Status: Generation and apply flow under verification Describe a mood or a scene, preview a wallpaper, and choose whether to make it part of your dashboard. Example: “A quiet mountain lake, dark enough for readable white widgets.” Wallpaper creation is a separate generation action with a preview and explicit apply step. Saved dashboard content remains usable when AI is off. Current limits: Generation depends on a configured image service and its usage limits. Preview quality, readable contrast, storage, and account behavior need checking before release. A wallpaper generation is not included simply because a chat model supports images. ## Help inside your widgets Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#widget-assistance Status: Notes and capture flows tested locally Improve writing, summarize, translate, and extract tasks where the information already lives. AI assistance belongs in ordinary widgets rather than a separate collection of AI widgets. Example: Turn meeting notes into a short summary and a task list, then review what gets saved. Notes assistance offers a result to review before replacing or appending text. Supported edits have version checks and undo where available. Captured pages and tasks can receive an optional destination suggestion; accepting it selects a destination, and Save remains a separate action. Current limits: Not every widget has contextual assistance yet. Native assistance depends on available browser capabilities and languages; unsupported local translations do not fall back to a paid model. Unsupported devices skip automatic suggestions. Changes made elsewhere can invalidate an older draft or undo action. ## Routines and background assistance Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/ai#routines Status: Manual reuse and local controls tested; release pending Save a useful workflow so you can return to it. Let small, bounded background jobs handle things like a chat title, a recap, or a capture destination suggestion. Example: Save a “Review my launch plan” instruction, then review and send it in a fresh chat. Saved routines keep reusable instructions. Open one in a new chat, review it, and press Send when ready. Automatic local helpers reuse valid results and avoid repeating the same work. Background assistance has its own pause control, separate from the master AI switch. Current limits: The current passive helpers use already-available on-device AI, with no paid fallback or automatic model download. Saving a routine does not send its instructions. A recap does not mean work happened while you were away. ## Model choice and availability Dashy is evaluating OpenAI, Anthropic and Google services. Exact launch models, supported tools, credit costs and subscription plans are not finalized. An external Claude or ChatGPT connection is different from choosing a cloud model inside Dashy Agent. - On-device AI: Supported local features run on compatible devices; browser and model availability apply. - Cloud AI: Choose from the models available in your Dashy release. Cloud requests have account and usage requirements. - Connected assistants: Claude and ChatGPT use their own model and account settings when connected to Dashy tools through MCP. Capabilities vary by model and configuration. The new picker can show compatible alternatives after a request is rejected. Choosing one starts a new chat with default thinking and preserves the previous chat; it does not send or retry the request automatically. Do not assume every model supports voice, images, search, files, and tools together. ## User controls ### AI is optional The new build enables AI assistance by default. Settings → AI assistance turns processing off and cancels active AI work. Your saved tasks, notes, pages, and widgets remain available for manual use. ### Pause automatic help Background assistance can be paused independently. Re-enabling it does not automatically resend a stopped chat or replay a dashboard action. ### Review consequential changes Review setup plans, generated widgets, and proposed edits before applying them. Stop cancels ongoing processing, but it cannot reverse an action that already finished. Undo is available only for supported changes and can be blocked by newer edits. ### Choose page and tool access Page context is removable before Send, protected-site rules apply, and tools have their own permissions. The planned optional page launcher is not an automatic popup. Ask Dashy is also available through supported shortcut, selection-menu, and side-panel entry points in the development build. ## Requirements and limitations - The new Dashy build is required for the workflows described here. Installing the original store version does not unlock the complete new AI package. - Cloud Agent features require an eligible signed-in account, a configured service, and network access. Local dashboard essentials work without cloud AI. - On-device AI requires a supported browser, device, language, and available model. Some explicit native-AI actions may require a download. Passive background helpers skip unavailable models. - PDF support currently means locally extracted text with source/page information. It does not imply OCR, scanned-document reading, or native visual PDF interpretation. Images have separate limits and route requirements. - Local account and sync checks do not establish provider quality, production deployment, or compatibility with every device and older extension version. Release availability must be checked in the installed app. ## Questions about Dashy AI ### Is the complete Dashy AI package available now? No. This page describes the new Dashy in development. Several local workflows have been tested, but additional providers, voice, and the full release still have verification gates. The original store version is a separate release. ### Do I need to use AI to use Dashy? No. AI assistance can be disabled. Saved dashboards, tasks, notes, pages, and widgets remain usable manually. Resume on the dashboard can also read and open saved items without a model call. ### Does all my data stay on my device? On-device helpers process supported requests locally. Cloud AI sends the context needed for the action to the configured service, and connected tools may send data to their own services. Review context, permissions, and the privacy policy before using a cloud feature. Local image bytes are not automatically available on another device. ### How do I choose a different AI model? Use the model picker available in your installed Dashy release. Choices depend on account access and the capabilities required for the task. For an external Claude or ChatGPT connection, choose the model in that assistant instead. The final Dashy launch catalog and usage prices will be published before release. ### Can every AI model use every Dashy feature? No. Models and services differ. Dashy checks the required capabilities and can offer a compatible alternative. Changing providers does not make missing credentials, unsupported inputs, or an unverified feature combination available. ### Can I undo anything the Agent does? No. Supported dashboard changes have review and conditional undo, but external actions and newer edits may not be reversible. Stop prevents further processing; it is not a universal undo button. ### Do saved chats, memories, and comparison notes sync? Local tests of the new build verify saved-chat and memory sync across two signed-in Chrome installations, including offline deletions that stay deleted when an older local copy reconnects. Editable comparison notes and cell changes also sync in both directions. These checks use an account eligible for cloud sync. Excluded project memories stay local while that exclusion is enabled, and image attachments may need to be attached again on another device. This is development-build verification, not a promise of compatibility with the original extension or every device. ### Will background assistance spend credits by itself? The current automatic chat-title, recap, and capture-suggestion paths use available on-device AI without a paid fallback. Reusable routines run only after you open and send their instructions. Final plans and credit allowances have not been announced. --- # AI custom widgets: small dashboard tools worth building Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/ai-custom-widgets An AI custom widget is most useful when it solves one small, repeated problem that a standard widget does not quite fit. A packing checklist with a reset button is a good example. A tiny replacement for your entire project management system probably is not. Dashy V2 is developing a workflow for describing a widget, previewing it, refining the result and placing it on a dashboard. It is a development preview, planned for October 2026. The examples here are ideas and specifications to try in a supported builder, not a gallery of released, tested templates. ## First ask whether a regular widget is enough If your idea is “a list of things to do,” start with tasks. If it is “a place to put text,” start with notes. Existing tools usually have fewer surprises than something newly generated. A custom widget earns its place when the interaction is distinctive. Maybe you want to count practice rounds without opening a note, switch a checklist between packing and unpacking, or keep one number beside a label you chose. Describe that interaction before choosing colors. A gorgeous card with an unclear button will become decoration after its first week. ## Six small tools with a clear reason to exist | Idea | The useful interaction | A detail to decide before generation | | --- | --- | --- | | Packing checklist | Check items and reset for the next trip | Does reset preserve the item names? | | Practice counter | Add one completed round | When does the count start over? | | Reading session card | Record the page you stopped on | Is there one book or several? | | Water tracker | Record a drink with one tap | Which unit does each tap represent? | | Meeting preparation card | Keep three questions beside a call link | Are links opened in the same tab or a new one? | | Weekly intention card | Edit one sentence and a few next steps | Is last week's content retained? | These are deliberately modest. You should be able to explain what success looks like in a sentence. For the water tracker, choose your own target; a generated interface is not a source of health advice. For meeting preparation, start with a link and your own notes instead of assuming access to a calendar or recording service. ## Write a brief that describes behavior “Make a beautiful reading widget” leaves almost every important decision unspecified. Try something closer to this: > Create a compact reading card for one book. Show the book title, current page and total pages. Let me edit those three values. Provide a button to add one page and a way to correct mistakes. Remember the values after I close and reopen the dashboard, using the host's supported storage. Do not use external services. Keep the text readable in a narrow widget. That tells the builder what the tool displays, what a click does, what persists and what it should avoid. None of it requires knowing a programming language. Add visual preferences afterward: a quiet surface, one accent color, clear labels. If the host supplies icons or controls, ask the builder to use the supported ones. Do not assume an arbitrary icon library or external script can load inside every widget sandbox. ## Treat the preview as a tiny product review The first useful question is “does it work?”, followed quickly by “will I understand it tomorrow?” For the reading card, try this sequence: 1. Enter a short title, then a long one. Neither should hide the controls. 2. Set the current page to 12 and the total to 240. Add one page and verify 13. 3. Correct the page back to 12. Mistakes should be easy to undo manually. 4. Try an empty value and a page beyond the total. Check that the widget handles them sensibly. 5. Reopen the preview or dashboard as the builder allows, and verify what was saved. 6. Check the smallest size you intend to use and navigate the controls with the keyboard. Ask the builder for a focused revision when one item fails. “Keep the layout; fix long titles wrapping over the edit button” gives it a much clearer target than “make it better.” ## Specify resets instead of discovering them by accident A counter needs a reset rule. “Daily” still leaves questions: the device's day or another timezone, midnight or first use, automatic or manual? Keep version one simple if the host's date handling is unclear. For a packing checklist, a manual “Start a new trip” action is easy to understand. You can specify that it clears checkmarks but keeps the list. That avoids asking the builder to infer whether reset should erase the items themselves. For the weekly intention card, decide whether you want history. If the answer is yes, explain where the previous entry should go and verify that the host supports it. A label saying “saved” is not a substitute for finding the old entry later. ## Separate generation from ongoing AI usage A generated widget does not inherently need a model call for every interaction. A simple counter can be ordinary code. Asking it to summarize a document, fetch live information or generate advice is a different feature with additional data and service requirements. Keep that distinction in the brief. “No external services” makes a good starting constraint for a small tool. It is still something to verify, not a guarantee produced by the wording alone. Dashy's [AI guide](/ai#custom-widgets) describes its sandboxed custom-widget direction and cloud generation requirements. Sandboxing limits capabilities; it does not establish that every generated behavior is correct. Review the result before relying on it. ## Stop when the small tool works A useful widget can become less useful through endless additions. A reading card gains a quote generator, then a recommendation feed, then a chat box, until the page number is the smallest thing on it. Keep the original job visible. Use the widget for a few days before adding another feature. If it needs more room, reconsider whether that work belongs in a full app with a link from your dashboard. The goal is a personal tool you understand at a glance. Pair it with the [minimalist dashboard approach](/blog/minimalist-productivity-dashboard), and let a genuinely useful interaction earn its space. --- # AI dashboard privacy: what can it see, send and change? Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/ai-dashboard-privacy AI dashboard privacy comes down to three questions: what can the app access, what does it send to another service, and what can an assistant change? A local note, a synced note and a note included in a cloud AI prompt can follow different paths. Treat each path as a separate decision. You do not have to become a security engineer to make those decisions. You do need more information than a lock icon and the word “private.” ## Separate the layers of access | Layer | A typical example | The question to ask | | --- | --- | --- | | Local dashboard | A note stored on your device | Where is it stored, and how do I remove it? | | Account sync | A note available on another device | What leaves the device and which account owns it? | | Connected service | A calendar agenda | Which provider permissions are granted? | | Cloud AI | Selected text sent for summarizing | What context is sent, and to which service? | | Assistant actions | An authorized tool updates a task | What may be changed, and how is the result shown? | This table is a way to evaluate products, not a claim that every app implements the same boundaries. Read the documentation for the specific release you use. ## A visible page is not the same as shared context An assistant beside a webpage might receive selected text, a captured page, attached files or none of those until you ask. Its position on the screen does not establish its access. Look for a context preview or a clear description of what is included before Send. If you only need help rewriting a paragraph, the whole page may be unnecessary. If the page contains names, account details or private messages, a small excerpt is easier to review. The same principle applies to notes. “Use this note” should have a recognizable target. “Use everything you know about me” is harder to audit and may include more information than the task requires. ## Connected accounts need their own review Signing into the dashboard is not the same as authorizing it to read a calendar. A Google sign-in and a request for Calendar data can appear in related flows but serve different purposes. Google's [third-party account access guide](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/14012355?hl=en) explains reviewing and removing access. Use the provider's permission screens and check which account you are connecting, particularly if you have both personal and work accounts. Revocation prevents future authorized access through that grant; it should not be treated as proof that all copies of previously shared information have been deleted. Check the receiving product's deletion policy separately. For a calendar-specific example, see [Google Calendar on a new tab dashboard](/blog/google-calendar-new-tab-dashboard). ## MCP connects tools; it does not settle every privacy question The [MCP architecture](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/learn/architecture) describes clients connecting to servers that expose capabilities such as tools and resources. That common interface is useful, but it does not make every server equally trustworthy. Before connecting a dashboard to an assistant, establish what the connection can read and what it can write. Ask whether the available tools are limited by the account and permissions you granted. Review how the product handles consequential actions and failures. A read tool can still expose sensitive information. A write tool can alter saved work. Choosing read-only access reduces one kind of risk without making every possible read appropriate. Our [ChatGPT connection guide](/blog/connect-new-tab-dashboard-chatgpt) gives a small read-first trial for checking a supported integration without starting with broad changes. ## Keep credentials out of conversations and widgets Do not paste session tokens, passwords or private API keys into a chat because an assistant says it needs them. Use the application's documented authentication or secret-management flow. The same applies to a custom widget. Code delivered to your browser can be inspected, even if it is compressed or difficult to read. Minification is not a way to protect a secret embedded in that code. A generated widget also needs a clear description of its data use. A counter may need only a small amount of stored state. A widget showing live private records needs an authorized integration. A prompt cannot create permission where none exists. Start with a low-stakes widget and inspect its behavior. The [custom-widget guide](/blog/ai-custom-widgets) includes a practical preview sequence. ## Ask what “local AI” means for the feature you use An on-device model can process supported work locally. That does not establish that the whole app is offline: account sync, external widgets, analytics and cloud features can have separate network activity. Likewise, an app offering cloud AI does not mean every click sends content to a model. Ask about the particular operation. Generating a widget, clicking its counter and syncing its stored value may be three different processes. Avoid buying on an absolute claim when a feature-level explanation would be more useful. A good product should make those boundaries understandable. ## Dashy's direction and its current boundary Dashy V2 is developing local dashboard essentials alongside optional AI, connected services and MCP tools. Its [AI guide](/ai) describes preview controls, selected context and account requirements. V2 is planned for October 2026 and is not generally released; these statements should not be applied automatically to the original store version. We also distinguish stopping work from undoing it. Canceling an AI request cannot reverse a change that already completed. Supported undo and deletion controls have their own limits, which should be checked for the action involved. ## A small review before your first real task Connect only the service you need. Read the permission request. Try a non-sensitive note or disposable task. Confirm the result in the destination app, then find the disconnect control before you need it. For work material, follow your organization's rules even if the integration is technically available. For personal material, share the smallest useful context. You can always add a missing detail; you cannot make information unshared simply by removing it from the next prompt. --- # Best AI new tab dashboard: what is actually useful? Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/best-ai-new-tab-dashboard For AI writing help inside a new tab today, Momentum Plus is a practical option to investigate. For a flexible widget dashboard with assistant connections and custom AI widgets, Dashy V2 is a preview to watch. If you only want quick access to ChatGPT, a shortcut on your existing start page may be enough. “AI new tab” covers all three ideas, which is why a list of logos rarely helps you choose. The useful question is what should happen after you open the tab. We make Dashy. This guide compares approaches using public product documentation reviewed in September 2026; it is not a hands-on speed test or a claim that we surveyed every product. Dashy V2 is planned for October 2026 and is not generally available yet. ## Three kinds of AI support that should not be confused ### A shortcut to your assistant You click a ChatGPT or Claude icon and open the assistant's website. That can be convenient. It also leaves the dashboard and the chat as separate places. This is enough if you mostly ask questions, draft text and copy an occasional answer. Do not pay for a complicated connection when a link solves your problem. Our [ChatGPT connection guide](/blog/connect-new-tab-dashboard-chatgpt) explains where a shortcut stops and a real integration begins. ### AI inside the start page An integrated chat or writing tool removes the trip to another site. What matters is whether its output has a useful destination: a note you can find again, a task you can edit, or an answer attached to the work in front of you. Check the ordinary details. Is the result saved? Can you correct it? Can you use the page without opening the assistant? These questions tell you more about daily usefulness than the name of the underlying model. ### AI that can use dashboard tools A connected assistant may be able to act on specific dashboard objects, such as a task or widget. This requires a supported integration, not simply an AI text box. Evaluate actions separately. Reading a note, adding a task and removing a widget are different capabilities. A successful demo of one does not establish all three. Look for clear permissions and an observable result in the dashboard itself. ## Momentum Plus: a current option for writing help Momentum's [Ask AI help page](https://get.momentumdash.help/hc/en-us/articles/16469332599959-Ask-AI) describes AI access from its dashboard and Notes, with Plus membership required. That is a useful fit for people who want their focus page and writing scratchpad close together. Our recommendation is to judge it on one small writing workflow. Take a rough paragraph you would normally draft elsewhere. Ask for a clearer structure, make your own edits and see whether the note is easy to return to. The important distinction is scope. We are comparing documented writing support here, not claiming that Momentum exposes the same dashboard actions as Dashy's MCP work. Nor does the absence of a feature in this guide prove that a competitor cannot do it. Check the current documentation for the exact action you want. ## Dashy V2: a broader dashboard approach, still in preview Dashy V2 is being built around personal layouts: a quiet Home view, several dashboards when needed, everyday widgets and a side panel. The AI work includes Dashy Agent, connections to Claude and ChatGPT through MCP, and the ability to describe and preview a custom widget. That could be useful if your request is closer to “make this workspace fit my project” than “answer a question.” Examples in development include working with supported widgets, tasks and notes, with account and permission checks. It also gives AI a smaller place in the experience. A calendar and a few links can remain the main event. You can read about the [V2 feature set](/blog/dashy-v2-features) without making AI the reason to adopt the whole product. V2 is not the original store release. Do not install the original expecting the complete new AI package. The [AI guide](/ai) records current preview limitations, and launch models and usage pricing are not final. ## A non-AI start page can still be the right answer [Bonjourr](https://bonjourr.fr/) explicitly lists the absence of generative AI as a feature. Its focus on a simple start page offers a useful alternative if you prefer to keep your assistant elsewhere. There is no contradiction in that choice. You might want a calm clock and links every time you open a tab, while using an AI assistant only a few times a day. The start page does not have to absorb every tool you use. If that sounds right, use our [minimalist dashboard setup](/blog/minimalist-productivity-dashboard) as a starting point. Choose your assistant separately. Keep the arrangement until a specific repeated inconvenience justifies integrating them. ## What to check before choosing | Check | What a useful answer looks like | | --- | --- | | Release status | The feature exists in the version you can install | | Context | You can identify the note, page or task sent to AI | | Actions | The product documents what can be read or changed | | Results | You can find the saved item after the chat ends | | Cost | Cloud usage and external subscriptions are explained | | Control | AI can be dismissed while the dashboard remains useful | Run a small comparison using the same task in each product. For a writing assistant, that might be turning five rough bullets into a meeting outline. For a connected dashboard, use a disposable note or test task so you can check the saved result without disturbing real work. Do not start with a request to reorganize your entire week. That mixes too many capabilities to tell what is good or what failed. The best AI new tab dashboard should shorten the distance between opening a tab and doing something useful. A page that looks good, remembers where things belong and stays out of the way has already done a large part of the job. --- # Best productivity dashboards with AI: five different fits Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/best-productivity-dashboards-with-ai The best AI productivity dashboard is the one connected to the work you actually need help with. Momentum fits a focus-oriented new tab. Notion fits documents. ClickUp fits shared tasks. Taskade fits agent workflows. Dashy V2 is worth following if you want a personal widget dashboard that can work with AI assistants. Those are different jobs. Picking a winner by counting AI features would hide the most useful distinction: where will you use this thing on an ordinary Tuesday? **How we compared:** this is an editorial shortlist based on official product documentation reviewed in September 2026, not a performance benchmark or an exhaustive market ranking. We make Dashy. V2 is still a development preview, planned for October 2026, and is listed separately from products you can use today. ## Choose the workspace before the assistant | Your main job | Product to investigate | Why it belongs on the shortlist | Main tradeoff | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Get oriented when opening a tab | Momentum | A focus-oriented start page with AI features | Its approach may be narrower than the dashboard you want | | Work through notes and documents | Notion | AI inside a document and knowledge workspace | You still need a usable information structure | | Coordinate assigned team work | ClickUp | AI around tasks and shared work | More system than many individuals need | | Build repeatable agent workflows | Taskade | Projects, agents and automation together | Setup becomes part of the job | | Arrange a personal browser workspace | Dashy V2 preview | Widgets, a side panel and optional AI connections | Not generally released yet | The tradeoffs are our assessment. The links below explain the product capabilities behind them. ## Momentum: start with the day in front of you [Momentum Plus](https://momentumdash.com/plus) combines a personal start page with Ask AI, AI notes, a Pomodoro timer and task integrations. That puts writing help near the place where you check your daily focus. Consider it if the first minute of your day is the problem: you open a tab, see ten possible destinations and lose the thread. A focused landing page is a sensible intervention. You may not need an assistant that rearranges your workspace or a collection of custom tools. Try one realistic task before deciding. Open a note, use the AI to help shape an outline, and see whether the result belongs naturally in your day. If you immediately move everything into another app, the extra convenience may be small. For a broader comparison of start pages, see our [new tab dashboard alternatives](/blog/momentum-alternatives). ## Notion: useful when the answers are in your documents [Notion AI](https://www.notion.com/product/ai) sits alongside pages, databases, search and connected work. Its documented capabilities include drafting, finding information and taking actions inside the workspace. That makes it a candidate when your friction sounds like “I know we wrote this down somewhere.” A dashboard containing a project brief, decisions and next steps can be more useful than a visually impressive page of disconnected cards. The question to ask is how much organization you are prepared to maintain. A team needs agreement on where its source documents live. A solo user needs a structure they can keep up with. AI does not make two contradictory project briefs into one reliable record just because both are searchable. Choose a small project to evaluate: one brief, one task list and one decision log. Ask a question with an answer you already know, then inspect the source. ## ClickUp: look here when ownership matters [ClickUp's task AI documentation](https://help.clickup.com/hc/en-us/articles/34958900405143-Use-Brain-AI-on-tasks) describes using Brain in the context of a task. Its wider [Brain product](https://clickup.com/brain) is oriented around connected company work. This is a different buying decision from choosing a pleasant new tab. Teams care about who owns a task, which deadline is authoritative and where a status change appears. A personal checklist cannot substitute for that shared agreement. Our suggested trial is deliberately unglamorous: use one genuine team task. Check whether AI's answer preserves the owner, due date and unresolved questions. An elegant summary that drops a dependency is worse than a plain task you understand. If your employer already uses ClickUp successfully, a personal dashboard should help you reach that work rather than create a competing list of truth. ## Taskade: for people willing to design a workflow [Taskade](https://www.taskade.com/ai/workspaces) brings projects, AI agents and automations into one workspace. It describes agents using project content and workflows acting on that information. Investigate it when the work repeats: collecting inputs, organizing them and producing an output in a known place. The interesting part is the repeatability, not how many agents you can create. Start with a task whose result you can check. For example, group a small set of non-sensitive project notes under headings you define. Keep the first attempt away from customer messages or irreversible actions. Decide what a correct result looks like before running it. An automation that needs a long explanation every time may not be saving much yet. That is a useful finding, not a reason to build a larger workflow. ## Dashy V2: a personal dashboard with room to grow Dashy's direction starts with the browser itself. V2 combines a quiet Home view or a fuller widget layout with notes, tasks, links, calendars, wallpapers and a side panel. Optional AI is being developed around that workspace, including Claude and ChatGPT connections through MCP and [custom widgets made from a description](/blog/ai-custom-widgets). The appeal is the combination. You could keep a sparse everyday page, use a separate dashboard for a project and bring supported tools beside a webpage when needed. You do not have to turn the whole page into a chat interface. The release boundary matters: these are V2 preview capabilities. The [original Dashy](/original) is a separate install. Account eligibility, cloud usage, connector permissions and the final launch package still apply. Read the [AI feature guide](/ai) before treating any example as an available integration. ## A better trial than comparing screenshots Write down three things you did yesterday: perhaps finding a meeting note, choosing a next task and opening a project link. Recreate those in the product you are considering. Then check four outcomes: 1. Can you reach the useful information without first reorganizing the app? 2. Does AI work with the right context, or do you keep pasting it in? 3. Can you tell a proposed change from a saved change? 4. Is the workspace still useful with AI turned off? If a product does those well, it deserves a longer trial. If it does not, another model selector is unlikely to fix the fit. --- # Claude and your dashboard: useful MCP workflows to plan Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/claude-dashboard-mcp-workflows Claude becomes more useful around a dashboard when it can work with the items you will return to: a note, a task list or a specific widget. MCP can provide that connection when the dashboard exposes supported tools. The result should be work saved in the right place, not another answer to copy out of a chat. The examples below are workflow designs for eligible connections, not claims that every Claude account can perform them. Dashy V2's MCP support is in development, with a release planned for October 2026. Check the [Dashy AI guide](/ai) for the preview boundaries. ## Begin with a workspace that makes sense without AI Imagine you are preparing a small website launch. You have a brief, a handful of tasks and links to the design, staging site and issue tracker. Those items should already have clear homes. A note called “Launch brief” and a dashboard called “Website launch” give the assistant something precise to work with. Three untitled notes across two dashboards do not. This is worth doing even if you never connect Claude. Good labels lower the chance that either you or an assistant edits the wrong thing. ## Understand which Claude you are connecting Claude's [remote-connector guide](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-get-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp) documents adding a custom connector through its app. For individual Pro and Max accounts, the reviewed instructions use Customize, then Connectors, followed by adding the remote server address. Organization controls differ. That is a separate setup from Claude Code's command-line configuration. Use the instructions for your client, and only use connection details published by the dashboard provider. Dashy's public connection walkthrough is not released yet. Authorization also does not mean unlimited access. Claude's connector documentation describes granting access through an authentication flow and disconnecting to revoke it. Review the actual scopes and actions before supplying private work. ## Workflow one: turn a rough brief into a usable note The aim here is clarity, not new facts. Give Claude a bounded source and a named destination: > Read the “Launch brief” note on my Website launch dashboard. Suggest a clearer structure with Goal, Scope, Open questions and Next steps. Keep every date and decision unchanged. Show the revision before replacing the note. Why this works as a request: it says which document matters, what may change and what must survive. It also makes uncertainty visible through an Open questions section. If the connector only supports reading, you can still review the proposed text and apply it yourself. An unavailable write tool does not make the planning work useless. Before saving, check the facts you care about: launch date, responsible people and exclusions. An assistant can make prose smoother while accidentally making a tentative idea sound decided. ## Workflow two: add tasks without inventing commitments Meeting notes often mix actions with suggestions. Ask the assistant to separate them before creating anything: > From the action section of “Launch brief,” propose tasks for me. Include only explicit commitments. Do not invent owners or deadlines. Flag any item that needs a decision, and wait before adding tasks. After reviewing the list, authorize the specific supported change. Keep the destination visible in the request: a named task widget on a named dashboard. A good result is not the longest list. It is a list whose items you recognize and can act on. “Check mobile navigation” is useful when that is the agreed action. “Develop a comprehensive mobile optimization strategy” is a different assignment. ## Workflow three: arrange the page around the work Layout assistance can be handy after the content is in place. A restrained request is easier to judge: > On Website launch, put the task list beside Launch notes if the layout tools support it. Keep my links and clock. If moving those widgets would displace something else, show the affected items first. This gives Claude a purpose for the change and a limit on collateral edits. It does not ask the assistant to infer your taste from “make it professional.” After an action, look at the dashboard itself. A chat reply is not visual proof. If the result is uncertain, ask for the current saved layout before trying again. Do not repeatedly submit the same move while making a manual move in another tab. ## Workflow four: brief a custom widget before building it Claude can help you decide whether you need a new widget at all. That discussion does not require dashboard write access: > I want a small launch checklist. Help me define the minimum useful version: what is visible, what can be edited and what should be remembered after I close the tab. Tell me if an ordinary task list would be enough. You might discover that the built-in task widget solves the problem. If you do need a custom tool, take the specification into a supported builder. Generation and draft submission are separate capabilities; do not assume they come with an ordinary dashboard connector. Our [custom-widget guide](/blog/ai-custom-widgets) includes examples with acceptance checks you can reuse. ## Make a reusable instruction short enough to follow You do not need a page of rules at the beginning of every conversation. A short working agreement can cover the important parts: > Use the Website launch dashboard. Read the current items before changing them. Preserve existing content unless I name a replacement. Explain unsupported actions. After a write, check what was saved and report any uncertainty. This is a preference, not an enforcement mechanism. The app still needs permissions, accurate tool definitions and reliable saved state. Clear prompting helps a working integration; it cannot repair a broken one. When a workflow earns your trust, broaden it one action at a time. Keep decisions with you and let the assistant handle the specific organizing work you can readily inspect. --- # Connect a new tab dashboard to ChatGPT: a practical guide Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/connect-new-tab-dashboard-chatgpt To connect a new tab dashboard to ChatGPT, you need a dashboard that exposes supported tools, a compatible ChatGPT account and an authorized connection. A bookmark that opens ChatGPT does not do this. The connection has to let ChatGPT request information or perform specific actions on your dashboard. Dashy V2 is developing that connection through MCP. **This is a preparation guide, not a public installation walkthrough.** V2 is planned for October 2026; the original Dashy store release does not include the complete new AI package. We will publish the public connection instructions when they are ready. ## Decide what you want ChatGPT to do There are three different needs hiding inside “connect my dashboard.” | What you want | What you need | | --- | --- | | Open ChatGPT quickly | A saved link or shortcut | | Discuss a note you choose to share | A deliberate copy, attachment or supported read connection | | Add or change dashboard items | A supported action connection with the relevant permission | A shortcut is the simplest choice for the first case. You can add a link to ChatGPT wherever your start page supports links, and keep using your existing account there. The third case is where integration earns its place. It can remove the manual step between deciding what to do and updating the tool where the work lives. It also needs more care, because the assistant is changing saved information. ## What MCP contributes The [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/learn/architecture) defines a way for AI applications to connect to servers that expose tools and context. In a dashboard integration, those tools might list widgets or update an eligible task. MCP is not a promise that every assistant can operate every part of an app. The server supplies particular capabilities, and the client has to support them. Authentication and granted access still matter. For Dashy, the public [AI guide](/ai#mcp) is the place to check supported preview workflows. A tool connection to Dashy is also different from choosing an OpenAI model inside Dashy Agent: one starts in ChatGPT, while the other starts in Dashy. ## Check ChatGPT access before troubleshooting the dashboard [OpenAI's current MCP documentation](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461) distinguishes read access from write actions and describes plan and workspace requirements. At this review, full write support is documented for Business and Enterprise/Edu on the web, while Pro access is described more narrowly. Availability can change; check that page and your workspace settings before buying a plan for this purpose. A missing create-app control may therefore be an account or administrator restriction. It does not automatically mean the dashboard endpoint is broken. ## What the setup should establish For a released integration, follow the dashboard provider's official connection instructions. In ChatGPT's documented custom-app flow, an authorized user supplies the server details, completes authentication where required and scans the tools. Use the provider's published endpoint, not an address copied from an old development log. [OpenAI's setup reference](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461) explains the current controls. Before using your real workspace, establish three things: 1. **Identity:** the consent page belongs to the product you intended to connect, and you are signing into the right account. 2. **Access:** the connection grants the actions you need, without assuming unrelated files or dashboards are included. 3. **Destination:** you know which dashboard and item the assistant will operate on. Do not paste passwords, API keys or session tokens into the chat. Authentication belongs in the documented authorization flow. ## Start with a read, then one small change Once a supported connection is available, a useful first prompt is: > List the dashboards this connection can access. Do not change anything. Then narrow the request: > On my Study dashboard, list the notes and task widgets. Tell me which actions you can perform on them through this connection. These are suggested prompts, not a guarantee that every connection exposes those operations. If a capability is missing, the assistant should explain that instead of pretending to have used it. For the first write, use a clearly named disposable item: > If this connection supports creating a note, add one note titled “Connection check” to the Study dashboard containing “Read the chapter outline.” Leave all existing notes unchanged. Check the dashboard. Open the note. Confirm its content and location. Reopen the page once to establish that the result persisted. This is a much clearer trial than asking ChatGPT to “make everything better.” ## Write requests that identify the target “Move the weather” becomes ambiguous when there are two weather widgets. Prefer a description that includes the dashboard, the current item and the destination: > On my Home dashboard, move the Tokyo weather widget below the clock. Keep the London weather widget where it is. If that space is occupied, show me a proposed arrangement first. The exact action must still be supported. For consequential changes, the product may require approval or block the operation. Do not turn an unavailable confirmation into a request to bypass permission checks. ## If the result is missing, avoid creating a second problem Read the current state before repeating a write. A request can finish on the server while the visible page is behind, or the assistant can receive an error and describe it badly. Retrying an add operation without checking may create a duplicate. Keep a short record: the requested action, target dashboard, approximate time and exact error. Exclude credentials and private note contents. That gives support something useful to investigate. For everyday use, connect the smallest amount of context that makes the task possible. Our [AI dashboard privacy guide](/blog/ai-dashboard-privacy) covers that choice, and the [Claude workflow guide](/blog/claude-dashboard-mcp-workflows) applies the same discipline to a different assistant. --- # Google Calendar on your new tab: a dashboard that helps Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/google-calendar-new-tab-dashboard To put Google Calendar on a new tab dashboard, choose a tool with a supported Calendar connection and authorize the access it needs. If all you want is a quick way to open your schedule, a link to Google Calendar is simpler. A generic calendar widget does not necessarily display your Google events. The arrangement matters as much as the connection. A useful personal dashboard might show your next commitments beside a short task list. It does not need to reproduce the full weekly calendar you already have elsewhere. ## Choose between a shortcut and a connected view | Option | What it gives you | What to check | | --- | --- | --- | | Calendar shortcut | Fast access to the full Calendar website | That it opens the account you intended | | Connected agenda widget | Selected schedule information on the dashboard | Provider support, permissions and freshness | | Date-only calendar widget | A visual reference for dates | Whether it contains events at all | Use the shortcut if you only check your schedule a few times a day. Keep a connected agenda if seeing the next commitment changes how you choose your work. Avoid connecting a service simply to fill an empty card. Every integration creates another thing to understand: which account is connected, what is visible and how updates behave. ## Review the account and the requested access Google documents how [third-party access to account data](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/14012355?hl=en) works and how to review or remove connections. Sign in through the supported authorization screen; do not give a dashboard your Google password. Read the requested permissions. Viewing events and changing them are different needs. A personal agenda does not automatically need the same access as a scheduling assistant. If you use a work or school account, your organization may restrict third-party apps. Google's [Workspace administrator guidance](https://support.google.com/a/answer/7281227) describes those controls. Use an approved option instead of trying to work around a restriction. You should not need to turn a private calendar into a public one just to see it on your own dashboard. If a proposed method relies on making event details public, stop and reconsider whether a simple shortcut would meet the need. ## Build around the next commitment A large month grid is useful for date planning. It may be less useful for deciding whether you have time to start a task before a meeting. For an everyday work dashboard, try an agenda beside your next actions. Put meeting links or project references nearby if you consult them regularly. Keep the calendar visually distinct from the task list so an intended work block does not look like a confirmed appointment. For example, a meeting at 14:00 is fixed context. “Review the proposal” is a task. Seeing them together helps you decide whether to start the review now, but it should not imply that the review has been scheduled in Calendar. Our [minimalist dashboard guide](/blog/minimalist-productivity-dashboard) gives a compact starting layout. ## Check the awkward event cases once Before relying on a connected widget, inspect a few events whose details you know: 1. A timed event later today: verify its start time and title. 2. An all-day event: make sure it does not look like a midnight appointment. 3. An event from another selected calendar: confirm whether it should appear. 4. A changed or canceled event: check that the view eventually reflects the source. 5. An event involving another timezone: compare it with the full Calendar view. These checks do not require changing your real meetings. You can inspect existing examples or use a disposable event in a calendar you control. If something looks wrong, check the provider's original event before editing it from a second interface. A stale view, a timezone choice and a genuinely incorrect event call for different fixes. ## Keep a path back to the full calendar A dashboard is a summary. There will be times you need the complete event, guest list, recurrence settings or scheduling controls. Keep Calendar one click away even when the connected widget works well. Do the same for tasks. If your team uses another task system, let that system remain the authoritative place for shared assignments. A personal dashboard can show useful context without becoming the owner of every record. This division is especially valuable when the internet is unreliable. A cached agenda can help you orient yourself, but recently changed commitments should be checked against the provider when the connection returns. ## Use AI without handing it your whole schedule Sometimes the smallest useful input is not an event list. You can tell an assistant, “I have a free hour before my next meeting and these three tasks,” without including names, attendees or meeting descriptions. If you want direct calendar actions, verify that the integration and assistant support them. A calendar visible on a dashboard does not establish that the AI can read it or create events. Ask what the connected tools actually permit. For sensitive work, review the [AI dashboard privacy questions](/blog/ai-dashboard-privacy) before including calendar content in a prompt. ## Where Dashy fits Dashy V2 is being developed with calendars among its everyday tools and Google Calendar among its supported integration work. It also combines tasks, notes, links and optional AI in a personal dashboard and side panel. That is the new release's direction, not a public installation walkthrough for the original app. V2 is a development preview planned for October 2026; account access and integration availability apply. Read the [V2 feature guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features) and verify the exact Calendar capabilities in the version you use. The useful outcome is simple: you can see the next commitment, choose a sensible next task and open the full event when you need it. Anything beyond that should earn its place. --- # A minimalist productivity dashboard you will keep using Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/minimalist-productivity-dashboard A minimalist productivity dashboard needs a clear next action, a short route to your useful sites and enough context to orient you. Start there. A clock, a small task list and a few links can do more for your day than a page filled with widgets you rarely touch. Minimalism is not a particular wallpaper or the removal of every label. It is a decision about what deserves your attention each time you open a tab. ## Give the page one main job Finish this sentence: “When I open a new tab, I want to…” Maybe the answer is start the next work block. Maybe it is open the websites you use all day. Maybe you simply want a pleasant pause before searching. Those answers produce different layouts. A task list belongs near the center of the first. A compact links area may be enough for the second. The third might need little more than a wallpaper and a clock. Trouble starts when a page tries to welcome you, brief you, entertain you, coach you and show every project at once. Choose a primary job. Let the rest become optional. ## Try this three-area layout This is a starting arrangement, not a prescription: | Area | Put here | Leave out initially | | --- | --- | --- | | Orientation | Clock or today's calendar | Multiple clocks you never consult | | Next action | A short task list or one focus note | Your entire backlog | | Shortcuts | A few working links | Every bookmark you have saved | Choose either the clock or calendar based on your day. A meeting-heavy schedule benefits from seeing the next appointment. A long writing block may need less information. Keep enough space between the areas that they feel separate without needing large headings everywhere. Do not make text tiny to fit more things in. Removing an item is usually a better first move than shrinking all of them. ## Choose wallpaper by what sits on top of it A photo can look wonderful on its own and make a poor dashboard background. Bright detail behind small text, or a busy pattern behind translucent cards, competes with the things you need to read. Try a simple visual check: put your normal task list over the wallpaper and read it at your usual viewing distance. Check the quietest and busiest parts of the image. If the text disappears in one area, move the widget, strengthen its surface or choose another background. A still image is a reasonable default. If you enjoy motion, test whether it remains pleasant while you are reading or concentrating. You are choosing a surface you will see repeatedly, not a single impressive screenshot. ## Keep capture separate from commitment A scratch note is for things you do not want to lose. A task list is for things you intend to do. When they become the same pile, every stray thought starts looking overdue. Use a small note for capture if you need it. Review it when you finish a work block. Move only genuine next actions into the task list and put reference material somewhere you can find later. You do not need a complicated classification system. A note called “Later” and a short list called “Today” are understandable. If a widget has become a storage room, it probably does not need the most prominent position on the page. ## Add AI where it removes a step AI is useful when you have a specific job for it: making a rough note clearer, helping define a small tool, or working with an authorized dashboard action. It does not need to greet you with a large prompt every time you open a tab. Consider an on-demand panel or a shortcut to your preferred assistant. Keep the task you are working on visible, and close the assistant when you have the result. Dashy V2 is being developed with a quiet Home view, fuller widget dashboards and optional AI. That is a preview of the new release, planned for October 2026, not a promise about the original version. The [V2 guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features) shows how those pieces fit together. If you are still choosing a tool, our [AI new tab comparison](/blog/best-ai-new-tab-dashboard) includes the option of keeping a simple start page and your assistant separate. ## Use a second view only for a different purpose A second dashboard makes sense when the context changes. Work and study might have different links, notes and priorities. Creating a second view just because the first has run out of room can postpone a more useful decision about what to remove. Name a view after the job it supports. “Website launch” tells you more than “Dashboard 4.” Keep shared essentials predictable so switching views does not become a search exercise. For material you consult while browsing, a side panel can be more appropriate than another full dashboard. Our [side-panel note workflow](/blog/side-panel-notes-research-workflow) explains that arrangement. ## Review the layout after a normal week Do not judge the setup only on the afternoon you built it. After a week, ask: - Which items did I actively use? - What did I repeatedly leave the dashboard to find? - Which area accumulated things I no longer need? - Was anything difficult to read at my normal window size? Remove one unused item. Add one genuinely missing thing. Leave the rest alone long enough to learn whether the change helped. A calm dashboard is not an empty dashboard. It is a page where the useful things are easy to recognize and everything else has permission to stay out of sight. --- # Side-panel notes: a better workflow for reading the web Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/side-panel-notes-research-workflow Side-panel notes work well when you need to read a page and capture a thought without losing sight of the source. Keep a short note beside the webpage, save its link and write down why the information matters. Move longer writing into a full document when you have enough material to synthesize. The panel is a working surface. It does not need to become your entire knowledge system. ## Start with one question Suppose you are comparing three tools for a project. Before opening ten tabs, write the decision you need to make: > Which option lets our team review drafts without buying an account for every external reviewer? That question is much easier to research than “find the best tool.” It suggests what to look for, which source pages matter and when you have enough information. Keep the question at the top of your note. When an interesting but irrelevant feature appears, you can recognize it without adding it to the comparison. ## Keep the source and the note side by side Chrome's [side-panel API](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/sidePanel) allows an extension to display its interface alongside the webpage. The specific tools and page access depend on the app using it. Open your chosen note tool in that space. Make the panel wide enough to read comfortably, while leaving enough room for the source. If the webpage becomes difficult to use, switch to a separate window or a full document. Side-by-side is a convenience, not a rule to obey at every screen size. Dashy V2 is developing supported notes and tools in its side panel as part of the release planned for October 2026. See the [Dashy side-panel preview](/blog/chrome-side-panel) for scope; this article describes a general workflow you can use with a suitable note tool. ## Use a note format that preserves the evidence You can copy this small structure into an ordinary note: > **Question:** What am I trying to find out? > > **Source:** Page title and link. > > **Observation:** What does the page actually establish? > > **Meaning for me:** Why does that matter for my decision? > > **Still unclear:** What would I need to verify? The split between observation and meaning is valuable. A product page might establish that guest reviewers are supported. Your interpretation might be that it could suit occasional client feedback. Whether those guests can approve a draft on your intended plan may still be unclear. Without that distinction, “possibly useful” has a habit of becoming “confirmed” by the time you revisit the note. ## Capture less than you think you need You do not have to copy the whole page to preserve a useful finding. Save the link, the section and a short note about the specific point. If you need exact wording, mark it as a quotation so you do not mistake it for your own prose later. For our reviewer example, useful notes might be: - Where the product documents guest access. - Which plan the relevant permission appears under. - Whether the page distinguishes commenting from approving. - Which question remains unanswered. A long paragraph about the vendor's mission does not help make this decision. Keep your capture tied to the question. ## Turn notes into a comparison after reading Do the first pass as observations. Then build a small table across the options: | Question | Option A | Option B | Option C | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Can an external guest comment? | Confirmed with source | Unclear | Confirmed with source | | Can a guest approve? | Unclear | Confirmed with source | Not established | | Which plan is required? | Record the documented plan | Record the documented plan | Needs verification | This is a blank decision method, not a comparison of real products. Replace each cell with evidence you collected. “Not established” is often more accurate than “No.” If the table exposes a missing fact, go back for that fact. Avoid restarting the entire research process because one detail is unresolved. ## Let AI help with synthesis, not source invention Once you have a few clear notes, an assistant can help organize them. A bounded prompt is: > Using only these notes, compare the options against my original question. Preserve each source link. Separate confirmed facts from unanswered questions. Do not fill gaps from memory or invent a recommendation where the evidence is missing. Review the result against your notes. That instruction helps describe the job, but it cannot guarantee the assistant will follow it perfectly. Share only the material needed for the task. A side panel showing a webpage is not consent to upload the whole page. If a capture feature is available, inspect what it includes. Our [AI privacy guide](/blog/ai-dashboard-privacy) explains the different access layers. ## Finish with a decision or a next step At the end of a reading session, leave something usable: a recommendation with reasons, a question to ask the provider, or a task to verify the missing permission. Store the final document where you will look for it. Keep a link from the dashboard if the project is ongoing. The scratch note can be cleared once its useful contents have a home. For a student, that destination may be a course note. For a product team, it may be a project brief. For your own purchases, a short comparison may be enough. The [student dashboard guide](/blog/student-dashboard-setup) and [minimalist layout guide](/blog/minimalist-productivity-dashboard) show how to keep those destinations easy to reach. You should be able to return tomorrow and answer two questions: what did I learn, and where did it come from? If the note does that, the workflow is working. --- # A student dashboard setup for classes, deadlines and focus Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/student-dashboard-setup A useful student dashboard shows what to work on next, when the next fixed commitment happens and how to reach the right course materials. Start with a short task list, calendar or clock, course links and one notes area. You can add more later; the first goal is to make starting a study session easier. The mistake to avoid is rebuilding your learning platform by hand. A dashboard should help you get to the work, not create another place where you have to maintain every deadline. ## Keep official dates in their original home Your course site, syllabus or instructor's announcement should remain the reference for an assignment deadline. A date copied into a personal task list is useful, but it can become stale if the course changes. Put a direct link to the assignment beside the task when possible. Before a major submission, check the original requirement, including the time and timezone. Do not let an AI-generated plan turn a guessed date into an authoritative one. This is especially helpful when one assignment has several parts: a proposal, a draft, peer review and final submission. You need a way back to the requirements, not just a single checkbox named “Essay.” ## Build one overview before creating course dashboards Here is an example layout for a student taking several classes: | Dashboard area | Example content | Why it is here | | --- | --- | --- | | Next study block | Outline the history essay introduction | Makes starting concrete | | Upcoming | Seminar, lab and next submission | Shows fixed commitments | | Course links | Learning platform, library, class documents | Reduces repeated navigation | | Scratch notes | Questions for office hours | Catches thoughts without losing focus | These are sample items, not connected course data. Enter your actual commitments and links. Keep the Next study block list short. It should describe actions you can begin, such as “solve questions 1–3” or “compare the two sources.” A task called “learn statistics” is too large to help when you have forty minutes before lunch. ## Separate deadlines from study plans A deadline is a constraint. A study plan is your current best arrangement for meeting it. Keeping them distinct makes it easier to adjust the plan without losing the constraint. Suppose an essay is due Friday and you want to work on it Tuesday and Thursday. Keep Friday's submission date attached to the assignment reference. Use separate tasks for finding sources, outlining and revising. If Tuesday goes badly, move the planned work. Do not move the deadline in your head because the study block changed. A timer can help you begin one of those tasks, but it is optional. Choose a session length you can actually complete and define the output before pressing Start: an outline, three solved problems or one annotated source. ## Give notes a destination Use the dashboard note for short working material: a question to ask, a concept to revisit or the page where you stopped. Store a semester's worth of course notes in the system you already trust. At the end of a session, move useful scratch material to its longer-term home. Delete what is no longer useful. Leave a brief restart note such as “Next: compare the second paper's method with the first.” That one sentence can be more helpful tomorrow than a long list of everything you accomplished today. When you are reading online, the [side-panel note workflow](/blog/side-panel-notes-research-workflow) keeps a source and your notes visible together. It also helps you separate a direct quotation from your own interpretation. ## Use AI for a bounded study task Good input makes the output easier to inspect. For planning, try: > Here are the assignment requirements and the time I have available. Propose study blocks for finding sources, outlining and revising. Preserve the stated deadline. Do not invent requirements, and mark anything you need me to clarify. For practice, you might ask for questions based on an excerpt you are permitted to share. Attempt the answers yourself, then check them against your course material. Do not treat confident wording as evidence that an explanation is correct. Follow your institution's rules and the assignment's requirements before using AI. Remove personal information about classmates and avoid uploading material you are not allowed to share. An assistant should not become the authority for a submission policy. Dashy V2 is developing optional AI alongside ordinary notes, tasks and widgets. Those AI features are a development preview, with V2 planned for October 2026. Check the [current AI guide](/ai) rather than assuming they are included in the original store version. ## When a separate course dashboard is worth it A major project can justify its own view. A dissertation, design studio or lab project might need a recurring set of links, a working note and a longer task list. Create that view when it saves repeated setup. Give it a recognizable name and keep one link back to the course's official materials. Do not make ten dashboards on the first day just because the app permits it. If you are considering Dashy, its [V2 feature preview](/blog/dashy-v2-features) describes multiple dashboards and a quieter Home view. Choose the amount of structure that matches your actual week. ## End the week with a small reset Review the next week's official deadlines. Clear completed items from the working view. Check that your most-used links still lead to the right course pages. Choose the first task for your next study session. Then stop organizing. The dashboard has done its job when it helps you begin the work, not when maintaining it becomes a project of its own. --- # Are New Tab Extensions Safe? Permissions Explained Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/are-new-tab-extensions-safe Yes, most of them are, and the test is simple. A new tab page needs exactly one permission: replace the page you see when opening a new tab. Everything past that, your history, your bookmarks, every site you visit, should be paid for by a feature you can point at. This guide shows you how to check. Last checked 2 September 2026. Every permission string, policy line and store listing quoted below was read on that date. ## The one permission a new tab page needs Every new tab page in the Chrome Web Store works the same way. The manifest declares an override for the new tab, and Chrome hands the page over. In Chromium's own test for permission messages, that manifest entry produces exactly one line for you to accept: ["Replace the page you see when opening a new tab"](https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/refs/heads/main/chrome/browser/extensions/permission_message_combinations_unittest.cc). Two limits ship with it. An extension can [override only one](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/ui/override-chrome-pages) Chrome page, so the same product cannot take your bookmarks manager as well. And in incognito windows, extensions cannot override the new tab at all. What that line does not cover is worth saying out loud. It grants no access to the sites you browse, no access to your history, no access to your bookmarks, and no control over your search engine. An extension that only replaces the new tab can draw whatever it likes on its own page, and nothing anywhere else. Now the honest half. You are still handing over the page you open more often than any other, and the code that runs there is someone else's. No dialog can settle that for you. The rest of this guide is how to decide with evidence instead of a hunch. ## What the other permission warnings mean Chrome turns manifest entries into plain sentences. Some of those sentences sound worse than they are, and one or two sound milder than they are. Here is the mapping, from Chrome's own permissions reference and Chromium's permission-message tests. | What the manifest asks for | What Chrome shows you | What it can then do | | --- | --- | --- | | `chrome_url_overrides` with `newtab` | "Replace the page you see when opening a new tab" | Load its own page instead of Chrome's, outside incognito | | `storage` | No warning at all | Keep settings and widget data in the browser's own storage | | `geolocation` | "Detect your physical location" | Read your location, which is how a weather widget starts without setup | | `topSites` | "Read a list of your most frequently visited websites" | Show the same shortcuts Chrome's own page shows | | `bookmarks` | "Read and change your bookmarks" | Read, add, edit and delete every bookmark you have | | `tabs` | "Read your browsing history" | See the titles and URLs of your tabs | | `tabs` plus `sessions` | "Read your browsing history on all your signed-in devices" | See the same across every device signed in to Chrome | | `history` | "Read and change your browsing history on all signed-in devices" | Read your full history, and delete from it | | One host, such as `www.example.com` | "Read and change your data on www.example.com" | Run its code on that one site | | `` | "Read and change all your data on all websites" | Run its code on every page you open, forever | Sources: Chrome's [permissions reference](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/permissions-list) for the per-permission warnings, and Chromium's [permission message tests](https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/refs/heads/main/chrome/browser/extensions/permission_message_combinations_unittest.cc) for the combined strings. Two of those deserve a footnote. "Read your browsing history" is the warning for `tabs`, which is really about the tabs you have open, so a tab manager triggers a scary line for an ordinary reason. And `storage`, the permission that holds your notes and your layout, shows no warning at all, because it is the extension's own private storage rather than yours. Chrome Web Store listings use a friendlier vocabulary for the same ideas. Google's [permissions help page](https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/186213) explains that "Your data on all the websites you visit" lets an extension "read, request or modify data from every page you visit", that "Your browsing history" means it "can read and erase your browsing history", and that "Your tabs and browsing activity" means it "can see the URLs and titles of websites you visit". The rule that follows is short. Match every permission to a feature you can name on the page. Weather earns location. A bookmarks widget earns bookmarks. A wallpaper and a clock earn neither. Google asks developers for the same discipline in its [program policies](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/program-policies/permissions): "Request access to the narrowest permissions necessary to implement your Product's features or services." ## How to read a listing in two minutes Google says items ["featured on the Chrome Web Store are manually selected based on specific eligibility criteria"](https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/12225786), and that the [Established Publisher badge](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/discovery) "showcases developers who have verified their identity and demonstrated compliance with the developer program policies". Neither is for sale: "developers cannot pay to receive either badge". A badge is a floor, not a guarantee. Before a listing goes live, its developer has to give a single-purpose description, justify every permission in the manifest, declare any remote code, disclose what data the product collects, and certify compliance with the limited use policy. That is the [dashboard requirement](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/cws-dashboard-privacy) every publisher meets, including us. A listing either says "The developer has disclosed that it will not collect or use your data" or it lists what it handles under a heading that reads "handles the following", with entries such as personally identifiable information, authentication information, location or web history. That line is the quickest read on whether a product keeps things on the device or sends them home. It is a developer declaration rather than an audit, so weigh it against what the product visibly does. The listings above all carry the same three: data is "Not being sold to third parties, outside of the approved use cases", "Not being used or transferred for purposes that are unrelated to the item's core functionality", and "Not being used or transferred to determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes". They are promises with policy behind them, and they apply to whatever the developer disclosed above. A page you open forty times a day should be maintained. Sort reviews by most recent rather than most helpful, and look for the pattern words: lost my settings, logged out, stopped loading. A stale date is not fraud, but it tells you who is on the other end. For anything that asks to read and change data on websites, open Chrome's menu, then Extensions, then Manage extensions, then Details, and set the site access to run only when you click it or only on the sites you choose. Google's own advice on that page is blunt: "Make sure you only approve extensions that you trust." ## What seven new tab listings actually disclose All of these are real products with real users, and none of them is a scam. The differences below are the differences you are agreeing to. | Extension | Users | Rating (ratings) | Last updated | What the privacy section says | Ads or search changes disclosed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dashy, the original, ours | 10,000+ | 4.7 (273) | 7 January 2026 | Handles personally identifiable information | None stated | | Momentum | 2,000,000 | 4.5 (13.7K) | 18 August 2026 | Handles personally identifiable information and authentication information | None stated | | Infinity New Tab | 400,000 | 4.6 (11.8K) | 26 August 2026 | Will not collect or use your data | Affiliate links on some merchant shortcuts | | Bonjourr | 300,000 | 4.9 (23.9K) | 9 July 2026 | Will not collect or use your data | None stated | | Live Start Page | 200,000 | 4.7 (8.6K) | 20 August 2026 | Handles personally identifiable information, authentication information, location and web history | Search bar changed to Bing, sponsored bookmark tiles, built-in ads | | Homey | 100,000 | 4.8 (6.5K) | 25 August 2026 | Will not collect or use your data | Free version may show ads marked "Sponsored" | | Tabliss | 100,000 | 4.7 (385) | 25 April 2022 | Will not collect or use your data | None stated | Ours is the first row because we wrote this page, not because it earned the spot; the rest are in order of install count, and our own disclosure is one of the three here that admits to handling personal data. Read on 2 September 2026 from each product's Chrome Web Store listing: [Momentum](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca), [Infinity New Tab](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/infinity-new-tab/dbfmnekepjoapopniengjbcpnbljalfg), [Bonjourr](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bonjourr-%C2%B7-minimalist-new/dlnejlppicbjfcfcedcflplfjajinajd), [Live Start Page](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/live-start-page-living-wa/ocggccaacacpienfcgmgcihoombokbbj), [Homey](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/homey-productivity-new-ta/lllnjdmfnfjifcfpppjmcnanpokikcpl), [Tabliss](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tabliss-a-beautiful-new-t/hipekcciheckooncpjeljhnekcoolahp) and [the original Dashy](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe). Three things to take from that table. The most-installed product is not the most private one. A page that stores everything locally can say it collects nothing, which is why Bonjourr and Tabliss can make that claim while a product with accounts and sync cannot; ours cannot either, and we say so below. And a four-year-old update date next to a hundred thousand users is a maintenance question, not a safety one, though the two eventually meet. Live Start Page is the useful case, because it discloses the most and does it on its own listing. Its description says the extension "changes your search bar inside the Live Start Page to Bing", mentions "sponsored bookmark tiles (for example Amazon bookmark)", and states that it "has built-in monetization (ads)". Its privacy section lists web history among the data it handles. That is a legitimate trade, disclosed in advance. Homey does the same in one sentence: "The free version of Homey may display clearly labeled ads marked as 'Sponsored' on the new tab page." Infinity New Tab discloses a milder version of the same thing: "Some merchant shortcuts in Infinity may use affiliate links", and it adds that those links "are only activated following your explicit action and are not automatically injected, modified, or replaced while you browse other websites". What you want to avoid is any of this behavior without the sentence. ## Four red flags **A search engine you did not pick.** [Store policy](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/program-policies/unexpected-behavior) is explicit: "Any changes to device settings must be made with the user's knowledge and consent and be easily reversible by the user." A product that names the swap on its listing is inside the rules. One that swaps quietly, or makes the setting hard to find, is not. **Ads that appear where the extension does not live.** [Policy again](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/program-policies/ads): ads "must be presented in context or clearly state which product they are bundled with", and they must be "easily removable by either adjusting the settings or uninstalling the product altogether". Ads on your new tab, labeled, are a business model. Ads injected into other people's websites are a different thing. **Permissions with no matching feature.** A wallpaper page asking to read and change all your data on all websites is the clearest signal in the category. So is any listing whose permission justifications read like filler. **No privacy policy, or a vague single purpose.** Both are required before a listing goes live. When they are thin, the developer has already told you how much care went into the rest. Google lists the symptoms plainly: "Pop-up ads and new tabs that won't go away", "Your Chrome homepage or search engine keeps changing without your permission", "Unwanted Chrome extensions or toolbars keep coming back", and "Your browsing is hijacked, and redirects to unfamiliar pages or ads". ## If your new tab already changed without asking Work in this order, from [Google's own guide](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2765944) to unwanted software. Check the applications installed on your computer first and uninstall anything you did not choose. Resetting Chrome before that step lets the program put the change back. Open Settings, then Reset settings, then ["Restore settings to their original defaults"](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214). Google lists what that touches: the default search engine, the homepage and tabs, the new tab page, pinned tabs, and extensions and themes. Your saved bookmarks and passwords are not deleted or changed. Re-enable extensions one at a time from the Extensions menu. Chrome also checks for settings changes each time it starts, so a hijacker that survives will usually show itself again quickly. If what you want is the opposite, a new tab you chose on purpose, our walkthrough of [how to change the new tab page in Chrome](/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome) covers every route, including the ones that install nothing. ## How Dashy handles your data We build one of these, so treat this as a disclosure rather than a review. There are two of them, and the permissions story is the same for both. The original Dashy is the one you can install today: on the Chrome Web Store since 2023, 36 widgets, wallpapers, soundscapes, profiles and sign-in sync, at 4.7 stars from 273 reviews. It is a 2023 design and looks it, which is why the new Dashy is a ground-up rebuild arriving in October 2026 on its own listing, with the original left running. [The two are set out side by side here](/original). [Dashy](/) works without an account. The local clock, notes, tasks and layout work on the device; live weather and other online services require network access, and cloud features have separate data flows. When you do connect something, Google Calendar, Todoist or Google Tasks, what that integration reads is disclosed for that integration and nothing else. Sync across devices and connected services belongs to the paid plan. Customization does not: adding, moving, resizing and restyling anything on the page is free, with templates that lay out a whole tab in one tap. Dashy does not change your search engine, your homepage or your startup page. It replaces one page, the one you asked it to replace, on Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers. Be fair to the table above: the original Dashy's listing discloses that it handles personally identifiable information, because it has accounts and sync. A product with accounts cannot honestly say it collects nothing, and a listing that claims both is worth a second look. The listing also carries [10,000+ users, 4.7 stars from 273 reviews and a Featured badge](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe). The new Dashy arrives in October 2026. Dashy V2 is being built with Claude and ChatGPT connections through MCP, alongside Dashy Agent and AI-generated custom widgets. An authorized assistant can use supported dashboard tools; account access, permissions and confirmations depend on the action and client. V2 is not generally released yet. See the [AI guide](/ai) for capabilities and requirements, or the [V2 feature guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features) for layouts, bookmarks and the side panel. Everything above is written out in full on our [privacy page](/privacy), and the new Dashy is reachable before October only through [the early access form](/#early-access). If you want the category explained before you pick anything, start with [what a new tab dashboard is](/new-tab), or read our side-by-side with [Bonjourr](/compare/bonjourr), whose listing says it will not collect or use your data. ## What to check before you click Add One permission is the price of a new tab page, and Chrome shows it in one sentence. Anything else on the dialog should map to a feature you can see. Read the privacy line on the listing, check the update date, sort the reviews by newest, and look for the sentence where the developer explains how they get paid. If that sentence is missing and your search engine changes anyway, you have your answer. The good products in this category tell you what they do before you install them, and then do only that. --- # The best new tab extensions for Chrome in 2026, compared Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/best-new-tab-extensions-2026 We make Dashy, so it goes first in this list and you should know that before you read a word of it. Of the ones we do not make: Bonjourr is the best free new tab page for Chrome right now, Momentum is the most polished if you pay, Live Start Page wins on ambience, Tabliss on restraint, Toby on saved tabs. Below are ten options with their store numbers, their prices and their free-tier limits, using the dated source review described below. Competitor listings and prices checked 2 September 2026. Dashy positioning and methodology clarified 14 September 2026. Every user count, rating, version, date and price in this piece comes from the product's own Chrome Web Store listing or its own pricing page, read on that date and linked where it appears. Dashy is ours, and it is first here because burying your own product at the bottom is its own kind of dishonesty. It is also the only entry with a rebuild that has not shipped yet, so it has no store numbers of its own. Read it as a description, not a verdict, and hold it to the same three questions as everything else. ## How we compared them This is a desk comparison of public listings and available pricing pages, not a hands-on benchmark or a test of every integration. We organize the choices around three questions. What does the page do before you configure anything? What does the free tier hold back? What does it cost to remove the limits? Ratings and install counts are evidence, not proof. A four-year-old extension with 385 ratings can still be the right answer for someone who wants nothing but a clock and a photo. Where a number is missing from this piece, it is because we could not find it on a primary source today, and we would rather leave a gap than guess. The order is not a league table. Dashy is first because we make it. The nine after it are in the order we would hand them to a friend, and that order did not move because of who wrote this page: where another product is the better answer, the entry says so in the same words we would use about our own. ## The table | Product | Users | Rating | Price | What free gets you | Browsers | Last update | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Dashy V2](/blog/dashy-v2-features) (ours; preview) | Not released | No V2 ratings | Launch plans to be confirmed | Planned local customization and widgets; cloud requirements separate | Chrome first; final compatibility pending | Planned October 2026 | | [Bonjourr](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bonjourr-%C2%B7-minimalist-new/dlnejlppicbjfcfcedcflplfjajinajd) | 300,000 | 4.9 (23.9K) | Free, donations | All of it | Chrome, Firefox, Edge | v22.3.0, 9 July 2026 | | [Momentum](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca) | 2,000,000 | 4.5 (13.7K) | 3.33 USD a month, billed annually | Photo, quote, to-dos, shortcuts, weather, limited Focus Mode | Chrome, Firefox | v2.27.4, 18 August 2026 | | [Live Start Page](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/live-start-page-living-wa/ocggccaacacpienfcgmgcihoombokbbj) | 200,000 | 4.7 (8.6K) | Subscription, price not on the listing | The whole page, with ads and sponsored tiles | Chrome | v40.5.10, 20 August 2026 | | [Tabliss](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tabliss-a-beautiful-new-t/hipekcciheckooncpjeljhnekcoolahp) | 100,000 plus 72,866 on Firefox | 4.7 (385) | Free | All of it, no permissions | Chrome, Firefox | v2.6.0, 25 April 2022 | | [Infinity New Tab](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/infinity-new-tab/dbfmnekepjoapopniengjbcpnbljalfg) | 400,000 free, 300,000 Pro | 4.6 (11.8K) free, 4.9 (24.9K) Pro | Pro subscription, price not on either listing | Speed dial, wallpapers, notes, Gmail alerts | Chrome | v11.0.43, 26 August 2026 | | [Homey](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/homey-productivity-new-ta/lllnjdmfnfjifcfpppjmcnanpokikcpl) | 100,000 | 4.8 (6.5K) | 2 USD a month or 18 USD a year | Three bookmark tabs, with ads marked Sponsored | Chrome, Edge | v4.27.7, 25 August 2026 | | [start.me](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/new-tab-page-by-startme/cfmnkhhioonhiehehedmnjibmampjiab) | 100,000 | 4.3 (1.4K) | No price on the listing, and its site blocked our check | Bookmarks, RSS, notes, widgets | Chrome; the listing says any browser | v7.3.0, 26 January 2024 | | [Toby](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/toby-tab-management-tool/hddnkoipeenegfoeaoibdmnaalmgkpip) | 300,000 | 4.2 (3.3K) | 4.50 USD per member a month, billed yearly | Up to 60 saved tabs | Chrome | v1.13.1, 3 June 2026 | | Chrome's own new tab | Ships with Chrome | Not rated | Free | Shortcuts and themes | Chrome | With the browser | ## 1. Dashy, ours: the one in the store today, and the one arriving in October We make this, so discount it accordingly. There are two Dashys, and the difference is the whole reason this entry is longer than the others. **The original Dashy is in the Chrome Web Store now.** Its [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe) shows 10,000+ users, 4.7 stars from 273 ratings and a Featured badge, at the current version shown on the linked listing. It has been on the store since 2023. What it does well today, and what those reviews are for: 36 widgets built one at a time over three years, wallpaper collections, ambient soundscapes on the tab itself, profiles so you can keep more than one dashboard, and sync between computers once you sign in. Soundscapes are the line worth weighing against this list: Momentum puts them behind Plus, Tabliss and Bonjourr list no audio at all, Live Start Page's ambient mode arrives with ads and sponsored tiles until you switch them off, and the original Dashy has had sound on the page for years. The original remains a separate product. V2 is being rebuilt around more flexible layouts, clearer controls and optional AI; its features should not be confused with the original listing. **The new Dashy is a ground-up rebuild, arriving October 2026** on its own listing, with the original left running and nothing removed. The tab opens on a curated wallpaper that moves with the time of day, and the page moves with it, so 7am and 9pm are not the same tab; you can upload your own. Soundscapes are included: rain, ocean, forest, fireplace, cafe and more. Clock, greeting and date come first, and weather locates itself before you set anything. Notes, tasks and a calendar are built in, with Google Calendar, Todoist and Google Tasks as connections. You can keep several dashboards and switch between them, add, move, resize and restyle anything, or start from a template that lays out a whole tab in one tap: Focus, Productive, Curious, Aesthetic. Your tasks, notes and timer also sit in Chrome's side panel, beside whatever page you are on. Dashy V2’s distinction is the combination: a quiet Home view or a flexible dashboard, links and browser bookmarks, a Chrome side panel, and optional AI that can work with dashboard tools. Claude and ChatGPT connections through MCP are in development, alongside Dashy Agent and AI-generated custom widgets. A connected assistant can use supported tools to organize a dashboard; permissions and confirmation requirements depend on the action and client. Generated widgets are previewed before adding them. See the [V2 feature guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features), [AI capabilities and current limits](/ai), and [side-panel workflows](/blog/chrome-side-panel). V2 is not generally available, and its public pricing and migration scope are not finalized. Keep an existing setup until the tools and imports you need are confirmed. The original listing’s ratings are not V2 reviews. What it does not have is a store number of its own, and that is the fair way to read this entry: nothing here has been rated by 273 people or installed by 10,000, so it cannot be ranked against a product you can install this afternoon. [The two Dashys, side by side](/original) sets out which is which, and [the early access form](/#early-access) lets you request launch updates. ## 2. Bonjourr, the best free new tab Bonjourr is what happens when two people build one thing carefully and refuse to charge for it. Its Chrome Web Store listing shows 300,000 users, 4.9 stars from 23.9K ratings, version 22.3.0 last updated 9 July 2026, and a download of 1.38 MiB. That is the highest rating in this list, level with Infinity's Pro listing, and it comes from the second-largest pile of ratings here. You get dynamic backgrounds that shift through the day, quick links, a search bar, notes with checkboxes, a Pomodoro timer, custom fonts, custom CSS and dark mode. The site is direct about the money: "Since Bonjourr is free, respects your privacy and doesn't collect or sell your data, donations are the only way we're able to keep it running." The store listing says the developer will not collect or use your data. The code is [open source under GPL-3.0](https://github.com/victrme/Bonjourr). Two honest limits. There is no calendar and no ambient sound. And the README now says plainly, "The Safari extension is no longer supported," so treat it as a Chrome, Firefox and Edge product. If you want a fuller side-by-side, we wrote one: [Dashy vs Bonjourr](/compare/bonjourr). ## 3. Momentum, a focus page with a broader paid toolkit Momentum is the extension most people mean when they say new tab extension. Its listing shows 2,000,000 users and 4.5 stars from 13.7K ratings, version 2.27.4 updated 18 August 2026, at 17.93 MiB. Its own site claims "3+ million active users", which is a good reminder that a marketing page and a store listing rarely agree. On Firefox it has [30,513 users and 4.4 stars from 811 reviews](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/momentumdash/). The daily photo, the greeting and the single focus line are genuinely calming, and photography remains central to the product. The listing's free feature list covers that photo, a quote, a limited Focus Mode, to-dos, shortcuts, weather and search. Momentum's own Plus page also lists weather features on the paid side, so read the free weather as the plain version. Then the wall arrives. The listing puts Soundscapes, Tab Stash, unlimited Focus Mode, the vision board, Notes AI, Ask AI, metrics, countdowns, world clocks and every task integration behind Plus. [Momentum's Plus page](https://momentumdash.com/plus/) lists 3.33 USD a month billed annually, or 4.95 USD "billed monthly". If the ambient half of a new tab matters to you, note that ambient sound is on the paid side of that line. ## 4. Live Start Page, the most ambient Live Start Page is the closest thing here to a screensaver you can work from. The listing shows 200,000 users, 4.7 stars from 8.6K ratings, version 40.5.10 updated 20 August 2026, and 35.37 MiB, the heaviest download we recorded. It is a wall of live video wallpapers with a "meditation mode" the listing describes as 10 to 15 minutes of live wallpapers set to the sounds of nature, plus a series made with professional psychologists. Be clear about the trade. The listing discloses built-in monetization through ads and sponsored bookmark tiles, an Amazon tile being its own example, and says you can switch them off in settings. It also says premium functionality is sold by subscription billed monthly or annually, without publishing the price. You are paying with attention, money, or a settings toggle. ## 5. Tabliss, the lightest, and the oldest Tabliss asks for nothing. Its listing states that the extension "does not require any permissions" and is "100% free", and the whole thing is 204 KiB. It has 100,000 users at 4.7 stars from 385 ratings on Chrome, and [72,866 users at 4.6 from 2,442 reviews on Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tabliss/), where it has always been more popular. Here is the catch, and it is a big one. Version 2.6.0 was published on 25 April 2022. Four years without an update is not automatically dangerous for something this small and this permission-free, but an old store update alone does not establish whether a project is abandoned. Check its current support and repository activity before relying on it. ## 6. Infinity New Tab, the speed dial that stuck around Infinity is two listings, which confuses people. The [free one](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/infinity-new-tab/dbfmnekepjoapopniengjbcpnbljalfg) has 400,000 users and 4.6 stars from 11.8K ratings, version 11.0.43 updated 26 August 2026. The [Pro one](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/infinity-new-tab-pro/nnnkddnnlpamobajfibfdgfnbcnkgngh) has 300,000 users and 4.9 stars from 24.9K ratings, version 11.0.41 updated 7 July 2026. Added together that is the second-largest audience here, though the same person can be counted on both listings. The product is a tidy grid of icons, 365 curated HD wallpapers, cloud sync with one-click recovery, Gmail alerts, a to-do list and a notepad. It does the speed-dial job well and has barely changed shape in years, which is either reassuring or dated depending on what you want from a tab. Neither listing publishes a price for Pro, so budget on the assumption you will have to find one after you install. ## 7. Homey, cosy, with ads on the free tier Homey is the warm one: live wallpapers, bookmark tabs, notes and weather, at 100,000 users and 4.8 stars from 6.5K ratings, version 4.27.7 updated 25 August 2026, with a Featured badge. It is refreshingly upfront about its model. The listing says, "The free version of Homey may display clearly labeled ads marked as 'Sponsored' on the new tab page," and Premium removes them. [Its site](https://homey.place/) lists Premium at 2 USD a month or 18 USD a year with a 14-day free trial, and caps the free plan at three bookmark tabs. That is the cheapest paid tier we could verify here. Chrome and Edge only. ## 8. start.me, a link desk rather than a dashboard start.me is for people whose work is a wall of links. The listing says start.me "turns your Chrome New Tab page into a beautiful personal dashboard", with bookmarks, RSS feeds from your sites, notes, to-dos, backgrounds, embedded video, sharing with a team, and "over 3,500 widgets" including calendar, stock quotes and weather. Nothing else here touches that breadth. The numbers are more sober: 100,000 users, 4.3 stars from 1.4K ratings, the lowest rating in this list apart from Toby, and version 7.3.0 last updated 26 January 2024. Its own site returned a 403 to every check we ran, and the listing publishes no price and names no paid tier, so we are printing neither a start.me price nor a plan list. Pick it for density and RSS, not for calm. ## 9. Toby, for people with 200 tabs open Toby is a different job. It saves and organises open tabs into collections that sync, and it happens to sit on your new tab while it does it. The listing calls it "Your productivity hub. Save and organize your browser tabs from anywhere," and shows 300,000 users, 4.2 stars from 3.3K ratings, version 1.13.1 updated 3 June 2026, at 19.49 MiB. [Toby's pricing page](https://www.gettoby.com/pricing) caps the free Starter plan at "Up to 60 saved tabs". Productivity is "4.5 usd per member / month billed yearly", which the same page prints as 54 USD a year, or 6 USD month to month. Team is 8 USD a member yearly, 10 USD monthly. If sixty saved tabs sounds like a Tuesday, budget for the upgrade. If you want wallpaper, weather and a calendar, this is the wrong shelf. ## 10. Chrome's own new tab, the free baseline Do not skip this one. Chrome's built-in page costs nothing, installs nothing, asks for no permissions and syncs with your Google Account. [Google's help page](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95314) says you can customize it with "Your shortcuts" and "Different themes", and that is honestly the whole story: a background, a row of links, the search box, and cards when you are signed in. It is the right answer if all you want is a search box that is already there. It cannot hold your notes, your calendar, your tasks or a soundscape, and there is no setting for pointing a new tab at your own URL. If that is what you are after, we wrote the full set of workarounds in [how to change your new tab page in Chrome](/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome). ## The best free picks Three of these cost nothing and mean it. - **Bonjourr** if you want the best free page overall. Nothing to buy, nothing collected, 4.9 stars from 23.9K ratings. - **Tabliss** if you want an extension that asks for no permissions and weighs 204 KiB. Accept that it stopped changing in 2022. - **Chrome's own page** if you want nothing to install and nothing to set up, and you do not need the tab to hold anything. Three more are free to start and will ask for money or attention. Momentum's free tier is generous until you want sound or integrations. Homey's free tier shows ads marked Sponsored. Live Start Page's free tier shows ads and sponsored tiles until you turn them off. ## Who should pick what - **You want the tab to hold your day, with sound, wallpaper that moves with the clock, and an assistant that can arrange it.** Dashy. The [original](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe) is installable today with soundscapes and widgets already in it; the rebuild lands in October and you can [ask for early access](/#early-access). We make it, so read the entry above before you take our word for it. - **You want calm and you want it free.** Bonjourr. - **You want the daily photo and one focus line, and you will pay.** Momentum. - **You want moving wallpaper and nature sound.** Live Start Page, with the sponsored tiles switched off. - **You want the lightest possible page and no permissions.** Tabliss. - **You want a grid of every site you visit.** Infinity New Tab, or Homey if you prefer it warmer. - **Your work is links, feeds and a team page.** start.me. - **You have too many tabs and they are the problem.** Toby. ## What we could not check Three gaps, stated plainly. start.me's own site returned a 403 to our checks and its listing publishes no price, so no start.me price is in the table. Infinity publishes no price on either of its store listings. Live Start Page confirms a subscription billed monthly or annually without naming the amount. In all three cases you find out after you install, which is worth knowing before you do. We also did not run a lab test of render times. The size figures above come from the listings and are a rough proxy, nothing more. ## If you only read this far If you want the tab to carry sound, light and your day, install [the original Dashy](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe) and put your name down for [the new one](/#early-access) in October; it is ours, and the entry above says where the current version shows its age. If you want one recommendation from someone with nothing at stake, install Bonjourr. If you want the famous one and do not mind paying, install Momentum and expect to pay for sound. If you want your tab to do very little, Tabliss and Chrome's own page both do very little, beautifully. And check back on these numbers. Ratings move, prices move, and a listing that has not been updated since 2022 will still be sitting there tomorrow, looking exactly as trustworthy as it did today. --- # How to Change Your New Tab Page in Chrome (2026) Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome Chrome has no setting for typing a custom new tab URL. To change the new tab page, you can customize the built-in page with the Customize Chrome button, install a new tab extension from the Chrome Web Store, open a custom homepage with a shortcut, or set the NewTabPageLocation policy on a managed device. This guide walks through all four, explains the prompt Chrome shows after an extension takes over the page, shows how to undo each change, and covers the equivalent steps in Microsoft Edge and Brave. The Chrome and Edge steps were checked against Google's and Microsoft's current documentation. ## What Chrome lets you change, and what it doesn't Chrome has three "first page" settings, and they are easy to mix up: - **Startup page.** What opens when you launch Chrome. Lives under Settings, then **On startup**. - **Homepage.** What opens when you press the Home button. Lives under Settings, then **Appearance**. - **New tab page.** What opens when you press Ctrl+T on Windows and Linux or ⌘+T on a Mac. Google's help center puts the first two plainly: "Your startup page is the one that shows when you first launch Chrome on your device. Your homepage is the one you go to when you select Home." The new tab page is neither. You can set the startup page and the homepage to any address you like, but the new tab page only offers cosmetic controls: a theme, a background, shortcuts, and cards. There is no field for a URL, and there has not been one for years. That gap is why this question keeps getting asked, and why the answer depends on what you actually want. ## Option 1: Customize Chrome's built-in new tab page If you mostly want a nicer background, fewer shortcuts, or no suggested content, you never need to leave Chrome. Open a new tab. At the bottom right of the page, click **Customize Chrome**. A side panel opens. Under **Appearance**, select **Change theme**. Pick a collection, or choose **Upload an image** to use your own photo. In the same section you can switch the color scheme between **Light**, **Dark**, and **Device**. If you change your mind, select **Reset to default Chrome**. Under **Shortcuts**, choose **My shortcuts** for a set you curate or **Most visited sites** for an automatic one. To remove the row entirely, turn off **Show shortcuts**. To edit or delete a single shortcut, point at its icon, open the more menu, and choose **Edit shortcut** or **Remove**. At the bottom of a new tab, click **Customize**, then **Cards**, then **Customize Cards**, and pick which ones to show or hide. Cards only appear while you are signed in to your Google Account. This route keeps Google's search box and Chrome's own page load, and it syncs with your account. What it cannot do is put anything of yours on the page beyond links: no notes, no calendar, no sounds, no wallpaper rotation you control. ## Option 2: Replace the new tab page with an extension The supported way to make a new tab open something else is an extension. Extensions can declare a `chrome_url_overrides` entry for `newtab` in their manifest, and Chrome then loads the extension's page instead of its own. This is how every new tab dashboard, wallpaper, and to-do list in the Chrome Web Store works; Google's documentation lists new tab, bookmarks, and history as the pages an extension may override. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for "new tab". Before you add anything, read the listing: how many users it has, when it was last updated, and what the privacy practices section says it collects. A page you will open dozens of times a day deserves a minute of scrutiny. Click **Add to Chrome**, then **Add extension** in the confirmation dialog. The dialog lists the permission "Replace the page you see when opening a new tab"; that is the one permission this kind of extension needs, and a wallpaper or dashboard should not be asking for much more. Open a new tab. The first time an extension takes over the page, Chrome shows a one-time prompt asking whether you meant to change it, with **Keep it** and **Change it back** buttons. Choose **Keep it**. If you pick **Change it back**, Chrome disables the extension; you can turn it on again later at `chrome://extensions`. Chrome shows a single override at a time, and it generally favors the extension you enabled most recently. If a new tab looks different from what you expected, open `chrome://extensions` and switch off the one you do not want. [Dashy](/), which we make, is one of these extensions, and we are naming it first rather than pretending we have no dog in this. It turns the new tab into a calm, wallpaper-first page with ambient soundscapes and the widgets you choose: calendar, weather, notes, and tasks. It changes nothing else in Chrome, not your search engine and not your startup page. The original is [in the store today](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe), rated 4.7 by 273 people and showing its 2023 design; the ground-up rebuild arrives in October, and [the two are set out side by side](/original), with [early access](/#early-access) until then. If you want to understand the category before choosing one, start with our explainer on [what a new tab dashboard is](/new-tab). ### How to get Chrome's default new tab back Open `chrome://extensions`, or choose **Extensions** and then **Manage Extensions** from the Chrome menu. Find the extension that replaced your page and either switch it off or click **Remove**. The next tab you open shows Chrome's own new tab page, with your theme and shortcuts exactly as you left them. ## Option 3: Use a custom homepage and a keyboard shortcut If what you want is a specific page, an intranet portal or a project board, and you do not want to install anything, Chrome's homepage gets you most of the way there. Open Settings, then **Appearance**, and turn on **Show Home button**. Choose the custom option and enter the address of the page you want. Chrome opens the homepage in the current tab with Alt+Home on Windows and Linux, or ⌘+Shift+H on a Mac. A new tab followed by that shortcut lands on your page in two keystrokes. Under Settings, then **On startup**, choose **Open a specific page or set of pages** and add the same address. Chrome then opens it whenever it launches. Be honest with yourself about this one: the new tab itself still shows Google's page, and you are relying on a habit. It is a fine answer for one page you open constantly, and a poor one if you want the tab to feel like yours. ## Option 4: Set a new tab URL with an enterprise policy Chrome does have a real setting for a custom new tab URL. It is just not in the Settings screen. The `NewTabPageLocation` policy, in Google's words, "configures the default New Tab page URL and prevents users from changing it." The catch is where it applies. On Windows the policy only works on machines joined to an Active Directory or Microsoft Entra domain or enrolled in Chrome Enterprise Core, and on macOS only on devices managed through MDM, MCX, or Chrome Enterprise Core. On a personal laptop Chrome ignores it. If you do manage a fleet, the Windows registry value looks like this: ```text Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome Name: NewTabPageLocation Type: REG_SZ Value: https://intranet.example.com/start ``` Use a fully canonicalized URL with the scheme included; Google notes that Chrome falls back to `https://` if it is missing. You can confirm the policy landed at `chrome://policy`. Note that this policy does not decide what opens on startup; that is controlled by the `RestoreOnStartup` policies. ## Which option should you pick? | Option | Opens your own URL or app | Works on a personal machine | Keeps Google's search box | How to undo | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Customize Chrome | No | Yes | Yes | Reset to default Chrome | | New tab extension | Yes, the extension's page | Yes | Depends on the extension | Switch it off or remove it at chrome://extensions | | Homepage plus shortcut | Yes, one shortcut away | Yes | Yes | Turn off Show Home button | | NewTabPageLocation policy | Yes, any URL | No, managed devices only | No | Remove the policy | A rough rule: if you want the page to look better, customize Chrome. If you want the page to do something for you, install an extension. If you want one internal page and nothing installed, use the homepage shortcut. If you administer other people's browsers, use the policy. ## Microsoft Edge Edge runs the same engine as Chrome, so the same four options exist with slightly different labels. **Built-in controls.** Open a new tab and click the **Page settings** gear near the top right. Under **Page layout** you can choose **Focused**, **Inspirational**, **Informational**, or **Custom**. Focused is the closest thing to a quiet page: a search box, a row of quick links, and little else. To silence the news feed, look for the **Content** setting and turn it off; the exact wording varies by Edge version and region, and on some builds you switch the layout to Custom or Focused first, then set the content option to off or headings only. **Extensions.** Edge has its own add-ons store, and it also installs extensions from the Chrome Web Store once you open `edge://extensions` and turn on **Allow extensions from other stores**. After an extension changes the new tab, Edge shows a one-time notice asking whether to keep the change. Choose **Keep changes**; **Restore settings** puts Edge's page back. **Managed devices.** Edge has its own `NewTabPageLocation` policy with the same rules: Windows machines that are domain-joined or enrolled in device management, and Macs managed through MDM or MCX. Microsoft's documentation adds one useful detail for administrators: if you want a blank tab, the value is `about:blank`, not `about://blank`. ## Brave Brave is the one Chromium browser where you can point every new tab at a URL without installing anything. Open Settings and select **Get started**, or go straight to `brave://settings/getStarted`. Find **New tab page shows** and pick **Dashboard**, **Homepage**, or **Blank page**. If you chose **Homepage**, open **Appearance** in Settings, turn on **Show home button**, and enter your address. From now on every new tab, and every new window, opens that page. Brave's own dashboard is worth a look before you replace it: its **Customize Dashboard** menu lets you switch the background images off for a plain gradient, and the Blank page option gives you an empty tab if that is all you want. If the Homepage setting does not seem to take effect, the usual culprit is an installed extension that overrides the new tab; check `brave://extensions`. Brave installs Chrome Web Store extensions directly, so everything in Option 2 applies here too. ## If your new tab changed without you asking A new tab that suddenly shows Yahoo, Bing, or a search page you have never heard of almost always means an extension or a bundled program changed it. Open `chrome://extensions` and remove anything you do not recognize. If the page still will not go back, open Settings, then **Reset settings**, then **Restore settings to their original defaults**, and confirm. Google's help page says this restores the new tab page, startup page, default search engine, and pinned tabs, and it turns off extensions and themes. It leaves your bookmarks, history, and saved passwords alone. ## What to do, in one paragraph Chrome will not let you type a new tab URL, and it is not going to start. Customize the built-in page if you want it prettier, install a new tab extension if you want it to work for you, lean on the homepage shortcut if you want one page and no installs, and use the policy if you manage the machines. Edge follows the same script; Brave is the one browser that hands you a plain Homepage option. Whatever you choose, the point of the exercise is the same: you open this page more often than any other, and it should be [yours](/). --- # Momentum alternatives: new tab dashboards that do more for free Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/momentum-alternatives Momentum's free tier gives you a daily photo, a mantra, a to-do list, shortcuts and weather. Soundscapes, Tab Stash, the AI features and the task integrations all sit behind Plus. Dashy, which we make and have therefore put first, keeps the ambient half on the tab rather than behind an upgrade; Bonjourr, Tabliss, Anori and nightTab hand most of the rest back for nothing, and each one trades away something different. *Last checked: 2 September 2026. Chrome Web Store user counts and ratings move week to week, so every figure below links to the listing it came from.* ## What Momentum gets right first Momentum earned its position. Its Chrome Web Store [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca?hl=en) shows 2,000,000 users and 4.5 stars from 13.7K ratings, with a Featured badge and version 2.27.4 shipped in August 2026. Its [Firefox listing](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/momentumdash/) adds another 30,513 users at 4.4 from 811 reviews. Its [site](https://momentumdash.com/) claims more than three million active users and sells one idea, "Your space for focus", with a decade of daily photography behind it. That restraint is the product. One photo, one question, one line of intent. If that is what you want from a new tab, nothing on this page beats it, and you should stop reading and keep it. The complaint that sends people looking is narrower: the free page stays a mood board, and most of the things that would make it a workspace are on the other side of the upgrade. ## What Momentum Plus holds back The listing splits the two tiers itself. Free gets you, in its words, a "new background, mantra and quote each day", "Focus better with Focus Mode", "Simplify work and life with easy to-do lists", plus shortcuts, local weather and search. Plus is where the rest lives: "unlimited Focus Mode", the vision board, Tab Stash, "Notes AI", "Ask AI", soundscapes, Metrics, unlimited to-do lists, countdowns, world clocks, premium weather, and the task integrations with Asana, ClickUp and Todoist. Momentum's own [Plus page](https://momentumdash.com/plus) adds a Pomodoro timer, a site blocker, link groups, theme and font customisation, Strava and Fitbit metrics, hourly forecasts and priority support to the paid column. Two things are worth naming plainly. First, ambient sound is a paid feature at Momentum, and sound is the cheapest thing a new tab can give you. Second, the Plus page frames the cost as ten cents a day, then lists 3.33 US dollars a month billed yearly, or 4.95 billed monthly. It prints no annual total, so that is one figure to check at the point of purchase. None of that makes Momentum a bad product. It makes it a product with a firm line between mood and work, and the alternatives below draw that line somewhere else. We go through the two tiers feature by feature in our [Dashy and Momentum comparison](/compare/momentum). ## How to read this comparison "Free" is doing a lot of work in this category, so treat it as three separate questions. Does the free tier show ads or sponsored tiles? Does it need an account? And does your setup survive moving to another machine? Bonjourr, Tabliss, Anori and nightTab are free with no catch and no cloud. Homey and Live Start Page are free with advertising you can pay or toggle away. Flocus is free until you want sync. Infinity puts a second, paid listing beside its free one. | Product | Chrome Web Store users | Rating | Last store update | Free tier gives you | Paid tier | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dashy | 10,000 on the original listing | 4.7 from 273 on the original listing | January 2026 on the original listing | Wallpapers, soundscapes, clock, weather, notes, tasks, calendar, full layout customisation | Pro for sync and connected services, no price published yet | | Momentum | 2,000,000 | 4.5 from 13.7K | August 2026 | Daily photo, mantra, quote, to-dos, shortcuts, weather, limited Focus Mode | Plus at 3.33 US dollars a month billed yearly, or 4.95 monthly | | Bonjourr | 300,000 | 4.9 from 23.9K | July 2026 | Everything, including 4K photo and video backgrounds, notes, Pomodoro, weather, custom CSS, 39 languages | None; donation funded | | Tabliss | 100,000 | 4.7 from 385 | April 2022 | Everything, including Unsplash and GIPHY backgrounds, clock, weather, to-dos, notes, speed dial | None | | Anori | 30,000 | 4.6 from 101 | August 2026 | Everything, including bookmarks, to-dos, notes, weather, timezones, recent tabs, multiple dashboards | None | | nightTab | 100,000 | 4.7 from 444 | June 2024 | Everything, including bookmark groups, clock, search, themes, accents, local backup | None | | Live Start Page | 200,000 | 4.7 from 8.6K | August 2026 | Live wallpapers, meditation mode with nature sounds, weather, to-dos, speed dials, with ads | Subscription, price not on the listing | | Homey | 100,000 | 4.8 from 6.5K | August 2026 | Live wallpapers, an AI chat shortcut, weather, notes, quotes, three bookmark tabs, with Sponsored ads | Premium at 2 US dollars a month or 18 a year | | Infinity New Tab | 400,000 free listing, 300,000 Pro listing | 4.6 from 11.8K free, 4.9 from 24.9K Pro | August 2026 free, July 2026 Pro | Speed dial, 200-plus icons, HD wallpapers, notes, to-dos, Gmail badges, 33 languages | Pro, no price on either listing | | Flocus | 3,000 | 4.6 from 7 | July 2025 | Focus timer, three tasks at a time, limited themes, limited ambient sounds, no ads | Plus at 5 US dollars a month billed annually | ## Dashy: the ambient half, on the tab rather than behind an upgrade Ours, so read it knowing who wrote it. It is first in this list for the same reason: we would rather admit the bias at the top than sell it at the bottom. There are two Dashys. **The original** is on the Chrome Web Store today: its [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe) shows 10,000-plus users and 4.7 stars from 273 reviews with a Featured badge, last updated January 2026. It has 36 widgets built up over three years, wallpaper collections, ambient soundscapes on the tab, profiles for more than one dashboard, and sync between computers once you sign in. Against the specific complaint that brought you here, that is the point: soundscapes are the thing Momentum, and Flocus, put behind a subscription, and Dashy has had them on the page for years. Where it is dated, plainly: it is a 2023 design, a dense grid you configure before it looks like anything. **The new Dashy** is a ground-up rebuild arriving October 2026 on its own listing, with the original left running. The tab opens on a curated wallpaper that changes with the time of day, and the page moves with it; you can upload your own. Soundscapes are included: rain, ocean, forest, fireplace, cafe and more. The clock, greeting and date come first, and weather locates itself before you set anything up. Notes, tasks and a calendar are built in, with Google Calendar, Todoist and Google Tasks as connections. Keep several dashboards and switch between them, add, move, resize and restyle anything, or start from a template that lays out the whole tab in one tap: Focus, Productive, Curious, Aesthetic. Your tasks, notes and timer also sit in Chrome's side panel, beside whatever page you are on. Customisation is free and needs no account, and cloud sync, AI and live integrations have separate data flows. Dashy V2 is being built with Claude and ChatGPT connections through MCP, alongside Dashy Agent and AI-generated custom widgets. An authorized assistant can use supported dashboard tools; account access, permissions and confirmations depend on the action and client. V2 is not generally released yet. See the [AI guide](/ai) for capabilities and requirements, or the [V2 feature guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features) for layouts, bookmarks and the side panel. Where we sit honestly against the field: sync across devices and the connected services are on the paid Pro plan, and we have not published a price. We run on Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers, so if you need Firefox, Bonjourr and TablissNG are your options. And 273 reviews is a fraction of Momentum's 13.7K, which is the number that should temper everything above. [The two Dashys, side by side](/original), or [ask for early access](/#early-access) to the new one. **Suits you if** the thing you resent paying for is the ambient half: sound, wallpaper that moves with the day, and a page that already looks right before you configure it. ## Bonjourr: the free one that looks the part If you want Momentum's calm without the upgrade prompt, this is the answer. Bonjourr's [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bonjourr-%C2%B7-minimalist-new/dlnejlppicbjfcfcedcflplfjajinajd) shows 300,000 users and 4.9 stars from 23.9K ratings, a Featured badge, version 22.3.0 from July 2026, and a package size of 1.38 MiB. The store's data disclosure says the developer will not collect or use your data. Free covers all of it: 4K photo and video backgrounds that change with the time of day, a clock you can make analog or digital, quick links, search, weather, quotes, markdown notes with checkboxes, a Pomodoro timer, custom fonts, custom CSS and 39 languages. Its [site](https://bonjourr.fr/) says donations are the only way the two developers keep it running, and lists "No generative AI" as a feature rather than a gap. The catch is sync. Bonjourr's [documentation](https://bonjourr.fr/docs/settings-management/syncing/) offers your browser's own sync, a GitHub Gist or a remote URL, and it is candid about the limit: syncing covers everything "with one notable exception: local files uploaded as backgrounds or link icons". **Suits you if** you want a beautiful, private, genuinely free page and you are happy with links, notes and a timer instead of a widget grid. We have a longer [side-by-side of Dashy and Bonjourr](/compare/bonjourr) if you are weighing those two. ## Tabliss: no permissions at all, and no updates since 2022 Tabliss is the purist's pick. Its [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tabliss-a-beautiful-new-t/hipekcciheckooncpjeljhnekcoolahp) shows 100,000 users, 4.7 stars from 385 ratings, 204 KiB and no permissions required, which is about as small a footprint as a new tab page can have. Free gets you Unsplash and GIPHY backgrounds, your own uploads, a clock, weather, to-dos, quick notes, a search box, a speed dial and custom CSS. The problem is the date on the listing: version 2.6.0, last updated April 2022. The maintained fork, [TablissNG](https://github.com/BookCatKid/tablissNG), says the original "has been abandoned, with no updates for over a year and numerous unmerged pull requests", and adds custom search engines, NASA and Wikimedia backgrounds, video and GIF support and several new widgets. It ships on the Chrome, Firefox and Edge stores under GPL v3. **Suits you if** permissions are your first question and you would rather install a community fork than trust a company. Install TablissNG rather than the original. ## Anori: the closest thing to a free widget grid Anori is the smallest product here with the most dashboard in it. The [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/anori-productivity-new-ta/ddeaekifelikgnaacipabpmjpffgifek) shows 30,000 users and 4.6 stars from 101 ratings, version 2.1.0 from August 2026. Free gives you bookmarks, to-do lists, notes, weather, timezone clocks, recently closed tabs, a choice of more than 10,000 icons, 20 languages, and separate dashboards you can switch between for different contexts. It names Momentum in its own listing as the thing it is an alternative to, and that is a fair description. What it does not have is the photography or the daily ritual; it is a workspace, not a mood. **Suits you if** you left Momentum because you wanted more panels on the page, not fewer, and you do not want to pay for them. ## nightTab: bookmarks, dark, and nothing phoning home nightTab describes itself as "a neutral new tab page accented with a chosen color", and that is exactly what you get: time, date, search, bookmarks in groups you build, and deep control over layout, theme, fonts and accent. Its [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/nighttab/hdpcadigjkbcpnlcpbcohpafiaefanki) shows 100,000 users, 4.7 stars from 444 ratings, 1.19 MiB, version 7.5.0 from June 2024. The developer states the extension "does NOT collect or use your personal or browser data in any way", and backups are a local file you keep. **Suits you if** your new tab is really a bookmark launcher, you like dark interfaces, and you want your data to stay on the disk. ## Live Start Page: ambience today, with ads in the deal This is the one that answers the soundscapes complaint directly. The [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/live-start-page-living-wa/ocggccaacacpienfcgmgcihoombokbbj) shows 200,000 users, 4.7 stars from 8.6K ratings and version 40.5.10 from August 2026, offering "Hundreds of unique Live Wallpapers and static backgrounds" plus a 10 to 15 minute meditation mode with nature soundscapes, weather, to-dos, clocks and speed dials. The trade is disclosed on the listing: built-in advertising and sponsored bookmark tiles, of which it says "You can disable all of this in the settings or during onboarding". There is also a premium subscription billed monthly or annually whose price is not published on the listing, and the listing does not spell out which meditation content sits behind it. **Suits you if** you want moving wallpaper and ambient sound today without paying up front, and you are willing to visit the settings once to switch the sponsored tiles off. ## Homey: the cheapest paid tier in the category Homey has 100,000 users and 4.8 stars from 6.5K ratings, version 4.27.7 from August 2026, with a Featured badge. Free gets live wallpapers, bookmarks, weather, notes, quotes, a search bar and a shortcut into an AI chatbot, and the listing is upfront that "The free version of Homey may display clearly labeled ads marked as 'Sponsored' on the new tab page." Its [site](https://homey.place/) prices Premium at 2 US dollars a month or 18 a year after a 14-day free trial, removes the ads and lifts the free tier's three-bookmark-tab cap. Chrome and Edge only. **Suits you if** you like the cosy look, want the ads gone, and want the smallest possible subscription. ## Infinity New Tab: speed dial at scale, with a confusing double listing Infinity is two extensions. The [free listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/infinity-new-tab/dbfmnekepjoapopniengjbcpnbljalfg) has 400,000 users and 4.6 stars from 11.8K ratings, version 11.0.43 from August 2026: more than 200 icons, HD wallpapers, cloud sync, Gmail notifications, a notepad, to-dos and 33 languages. The separate [Pro listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/infinity-new-tab-pro/nnnkddnnlpamobajfibfdgfnbcnkgngh?hl=en-US) has 300,000 users and 4.9 stars from 24.9K ratings, version 11.0.41 from July 2026, and syncs through a Google, Facebook, WeChat, Weibo or QQ login. Neither listing states a price, and the free one carries an affiliate disclosure saying its "merchant shortcuts in Infinity may use affiliate links". **Suits you if** your new tab is a grid of sites you open every day, and you want that grid to follow you to another computer. ## Flocus: aesthetic, and it gates sound the same way Worth including because it shows the pattern repeating. The Chrome [listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/flocus-new-tab/aecjeaihpebenmikaoajhmojncpaajmn) is small, 3,000 users and 4.6 from 7 ratings, last updated July 2025, and mostly a clock, a lofi background and a greeting that points at the full web app. On the web app, the [pricing page](https://flocus.com/pricing) puts "Up to 3 tasks at a time", "Limited themes" and "Limited ambient sounds" on free, with "No ads, ever", and moves the full tasks suite, all themes, all ambient sounds, Soundscapes and cross-device sync to Plus. The page shows Plus at 5 US dollars a month billed annually, struck through from 9, and calls it an early-bird price you lock in. **Suits you if** you are here for the lofi aesthetic specifically. Just know you are swapping one sound paywall for another. ## Picking one Three sentences, and then go install something. If you left Momentum over the soundscape paywall, [Dashy](/) is the one we would hand you, and we would say so anyway because we make it: the original has sound and widgets on the tab today, the rebuild arrives in October. If Momentum's photography and its single question are the point, stay. If you want the same feeling free, install Bonjourr, and reach for TablissNG or nightTab if permissions and local-only data matter more than polish. If you want a free widget grid this afternoon, Anori. Whatever you switch to, the mechanics are the same and reversible in one click: Chrome keeps a single new tab override, shows a one-time prompt the first time it changes, and hands the page straight back when you disable the extension. If any of that is unfamiliar, our guide to [changing your new tab page in Chrome](/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome) has the exact clicks, including the Edge and Brave equivalents. --- # Start page vs dashboard vs homepage: what is the difference? Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/start-page-vs-dashboard-vs-homepage A homepage opens when you select Home. A startup page opens when you launch the browser. A new tab page opens every time you press Ctrl+T. Start pages, dashboards and minimal pages are three styles of that third one, and picking between them comes down to how much you want the tab to do. **Last checked 2 September 2026.** Every figure below comes from the product's own store listing or its own documentation, linked where it appears. ## The three settings Chrome keeps separate Google defines two of them in a line each. "Your startup page is the one that shows when you first launch Chrome on your device." "Your homepage is the one you go to when you select Home." Both live in Settings: the startup page under **On startup**, the homepage under **Appearance**, beside **Show Home button** ([Google Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95314)). Both accept any address you type. The new tab page is the odd one out. Chrome's customizer lets you pick a theme from its collections, upload an image as a background, create a theme with AI, switch the tiles between **My shortcuts** and **Most visited sites**, and turn cards on or off ([Google Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/11032183)). Nowhere in that panel is a field for a URL. There has not been one for years. That single gap is why the category exists. Chrome's own developer documentation explains the mechanism: an extension "can contain an override for any of the following pages, but each extension can only override one page", and the list is Bookmark Manager, History and New Tab ([Chrome for Developers](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/ui/override-chrome-pages)). Every extension in this article uses that one manifest key. Two things follow from it. Because the override is a single page, a second new tab extension does not get you both. And whichever one you install, a private window still shows Chrome's own page: the same documentation states that "In incognito windows, extensions can't override New Tab pages." Press Ctrl+T. If the page you want to change is the one that just appeared, you want the new tab page. If it only appears when you launch the browser, you want the startup page. If it appears when you press Home, you want the homepage. The confusion is not really the user's fault. Two of the three settings are named after things browsers stopped doing years ago: nobody has a "home" on the web any more, and most people never quit the browser, so the startup page rarely appears. The new tab page is the one you actually see, dozens of times a day, and it is the only one Chrome will not let you point at an address. For the click-by-click version of all three, and the enterprise policy that does set a new tab URL, see [how to change your new tab page in Chrome](/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome). ## Start page: a place you pass through A start page is a board of links. It answers the question "where am I going next" and then hands you off. The genre goes back to portal pages, and the modern version keeps the same shape: columns of bookmarks, a few feeds, a search box. start.me is the clearest surviving example. Its listing opens "start.me turns your Chrome New Tab page into a beautiful personal dashboard", then lists "+3,500 widgets", RSS feeds "from your favorite sites", bookmark import, and "Create and share start pages with your team, your students, etc." It has 100,000 users and 4.3 stars from 1.4K ratings, carries a Featured badge, and sits at version 7.3.0, last updated January 2024 ([Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/new-tab-page-by-startme/cfmnkhhioonhiehehedmnjibmampjiab)). Notice the vocabulary in that listing. A product named start.me calls its own page a dashboard. Momentum does the reverse: its site invites you to "Turn your potential into progress with a beautifully simple start page", and on the same page promises to "Transform your New Tab page into a focused, productive, and inspiring dashboard" ([momentumdash.com](https://momentumdash.com/)). The words have collapsed into each other in marketing copy, which is exactly why this comparison is worth writing down. A start page earns its keep when the same twelve links matter every day, when other people need the same board, or when you read feeds. It is a poor fit if what you want from the tab is a fact rather than a destination. There is a trade in that model worth knowing before you commit. start.me is a service, not a page that lives only on your machine: the listing promises "the same bookmarks, notes and to-do lists at hand, on any device you use", and pages that other people can open. That is the right shape for a board a class or a team shares. It is the wrong one if what you want is a tab that draws without waiting on the network. ## Dashboard: a page that tells you something A dashboard answers a different question: "what is true right now". The weather. The next meeting. Three unfinished tasks. Links are usually there too, but they are not the point. We build one of these, so it goes first and you can discount it accordingly. Dashy is a widget dashboard with the ambient layer in front: wallpaper and sound first, then the calendar, notes and tasks. The original listing shows 10,000+ users and 4.7 stars from 273 reviews; the rebuilt version arrives in October 2026. The full description is [further down this page](#where-dashy-sits), after the two products you can measure it against. Momentum is the largest of these by a wide margin: 2,000,000 users, 4.5 stars from 13.7K ratings, Featured, 17.93 MiB, version 2.27.4, updated August 2026 ([Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca)). Its own site claims "3+ million active users", which is higher than the store's rounded figure. The listing splits its features into two lists, and the split is worth reading before you install. Free covers "a new background, mantra and quote each day", Focus Mode, "easy to-do lists", shortcuts, "local weather info" and search. Momentum Plus adds "unlimited Focus Mode", a vision board, "Tab Stash", "Notes AI", "Ask AI", "Get in the zone with Soundscapes", "Seamless task manager integrations (ClickUp, Todoist, Asana, etc.)", Metrics, unlimited to-do lists, countdowns and world clocks. Give Momentum its due. Asking one question every morning, and showing one photograph behind it, is a real design decision and it has kept two million people installed. If a grid of widgets sounds like noise to you, that restraint is the product. It is also worth reading the paid list as a map of where the category is heading. Ambient sound, an assistant, tab storage and task integrations are what people ask a new tab for once the wallpaper stops being enough. Different products draw the paid line in different places, and the line, more than the feature list, is what you are choosing between. The trade is that a single focus line cannot show you two calendars, a note and the rain radar at once. That is the job a widget dashboard takes on, and it is where our own product sits; more on that below. ## Minimal page: a page that stays out of the way The third style removes almost everything. A photograph, a clock, maybe a search box and a short list of links. Bonjourr is the strongest of them. It has 300,000 users, 4.9 stars from 23.9K ratings, a Featured badge, and a 1.38 MiB footprint at version 22.3.0, updated July 2026. Its listing states plainly that it "collects no data, requires no account or sign-in", and offers 4K photo and video backgrounds, quick links, markdown notes and checklists, a Pomodoro timer, weather and a customisable clock ([Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bonjourr-%C2%B7-minimalist-new/dlnejlppicbjfcfcedcflplfjajinajd)). Its own site describes it as open source and says that "since Bonjourr is free, respects your privacy and doesn't collect or sell your data, donations are the only way we're able to keep it running" ([bonjourr.fr](https://bonjourr.fr/)). Its one structural limit is sync. Bonjourr can sync through Chrome, Firefox or Edge sync, through a GitHub Gist, or from a remote URL, but its documentation notes that "local files uploaded as backgrounds or link icons" cannot travel between instances because of the restrictions browsers place on extensions ([Bonjourr docs](https://bonjourr.fr/docs/settings-management/syncing/)). Your wallpaper stays on the machine you uploaded it to. Tabliss is the other name people mention, and it deserves an asterisk. The listing is honest and appealing: 100,000 users, 4.7 stars from 385 ratings, 204 KiB, "100% free and open source", and a page that "does not require any permissions" ([Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tabliss-a-beautiful-new-t/hipekcciheckooncpjeljhnekcoolahp)). Its GitHub repository describes it as "A beautiful, customisable New Tab page for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge" under GPL-3.0 with 2.8k stars ([joelshepherd/tabliss](https://github.com/joelshepherd/tabliss)). But the store version is 2.6.0, last updated April 2022. That is more than four years without a store release, and you should weigh it accordingly. If your honest answer to "what do you want on the tab" is "almost nothing, and no permissions", a minimal page is the right category and Bonjourr is hard to beat inside it. We compare the two directly on our [Dashy and Bonjourr page](/compare/bonjourr). ## The three styles side by side | Page | Style | Chrome Web Store users | Rating (ratings) | Version, last store update | Size | Account, per its listing | Leads with | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Dashy, ours (original listing) | Dashboard | 10,000+ | 4.7 (273) | 6.0, January 2026 | 14.6 MiB | Not needed for local use | Wallpaper and soundscapes | | Chrome's built-in page | Browser default | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Google Account for cards | Search box and shortcuts | | start.me | Start page | 100,000 | 4.3 (1.4K) | 7.3.0, January 2024 | 1.93 MiB | Not stated; pages are hosted | +3,500 widgets and RSS | | Momentum | Dashboard | 2,000,000 | 4.5 (13.7K) | 2.27.4, August 2026 | 17.93 MiB | Not stated | One daily focus question | | Bonjourr | Minimal | 300,000 | 4.9 (23.9K) | 22.3.0, July 2026 | 1.38 MiB | "requires no account or sign-in" | 4K photo and video backgrounds | | Tabliss | Minimal | 100,000 | 4.7 (385) | 2.6.0, April 2022 | 204 KiB | Not stated; no permissions | Unsplash backgrounds | Sources for each row: [start.me](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/new-tab-page-by-startme/cfmnkhhioonhiehehedmnjibmampjiab), [Momentum](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca), [Bonjourr](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bonjourr-%C2%B7-minimalist-new/dlnejlppicbjfcfcedcflplfjajinajd), [Tabliss](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tabliss-a-beautiful-new-t/hipekcciheckooncpjeljhnekcoolahp), [the original Dashy](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe), and [Google Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/11032183) for the built-in page. User counts on the Chrome Web Store are rounded by Google, so treat them as bands rather than exact numbers. Every Dashy figure in that row belongs to the original listing, including the size; the new one is not on the store yet. ## Which one do you actually want? Work down this list and stop at the first line that sounds like you. - **You need one specific address every time, and you install nothing.** Set the homepage, and set the startup page to match. That is a settings change, not an extension. - **You share a board of links with a team or a class.** You want a start page. start.me is built for exactly that, and it says so. - **You want the tab quiet and light, with no permissions and no account.** You want a minimal page. Bonjourr is the maintained choice; Tabliss is the lighter one, with a four-year-old store release behind it. - **You want one question and one photograph each morning.** That is Momentum's whole design, and it does it better than a grid would. - **You want the tab to hold your calendar, weather, notes and tasks at once, and still look calm.** You want a dashboard with a real widget grid. That is [Dashy](/), which we make, and the next section is the argument for it with its weaknesses attached. - **You administer other people's browsers.** None of the above. Use the enterprise policy covered in our [Chrome guide](/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome). ## Where Dashy sits Dashy is a dashboard, and it is fair to say so before anything else. If you read the list above and landed on "quiet, no permissions, no account", Bonjourr is a better fit than we are, and we would rather you enjoyed your tab than installed ours. There are two of ours, which is worth untangling. The original Dashy is the row in the table above: on the Chrome Web Store since 2023, 36 widgets, wallpaper collections, soundscapes on the tab, profiles for more than one dashboard, and sync between computers when you sign in. At 14.6 MiB it is heavier than every page in that table except Momentum, and it looks its age: a 2023 grid you configure before it shows you anything. The new Dashy is a ground-up rebuild arriving in October 2026 on its own listing, with the original left running; [the two are set out side by side](/original), and the form on [the home page](/#early-access) is the only way into the new one before then. What we build is the ambient version of the dashboard idea. The tab opens on a curated wallpaper that changes with the time of day, and you can upload your own. Soundscapes are included: rain, ocean, forest, fireplace, cafe and more. The clock, greeting and date are the first thing you see, and weather locates itself and appears before you set anything up. Notes, tasks and calendar are built in, with Google Calendar, Todoist and Google Tasks available when you want them. Everything on the page can be added, moved, resized and restyled, and customization is free. Four templates give you a starting point: Focus, Productive, Curious and Aesthetic. No account is needed for the local experience, and cloud sync, AI and live integrations have separate data flows. Sync across devices and connected services is part of the paid Pro plan; there is no price published yet. Dashy runs on Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers. Dashy V2 is being built with Claude and ChatGPT connections through MCP, alongside Dashy Agent and AI-generated custom widgets. An authorized assistant can use supported dashboard tools; account access, permissions and confirmations depend on the action and client. V2 is not generally released yet. See the [AI guide](/ai) for capabilities and requirements, or the [V2 feature guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features) for layouts, bookmarks and the side panel. For the numbers: the original Dashy listing shows 10,000+ users and 4.7 stars from 273 reviews, with a Featured badge ([Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe)). That is a smaller pile of evidence than Momentum's or Bonjourr's, and the rebuilt version has none of its own yet, which is the fair way to weigh this section. You can see what it looks like on the [Dashy home page](/) and read the longer explanation of the format on [what a new tab dashboard is](/new-tab). ## The whole thing, briefly Homepage, startup page and new tab page are three separate Chrome settings, and only the first two take a URL. Everything sold as a "start page" or a "dashboard" is really a new tab replacement using the same override key. Start pages send you somewhere. Dashboards tell you something. Minimal pages leave you alone. Decide which of those three sentences describes the tab you want, and the shortlist writes itself. --- # Tabliss vs Bonjourr vs Dashy: minimal new tabs compared Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/tabliss-vs-bonjourr-vs-dashy Tabliss, Bonjourr and Dashy all replace Chrome's new tab with something calmer. Tabliss is the lightest and has not shipped an update since 2022. Bonjourr is the most polished free option and collects nothing. Dashy adds widgets, ambient sound and a tab that shifts through the day. Pick on maintenance, weight and what you want the page to do. **Last checked: 2026-09-02.** Every store figure below was read from the live listing on that date. We make Dashy, so read that column knowing who wrote it. Everything else here comes from primary sources: the Chrome Web Store and Firefox listings, the GitHub repositories, and each project's own site, all linked inline. Where Tabliss or Bonjourr is the better answer, this page says so. ## What each one is trying to be Dashy, ours, starts as a view and turns into a workspace when you want one. Wallpaper and sound first, then the calendar, notes and tasks you actually keep, on a grid you rearrange. The original is on the store today; the ground-up rebuild arrives in October 2026. Tabliss is a canvas. You pick a background, drop a few widgets on it, and nothing else happens. Its own site describes it as "100% free. No subscriptions. No ads." Bonjourr is a finished product with a point of view. It looks like an iOS home screen, it is translated into 43 languages, and its feature list includes the line "No generative AI" as a selling point. Those are three different bets, and none of them is wrong. ## At a glance | | [Dashy](/) | [Tabliss](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tabliss-a-beautiful-new-t/hipekcciheckooncpjeljhnekcoolahp) | [Bonjourr](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bonjourr-%C2%B7-minimalist-new/dlnejlppicbjfcfcedcflplfjajinajd) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chrome Web Store users | 10,000, the original Dashy | 100,000 | 300,000 | | Chrome rating | 4.7 from 273 ratings, the original Dashy | 4.7 from 385 ratings | 4.9 from 23.9K ratings | | Newest Chrome build | v6.0, January 2026, the original Dashy | v2.6.0, April 2022 | v22.3.0, July 2026 | | Firefox | Chromium browsers only | [72,866 users](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tabliss/), 4.6 from 2,442 reviews | [11,469 users](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/bonjourr-startpage/), 4.9 from 1,810 reviews | | Download size | 14.6 MiB | 204 KiB | 1.38 MiB | | Source code | Closed | [GPL-3.0, 2.8k stars](https://github.com/joelshepherd/tabliss) | [GPL-3.0, 2.0k stars](https://github.com/victrme/Bonjourr) | | Price | No account needed for the local experience; sync and connected services on Pro, no price published yet | Free, no paid tier | [Free, donation funded](https://bonjourr.fr/) | | Store data disclosure | No account needed; cloud sync, AI and live integrations have separate data flows | Will not collect or use your data | Will not collect or use your data | | Backgrounds | Curated collections that change with the time of day; upload your own | Unsplash and GIPHY, colors, gradients, your own images | "Dynamic 4K photos and video backgrounds", your own files | | Ambient sound | Included: rain, ocean, forest, fireplace, cafe and more | None listed | None listed | | Clock, greeting, date | Yes, first thing on the tab | Yes | Yes | | Weather | Yes, auto-located, before any setup | Yes | Yes | | Notes and tasks | Notes and tasks as separate widgets | Notes and to-do widgets | Markdown notes with checklists, Pomodoro timer | | Calendar | Built in, plus Google Calendar, Todoist and Google Tasks | None | None | | Styling controls | Add, move, resize and restyle anything | Custom CSS | Custom fonts and CSS | | Sync | On Pro, across devices and connected services | Your browser's own sync | [Browser sync, a GitHub Gist or a remote file; uploaded files never sync](https://bonjourr.fr/docs/settings-management/syncing/) | | AI or agent control | [MCP and AI tools](/ai) in V2 development; access requirements apply | None | "No generative AI", by choice | | Browsers | Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers | Firefox, Chrome, Edge | [Chrome, Firefox, Edge, plus an online version; Safari by manual install](https://bonjourr.fr/) | | Maintained fork | Not applicable | [TablissNG](https://github.com/BookCatKid/tablissNG) | Not applicable | The Dashy store figures describe the original Dashy listing, which is still what you install today. The new Dashy arrives in October 2026. ## Dashy: what it is today, and what arrives in October We make this one and have put it first rather than last, which is the bias you should be watching for. Here is the version with the numbers attached. **The original Dashy** is what you can install now: 10,000-plus users, 4.7 stars from 273 reviews and a Featured badge on its [Chrome Web Store listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe), version 6.0 from January 2026, 14.6 MiB. It has been shipping since 2023, with 36 widgets, wallpaper collections, soundscapes on the tab, profiles for more than one dashboard, and sync between computers once you sign in. It is also the heaviest of the three by a wide margin, and it is a 2023 design: a dense grid you configure before it looks like anything. That is the honest one-line criticism, and it is why we rebuilt it. **The new Dashy** arrives in October 2026 on its own listing, with the original left running and nothing removed; [the two are set out side by side here](/original), and [early access](/#early-access) is the only way in before then. Four things separate it from the two pages below. Everything else in this category is roughly the same page with different fonts. ### Sound Neither Tabliss nor Bonjourr lists audio among its widgets, so ambient sound means a second tab and a YouTube loop. Dashy includes soundscapes on the tab itself: rain, ocean, forest, fireplace, cafe and more. Open a tab, start the rain, go back to work. ### Light that follows the clock Both open-source options rotate backgrounds. Bonjourr's photos change "according to the mood of the day", which is genuinely lovely. Dashy's collections change with the time of day too, and the page around them moves with it, so a tab at 7am and a tab at 9pm are not the same tab. You can also upload your own wallpapers, with no account. ### Widgets that hold real things Tabliss has notes and a to-do list. Bonjourr has markdown notes with checklists and a Pomodoro timer. Neither has a calendar, and neither connects to the place your tasks already live. Dashy builds in tasks, notes and a calendar, and offers Google Calendar, Todoist and Google Tasks as integrations. The layout is yours: add, move, resize and restyle anything, keep several dashboards and switch between them, or start from one of four templates called Focus, Productive, Curious and Aesthetic. Your tasks, notes and timer also sit in Chrome's side panel, beside whatever page you are on. Customization is free and needs no account. If you want the longer version of what that kind of page is for, read [what a new tab dashboard actually is](/new-tab). ### An assistant that can arrange the tab Dashy V2 is being built with Claude and ChatGPT connections through MCP, alongside Dashy Agent and AI-generated custom widgets. An authorized assistant can use supported dashboard tools; account access, permissions and confirmations depend on the action and client. V2 is not generally released yet. See the [AI guide](/ai) for capabilities and requirements, or the [V2 feature guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features) for layouts, bookmarks and the side panel. This is the clearest split in the whole comparison. Bonjourr has chosen not to do this. Dashy has chosen to do it carefully. Pick the philosophy you agree with. ## Tabliss: weightless, permission-free, and frozen Start with what is genuinely excellent here, because plenty of comparison pages skip it. Tabliss asks for nothing. Its Chrome listing states the extension does not require any permissions, and its Firefox page repeats the claim in plainer words: "private, secure, and requires no permissions." Almost no other new tab page can say that. It weighs 204 KiB, which is roughly a seventh of Bonjourr and a fraction of anything with a widget grid. It is GPL-3.0 with 2.8k stars, so you can read every line, and the store records that the developer will not collect or use your data. The widget set is broader than its reputation suggests: clocks, weather, quotes, notes, a to-do list, quick links, a search box, a work hours countdown, NBA scores, a GitHub contribution calendar, IP information and custom CSS, with translations into more than 40 languages. Backgrounds come from Unsplash and GIPHY, or your own files. For a page you open forty times a day, that is a good deal at zero cost. Then there is the date. The newest build on the Chrome Web Store is v2.6.0 from April 2022. Firefox shows the same version and the same month. The repository has not been archived, but its main branch last took a commit in January 2024, titled "Updating deps", the repository was last pushed on any branch in August 2024, and 262 issues and 41 pull requests are still open. Nobody has abandoned the project on purpose; it has simply stopped moving. That matters more than it used to. Chrome's extension platform has changed underneath it, image sources come and go, and a bug you hit today is a bug you keep. If you install Tabliss now, install it knowing that what you see is what it will always be. ## TablissNG: the fork that picked it up The honest recommendation for anyone who loves Tabliss is not Dashy. It is TablissNG, a community fork whose author says plainly that "the original project has been abandoned, with no updates for over a year and numerous unmerged pull requests." It is the same GPL-3.0 code, still with no permissions, shipping on Chrome, Firefox and Edge. On Chrome it is at v1.7.1 from June 2026, 502 KiB, with 6,000 users and 4.8 from 27 ratings. On Firefox it has 1,324 users and 4.7 from 48 reviews. Those are small numbers, and 413 GitHub stars is a small project, so weigh that against the appeal of a maintained build. If you are on Firefox in particular, this is the path of least resistance. Dashy runs on Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers, and does not claim Firefox. ## Bonjourr: the free one that kept shipping Bonjourr is the strongest free new tab page in this category, and it is not close. It holds 4.9 stars from 23.9K Chrome Web Store ratings, carries the Featured badge and a "Featured in Google Chrome's Favorites of 2023" award, and shipped v22.3.0 in July 2026. It is 1.38 MiB. Its repository notes "No frameworks, plain Typescript & CSS" and "Only small dependencies", which is why it stays that small while offering 4K photo and video backgrounds, markdown notes, a Pomodoro timer, weather, quotes, custom fonts and CSS, dark mode and 43 languages. On privacy it is unambiguous. The store records no data collection. The site says its two developers "actually believe privacy matters" and that "you can start using Bonjourr immediately, without needing to create or log into an account." There is no paid tier at all: "Since Bonjourr is free, respects your privacy and doesn't collect or sell your data, donations are the only way we're able to keep it running." Dashy does not beat Bonjourr on any of that. Not on rating, not on size, not on price, not on languages, not on being open source. If those are your criteria, the comparison is over and Bonjourr wins. What Bonjourr deliberately does not do is grow. It has no calendar. It has no ambient audio. Its notes hold checklists rather than a task list with due dates. And it lists "No generative AI" as a feature, which is a real position honestly held, not an oversight. ## Privacy, honestly All three pages work without an account. That is the baseline in this category and none of them breaks it. Tabliss and Bonjourr both carry the same Chrome Web Store disclosure: the developer will not collect or use your data. Both are GPL-3.0, so the claim is auditable by anyone who wants to read the source. Tabliss goes one step further and requests no permissions at all. Dashy works without an account, and cloud sync, AI and live integrations have separate data flows. Connect Google Calendar and that connection is disclosed per integration, so you know what is being read. That is a different promise from "nothing, ever", and it is the honest trade for a calendar that shows your next meeting. If auditability is what you want above everything, the open-source options are the answer, and no amount of copywriting changes that. ## Sync is the quiet dividing line This is where the free options show their edges. Tabliss advertises settings sync between devices, which means your browser's sync carries the settings. Bonjourr does the same and adds two escape hatches: a GitHub Gist, or a settings file at a URL you host. That is more than most free extensions offer, and it is how you get a setup from Chrome to Firefox. The catch is documented in Bonjourr's own docs. Syncing covers everything "with one notable exception: local files uploaded as backgrounds or link icons." Upload your own wallpaper and it stays on that one machine. The docs are clear that this is a browser limitation, not a choice. Dashy puts sync across devices and connected services on Pro. That is the paid line, and it is worth naming rather than burying: the local experience needs no account, while carrying it between machines is what you would pay for. No price is published yet. ## Which one should you pick **Pick Dashy** if you want the tab to do something: soundscapes while you work, wallpapers that move with the day, a calendar and task list on the page, a layout you arrange, and an assistant that can set it up for you. It runs on Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers. We make it, so weigh that against the two verdicts below, both of which we mean. **Pick Bonjourr** if you want the best free new tab page available today and you do not need a calendar or sound. It is 4.9 stars from 23.9K ratings, 1.38 MiB, open source, translated into 43 languages, and still shipping. If you are on Firefox, this is also your answer. **Pick TablissNG** if you loved Tabliss, want zero permissions and the smallest possible footprint, and would rather have a maintained fork than a build from April 2022. Install the original only if you have a specific reason to. **Pick none of them** if what you actually want is Chrome's own page with fewer shortcuts. That takes two minutes and no install, and we wrote out [every way to change the new tab page](/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome), including the Edge and Brave equivalents. ## One line each Dashy is for people who want the tab to carry sound, light, a calendar and an assistant, and who will trade a little weight and a paid sync tier for it; the original is installable now and the rebuild lands in October. Tabliss earned its 100,000 users and its 4.7 rating, and then stopped in April 2022; use TablissNG instead. Bonjourr is the free winner on every measure that free should win on, and its refusal to add AI or a calendar is a position, not a gap. There is a longer side-by-side in [Dashy vs Bonjourr](/compare/bonjourr) if that is the choice you are down to. Three good options. Different jobs. --- # Why is my new tab Yahoo, Bing or blank? How to fix Chrome's new tab Source: https://www.dashyapp.com/blog/why-is-my-new-tab-yahoo-or-bing Your new tab shows Yahoo, Bing or nothing because something changed a setting for you. Usually it is an extension, sometimes a program on the computer, occasionally a policy your workplace applied. Fix it by removing the extension, checking your default search engine, and then resetting Chrome. The order matters, because a reset alone rarely holds. Last checked: 2 September 2026. Every Chrome step here was read back against Google's current help pages, and every claim about another product links to that company's own documentation. ## First, work out which setting changed Three settings get blamed for one complaint, and Chrome stores them separately. Telling them apart takes ten seconds and saves you from fixing the wrong thing. - **The new tab page.** What opens when you press Ctrl+T or ⌘+T. An extension can replace it. Google's own documentation says extensions "can use HTML override pages to replace a page Google Chrome normally provides", and that each extension "can only override one page" from a list of three: Bookmark Manager, History and New Tab ([Chrome for Developers](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/ui/override-chrome-pages)). - **The default search engine.** What the address bar uses when you type words instead of an address. Extensions change this through a different manifest key, `chrome_settings_overrides`, which covers "homepage, search provider, and startup pages" and is "available on Windows and Mac in all current versions of Chrome" ([Chrome for Developers](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/mv3/settings_override/)). - **The homepage and startup pages.** What opens when you press the Home button, and what opens when Chrome launches. Same manifest key, different symptom. Now diagnose. Open a new tab and look at it. Then click into the address bar, type a word, and press Enter. If only the new tab is wrong, one setting changed. If only the address bar sends you somewhere unfamiliar, a different one did. If both are wrong, one extension changed both, and Chrome Web Store policy treats that as a violation when the extension does not respect the search settings you already had. The store's quality guidelines list, as an example of a policy violation, "New Tab Page extensions that alter the user's web search experience and don't respect the user's existing search settings" ([Chrome Web Store program policies](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/program-policies/quality-guidelines)). A wallpaper page has no business touching your address bar. That is the line, and it is written down. ## What is actually doing it A handful of causes produce all of these symptoms, and each needs a different fix. Work down the table until a row matches what you are seeing. | What you see | What is actually set | Where Chrome shows it | What removes it | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | A search page you did not choose on every new tab | An extension's New Tab override | `chrome://extensions` | Remove the extension | [Override pages](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/ui/override-chrome-pages) | | Address bar searches land on Yahoo or Bing | Default search engine, changed by `chrome_settings_overrides` | Settings, then Search engine | Remove the extension, then set the default back | [Settings overrides](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/mv3/settings_override/) | | Chrome opens a strange page at launch, or the Home button does | Homepage and startup pages, same manifest key | Settings, then Appearance and On startup | Remove the extension, then clear both fields | [Settings overrides](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/mv3/settings_override/) | | The extension has no Remove button | A force-installed policy | `chrome://policy` and `chrome://management` | Only an administrator can, since "Users can't remove items that are force-installed" | [Google Workspace Admin Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6306504) | | Bing on a work laptop, with nothing suspicious installed | An optional Microsoft Search in Bing extension, which "set Bing as the default search engine for Google Chrome" | Control Panel, then Programs, then Programs and Features | Uninstall the entry named Microsoft Search in Bing, which removes the extension too | [Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/deploy/microsoft-search-bing) | | Pop-ups, redirects, and extensions that reappear | An unwanted program on the computer, not just in Chrome | Installed apps on Windows, Applications on macOS | Uninstall the program, then reset Chrome | [Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2765944) | | The wrong new tab shows up on your other computer too | Chrome sync, which includes Extensions in what it copies | Settings, then You and Google | Remove it while signed in, or stop syncing extensions | [Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/165139) | | A blank page instead of anything | An override that is installed but no longer loads | `chrome://extensions` | Remove or re-enable the extension | [Override pages](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/ui/override-chrome-pages) | Google's own list of symptoms is worth reading next to that table. It names "Pop-up ads and new tabs that won't go away", a homepage or search engine that "keeps changing without your permission", "Unwanted Chrome extensions or toolbars keep coming back", and browsing that "is hijacked, and redirects to unfamiliar pages or ads" ([Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2765944)). If two or more of those describe your machine, the cause is a program, not just an extension. ## Fix Chrome, in this order Order matters here. Reset Chrome first and the extension simply reapplies its settings the next time you open a tab. Type `chrome://extensions` in the address bar, or open the Chrome menu, then **Extensions**, then **Manage extensions**. Read every card. You are looking for anything you did not deliberately install, anything with a generic name like a search or tab helper, and anything installed on the day the problem started. Remove it with the **Remove** button and confirm. Google also documents the faster route: right-click the extension's icon next to the address bar and choose **Remove from Chrome** ([Chrome Web Store Help](https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/answer/2664769)). Open **Settings**, then **Search engine**. Under **Search engine**, select **Change** and pick the one you want ([Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95426)). If the search engine you never chose is still listed, it is usually because the extension that added it is still installed. Go back a step. In **Settings**, open **Appearance** and look at the homepage address. Then open **On startup** and look at the list of pages there. A hijacker that survives everything else is often hiding in one of these, because most guides never mention them. On Windows, open the Start menu, then **Settings**, then **Apps**, then **Installed apps**, find the program, and select **Uninstall**. On a Mac, open Finder, select **Applications**, right-click anything you do not recognise, choose **Move to Trash**, then right-click the Trash and choose **Empty Trash** ([Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2765944)). Skipping this step is the single most common reason the problem returns. Google's steps: "At the top right, select More and then Settings. Select Reset settings and then Restore settings to their original defaults and then Reset settings." That returns the default search engine, the homepage and tabs, the new tab page, pinned tabs, content settings, cookies and site data, and extensions and themes to their defaults ([Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214)). Two things to know about that reset. Google is explicit that "These steps won't provide a full reset. For example, some settings like fonts or accessibility won't be deleted." And bookmarks and saved passwords are not on the list of what it changes. It also runs per profile, so if you use more than one Chrome profile, you reset each one. Google says that "If Chrome notices that something's not right in your settings, it will automatically go back to the original settings", and lists the default search engine, homepage, startup pages, pinned tabs and extensions among what it may revert. If your new tab fixed itself and you never touched it, that is why. ## When Chrome says "Managed by your organization" Open the Chrome menu and look at the bottom. Google's rule is one sentence: "If you see 'Managed by your organization,' your browser is managed. If you don't, your browser isn't managed" ([Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9281740)). Two addresses tell you the rest. Type `chrome://management` to see who manages the browser and what they have turned on. Type `chrome://policy` to see every policy applied, by name and value. If your new tab is being set by policy, it appears here, and no amount of resetting will change it. On a work or school laptop, this is normal and the fix is a message to your IT team. On a personal machine it is not normal, and it is the reason a hijack can feel unfixable. A force-installed extension is exempt from the usual controls: Google's admin documentation states that "Users can't remove items that are force-installed", and that force-installed items "bypass any blocked apps and extensions" ([Google Workspace Admin Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6306504)). If you administer the machine yourself, the policies live outside Chrome. On Windows they are registry values under `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome`. On macOS they arrive as configuration profiles, which you review in System Settings under device management. Remove the one you did not authorise, restart Chrome, and check `chrome://policy` again to confirm it is gone. ## Why the page is blank rather than wrong An empty new tab is the same story with a quieter ending. Something still claims the page, but nothing renders it. The usual cause is an override that no longer works: the extension was disabled, was pulled from the Chrome Web Store, or its page fails to load because it needs a server that is no longer answering. The extension is still installed and still holds the override, so Chrome hands it the tab and gets nothing back. Remove it at `chrome://extensions` and the built-in page returns immediately. One quirk worth knowing: overrides do not apply everywhere. Google's documentation notes that "In incognito windows, extensions can't override New Tab pages" ([Chrome for Developers](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/ui/override-chrome-pages)). So if an incognito new tab looks normal and an ordinary one does not, you have just proved an extension is responsible without opening a single settings page. The other cause is policy. If the new tab page is being set for you, `chrome://policy` shows the responsible policy by name and value, and one pointed at an empty address produces exactly the tab you are looking at. ## Why it keeps coming back If the wrong page returns a day later, one of three things is still true. **Sync is putting it back.** Chrome syncs extensions between your signed-in devices, alongside bookmarks, passwords and settings ([Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/165139)). Remove the extension while signed in, so the removal syncs too, and check your other computers before you declare victory. **The program is still installed.** This is what step four of the fix is for. Google's unwanted software policy describes the pattern precisely: software that "tries to trick users into installing it or it piggybacks on the installation", that "doesn't tell the user about all of its principal and significant functions", and that "is difficult to remove" ([Google Unwanted Software Policy](https://www.google.com/about/unwanted-software-policy.html)). Software built to be difficult to remove does not give up after one uninstall of one extension. **A policy is reapplying it.** Covered above. Check `chrome://policy`. Worth doing once you are clean: open Chrome's Safe Browsing settings and consider Enhanced protection, which Google says gives you "warnings about potentially dangerous sites, downloads, and extensions, even ones Google didn't previously know about" ([Chrome Help](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9890866)). Standard protection, the default, warns you only about threats already identified. ## Microsoft Edge and Brave The mechanics carry over, because Edge and Brave are built on the same engine as Chrome. Open the browser menu, then **Extensions**, and read that list exactly the way you read Chrome's. Administrators get the same levers too: Microsoft's policy reference lists one policy described as "Configure the new tab page URL" and another to "Control which extensions are installed silently" ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-policies)). If a work laptop's new tab is set for you, that is usually how. One cause on managed work machines is worth naming, because it is legitimate and it confuses people. Before 31 March 2025, an administrator could deploy an optional extension for Google Chrome, and Microsoft records what it did: "it set Bing as the default search engine for Google Chrome". Deploying it required a background service included with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. Microsoft Search in Bing is no longer available, but the documentation adds that if the background service "was previously deployed, it isn't automatically removed". Uninstalling that service also removes the extension, and "Bing is no longer set as the default search engine". You do it in Control Panel, then Programs, then Programs and Features ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/deploy/microsoft-search-bing)). If Bing appeared on a work laptop without an extension you recognise, start there. ## Now choose a new tab on purpose Here is the part most guides skip. Once Chrome's own page is back, you are looking at a blank slate you did not choose either. That is how the hijack got in: an empty page is easy to take. Pick something deliberately, and judge it by the same standard that caught the hijacker. Does it do one job? Does it leave your search engine alone? Does the Chrome Web Store listing say what it collects? The store's single purpose rule is the shortest version of this test: "An extension must have a single purpose that is narrow and easy to understand. Don't create an extension that requires users to accept bundles of unrelated functionality" ([Chrome Web Store program policies](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/program-policies/quality-guidelines)). Chrome's own page passes that test. If a search box and a row of shortcuts is all you want back, you are already done, and the rest of this section is for people who want the tab to carry more. [Dashy](/), which we make, is one option, and it is built around that line. It replaces the new tab page and nothing else. It does not touch your default search engine, your homepage or your startup pages. It opens with a wallpaper that changes with the time of day, ambient soundscapes like rain, ocean, forest, fireplace and cafe, and a clock, greeting and auto-located weather before you set anything up. Tasks, notes and a calendar are built in, with Google Calendar, Todoist and Google Tasks available when you want them. You can add, move, resize and restyle anything, starting from one of four templates: Focus, Productive, Curious and Aesthetic. No account is needed for the local experience, and cloud sync, AI and live integrations have separate data flows. Sync across devices and connected services is part of the paid plan. Two versions exist, so be clear which one you would be installing. The original Dashy is on the store today with 10,000+ users, a 4.7-star average from 273 reviews and a Featured badge on its [Chrome Web Store listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dashy-new-tab-dashboard-a/pohibamcjdinnoefmcggajbcblnodgoe); it has wallpapers, soundscapes, 36 widgets and sign-in sync, and it is a 2023 design that shows its age. The rebuilt Dashy arrives in October 2026 on its own listing, with the original left running: [the two side by side](/original), or [ask for early access](/#early-access). Both run on Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers. Dashy V2 is being built with Claude and ChatGPT connections through MCP, alongside Dashy Agent and AI-generated custom widgets. An authorized assistant can use supported dashboard tools; account access, permissions and confirmations depend on the action and client. V2 is not generally released yet. See the [AI guide](/ai) for capabilities and requirements, or the [V2 feature guide](/blog/dashy-v2-features) for layouts, bookmarks and the side panel. ## The checklist, one more time A new tab you did not choose is a setting, not an infection. Find the extension at `chrome://extensions` and remove it. Put your search engine back under Settings, then Search engine. Check your homepage and startup pages, because that is where the stubborn ones hide. Uninstall the program on the computer, then reset Chrome, in that order. If Chrome says it is managed by your organization, read `chrome://policy` and stop guessing. Then pick a page you actually want. You open it more than any other page you will visit today, and the [full guide to changing it](/blog/how-to-change-new-tab-page-chrome) covers every route Chrome allows.