How To Add Frequently Visited Sites On Chrome Jun 2026
Drew Tutorial 1:35 Tips for using tabs & shortcuts in Chrome browser - Google Help On a new tab page, under the search box, click Add shortcut. create the shortcut for. * At the top right, click More Save and Shar... Google Help Create shortcuts for websites in Chrome - Google Help On your computer, open Chrome. * Go to the website you want to create a shortcut for. * At the top right, select More Cast, save, ... Google Help Create shortcuts for websites in Chrome - Android - Google Help On your Android device, open Chrome . * Go to the website you want to create a shortcut for. * To the right of the address bar, ta... Google Help New Tab Doesn't Show Links to Frequently Visited Sites - Reddit Jan 4, 2025 —
The Complete Guide to Managing Frequently Visited Sites in Google Chrome For millions of users, the New Tab page in Google Chrome is the starting point of their daily internet journey. At its heart lies the "Frequently Visited" section (often called the "Speed Dial" or "Most Visited" tiles). These thumbnails provide one-click access to your most important web destinations. However, a common misconception is that you can manually pin any site you want directly to this grid. Chrome’s default behavior is algorithmic, but with a few powerful tricks—from simple pinning to editing the internal database—you can take full control. This article covers everything: the default algorithm, how to pin/unpin, how to add custom sites manually (including workarounds), and how to troubleshoot when sites won't appear. Part 1: How Chrome’s "Frequently Visited" Algorithm Works Before learning how to add sites, you must understand what Chrome considers "frequent." Chrome ranks sites based on:
Visit Frequency: How often you visit a domain in a short period. Recency: How recently you visited. URL Path Specificity: Visiting reddit.com/r/chrome is scored differently than just reddit.com . Typed Counts: URLs you manually type into the Omnibox (address bar) get a boost.
Crucially: You cannot simply type a URL into a text box and have it appear as a tile. The only native "add" button is the "Add shortcut" feature, which is often hidden or deprecated in newer Chrome versions. Instead, you must use pinning . Part 2: The Core Method – Pinning Existing Sites This is the most reliable way to ensure a site stays on your New Tab page. Step-by-Step Instructions: how to add frequently visited sites on chrome
Open a new tab ( Ctrl+T or Cmd+T ). Locate the site you want to keep. It may be in the "Frequently Visited" grid already, or you may need to visit it first. If the site isn't visible: Type the URL into the address bar, visit it, then return to a new tab. It should now appear in the grid (you may need to refresh the new tab page with F5 ). Hover over the tile. You will see three vertical dots (⋮) in the top-right corner of the tile. Click the three dots and select Pin .
Result: The site now has a small pushpin icon. It will remain in that exact position, regardless of your browsing history. Pinned sites are never removed by Chrome’s algorithm.
Pro Tip: You can rearrange pinned tiles by dragging and dropping them into any order. Drew Tutorial 1:35 Tips for using tabs &
Part 3: The "Add Shortcut" Workaround (For Manual Addition) In older Chrome versions, there was a visible "Add shortcut" button. As of 2024-2025, this button is hidden by default on most platforms. However, you can still access it via a Chrome flag or by using an empty grid trick. Method A: Using the Empty Grid Trick
Delete all existing tiles from your New Tab page by hovering over each tile, clicking the three dots, and selecting Remove . Once the grid is completely empty, a "Add shortcut" button will appear. Click it, enter the site name and URL, and click Done . After adding one shortcut, the button disappears again. Repeat steps 1-3 to add more.
Method B: Enable the Flag (Desktop Only) Note: Chrome flags are experimental and may be removed in future updates. Google Help Create shortcuts for websites in Chrome
Type chrome://flags into the address bar and press Enter. Search for "NTP customization menu version 2" or "Real History" (flags change frequently). Look for any flag related to "Add shortcut" or "Most visited tiles." Enable it. Relaunch Chrome.
Part 4: Advanced – Editing the Internal Database (Power Users) If you want to add a site without visiting it first, you can manually edit Chrome’s internal "Most Visited" database. This requires editing a SQLite file. Warning: Incorrect edits can corrupt your Chrome profile. Back up first.
