Customizing the about:blank Page in Firefox

You may notice that whenever you opt to open up a new tab in Firefox — whether it be by using the CTRL + T shortcut on your keyboard or by manually going to File > New Tab — you will always be presented with a very dull, very unappealing plain white screen which does nothing to impress your friends; even Internet Explorer 7 at least managed to put some effort in by providing you with some useful information on the default new tab screen!

Light at the end of the tunnel

But fear not! For there is indeed a very easy way to help spice up Firefox’s ugly new tab screen with minimum effort! There is an extension available called Stylish which allows for Firefox users such as you and me to easily install and manage brand new themes, as well as create your own.

Time to install the ‘Stylish’ extension for Firefox

If this is your first time installing a new modification for Firefox, you’ll be pleased to learn that it is incredibly simple. Head over to the Stylish extension page (while in Firefox, of course, this won’t work while browsing in Internet Explorer 7) and click the “Install Now” button and follow the directions from there - these basically include clicking “OK” two or three times followed by being asked to restart Firefox and you’re done. That’s all there is to it!

Bringing the about:blank new tab screen to life

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a HTML or CSS coding wizard to be able to create a gorgeous looking new tag screen. There are a wealth of pre-made templates available all over the web that simply require the push of a button to install. I went ahead and had a quick look around various websites and compiled a short list of templates that I thought you might all enjoy:

• Eye of Sauron [BGTF]: For the Lord of The Rings fans among us. This about:blank template includes a great picture of the One Ring and is based on an evil Sauron theme.
• Shrek the Third: The name says it all. This is a great Shrek the Third template for the about:blank page.
• Sexy Firefox: Basically like the standard Firefox logo… only, well, sexier. And with not so many foxes. Also known as “Firefox Girl”.
• Nighty Firefox Reloaded: Very attractive looking blue and black redesign of the official Firefox logo. This template is definitely among my favourites.

Following any of the above links will take you to the corresponding about:blank template page and, provided you successfully installed the Stylish extension for Firefox earlier, you will be given the option to install the template on the same page.

Don’t forget to share your Firefox templates, too

In closing: Please remember to share any and all about:blank templates that you manage to come across or happen to design yourselves. I would be more than happy to update this page and provide a link to your findings or submissions.