For years, the "Most Visited" or "Top Sites" feature has been a staple of web browsers. It sits front and center on your new tab page, offering a grid of thumbnails pointing to the websites you frequent the most. In theory, it is a productivity booster—a shortcut to your digital home base.
In practice, it can be a privacy nightmare, a clutter magnet, and an aesthetic annoyance.
Whether you are trying to hide a surprise gift purchase, clear out a work project you’ve finished, or simply want a clean, minimalist blank slate every time you open a new tab, learning how to remove most visited pages is an essential digital hygiene skill.
This 2,500-word guide will walk you through every major browser and operating system. We will cover permanent deletions, temporary hiding, and advanced workarounds for users who demand absolute privacy.
Removing Most Visited is a tiny configuration tweak, but it represents a larger shift toward intentional browsing, privacy hygiene, and reducing algorithmic intermediation in daily digital life.
If you’d like, I can help you:
Just let me know which direction fits your publication or audience.
If you’re tired of your browser broadcasting your most-frequented corners of the internet every time you open a new tab, you aren’t alone. Whether you’re looking for a cleaner aesthetic or a bit more privacy, here is how to clear those "most visited" pages across the major browsers. Google Chrome
Chrome gives you two main ways to handle these shortcuts: removing them one by one or hiding the section entirely. Remove individual sites
: Hover your mouse over the site thumbnail on a new tab page. Click the three-dot menu
) that appears in the top-right corner of the icon and select Hide the whole section Open a new tab and click the Customize Chrome button (pencil icon) in the bottom-right corner. Show shortcuts to off, or select My shortcuts
instead of "Most visited sites" to only show pages you've manually pinned. Clear History : If the thumbnails persist, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data and clear your Browsing history to reset the algorithm that chooses these sites. Safari (iPhone & Mac) remove most visited pages
Apple makes it easy to toggle this feature off globally or edit it on the fly. On iPhone/iPad
: Open Safari, go to your start page (new tab), scroll to the bottom, and tap . Toggle off Frequently Visited : Go to the iOS Settings app > Safari and toggle off Frequently Visited Sites : Open a new tab, click the Settings icon (three sliders) in the bottom-right corner, and uncheck the Frequently Visited Delete specific sites
: Long-press (iPhone) or right-click (Mac) a specific icon on the start page and select to remove just that one site. Mozilla Firefox
Firefox refers to these as "Shortcuts" or "Top Sites" and lets you manage them through the Home settings.
How to deactivate recently visited sites on main (home) page?
To remove "Most Visited" sites from your browser's New Tab page, you can adjust settings directly in the browser or use an extension for a cleaner look. Google Chrome
You can hide these shortcuts directly through the customization menu.
Hide All Shortcuts: Open a new tab and click the Customize Chrome button (pencil icon) at the bottom right. Under Shortcuts, toggle the switch for Hide shortcuts.
Switch to Manual Shortcuts: In the same menu, select My shortcuts instead of "Most visited sites." This replaces the automatic list with links you choose yourself.
Individual Removal: Hover over a specific site tile and click the X or three dots in the corner to remove just that one. Safari (iPhone & Mac)
Safari allows you to toggle this section off entirely from the Start Page. The Ultimate Guide: How to Remove Most Visited
iPhone/iPad: Open a new tab, scroll to the bottom, and tap Edit. Toggle off Frequently Visited.
Mac: Right-click anywhere on the Start Page and uncheck Frequently Visited, or click the settings icon in the bottom right to toggle it off. Mozilla Firefox
Firefox allows you to disable "Shortcuts" (which includes visited sites) through Home settings. How to Disable Most Visited Sites Shortcut On Google Chrome
How to Remove "Most Visited Pages" from Your Browser: A Complete Guide
Opening a new browser tab only to see a wall of your most-visited websites can be a double-edged sword. While it offers a quick shortcut to your favorite haunts, it can also feel like a privacy leak—especially if you're sharing your screen or a device.
Whether you want a cleaner workspace or more privacy, here is how to remove those "most visited" or "frequently visited" sections across all major browsers. Google Chrome: Clearing the Shortcuts Chrome refers to these as "Shortcuts"
and allows you to either hide them entirely or curate them yourself. On Desktop (Windows/Mac/Linux): Open a new tab in Chrome. Customize Chrome (the pencil icon or button at the bottom right). Scroll to the To hide them completely, toggle off Show shortcuts Alternatively, select My shortcuts
to only show sites you manually pin, rather than those Chrome suggests based on your history. On Mobile (Android/iOS):
There isn't a direct "Customize" button like on desktop. You typically have to long-press an individual site icon and select to remove it one by one.
Similar to iOS, long-press a shortcut on the new tab page and tap Safari: Taming "Frequently Visited"
Apple’s Safari allows you to easily toggle this section off or prune specific sites. Open Safari and go to your Start Page (the page that appears in a new tab). Settings icon (three sliders) in the bottom-right corner. Frequently Visited to hide the entire section. To remove a single site: Right-click the website icon and select On iPhone & iPad: How to Disable Most Visited Sites Shortcut On Google Chrome If you’d like, I can help you:
Apple’s Safari is notoriously stubborn about customization. It assumes you want the Apple way. Removing "Most Visited" (called "Frequently Visited") is possible, but Apple hides the switch.
Chrome is the world’s most popular browser, and unfortunately, Google wants you to use its shortcuts. Removing "Most Visited" pages here requires a few different strategies depending on how aggressive you want to be.
Firefox mobile is surprisingly robust.
If you want to keep the section but remove a single, embarrassing URL:
Result: That site vanishes. Unlike Chrome, Firefox will not automatically replace it until you visit many new sites.
For corporate IT admins or advanced users on Windows:
regedit.HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome.NtpShowMostVisitedTiles.0.This tells Chrome that "Most Visited" is forbidden by system policy.
Here is a critical fact that many users miss: Most browsers generate "Most Visited" lists from your browsing history.
If you clear your history, you clear the "Most Visited" list. However, this is temporary. As soon as you start browsing again, new thumbnails will appear.
How to do it (Universal):
Settings > Privacy & Security > Clear browsing data > Select All time > Check Browsing history > Clear data.Menu > History > Clear Recent History > Everything.History > Clear History > All history.Why this isn't a perfect solution: You lose your actual browsing history (useful for finding that site you saw last week). It's like using a flamethrower to kill a spider.