Love the clean, minimalist look of Google’s Pixel UI? It is famous for its pastel colors, broad lines, and unique shapes. We found a unique and open-source extension that will bring the magic of the Material You New Tab UI to your Chrome browser for free. You can also customize the way you want.
Material You New Tab Extension
The Material You New Tab extension is the magic behind this makeover. It transforms your new tab page into something that feels like it belongs in the Pixel ecosystem. As it is open-source, it’s privacy-friendly and does not ask for any sketchy permissions. You can install it not only on Chrome but also on Edge, Brave, and other Chromium browsers through similar sideloading methods. On Firefox, you can install it directly from the Firefox extension store.
However, it’s not directly available on the Chrome Web Store. Instead, you need to download the extension from GitHub and sideload it to the Chrome browser. It’s a quick process, and I’ll walk you through the steps.
How to Sideload the Material You New Tab Extension
Since the extension isn’t officially available on the Web Store, you’ll need to sideload it. Here’s how you can do that:
- Download the extension from GitHub: Head over to the Material You New Tab GitHub repository and click on the green Code button, then select Download ZIP.
- Unzip the downloaded file: Once the ZIP file is downloaded, extract it to a folder on your computer. This folder will contain the extension files you’ll be uploading.
- Open Chrome’s Extensions page: In Chrome, go to the Extensions page by typing chrome://extensions/ into your address bar.
- Enable Developer Mode: In the top-right corner, you’ll see a toggle for Developer Mode. Switch this on to enable sideloading.
- Load the unpacked extension: Click on Load Unpacked and select the folder where you extracted the extension files. Chrome will now install the extension. If you encounter an error about ‘manifest version,’ ensure that you’ve downloaded the correct version of the extension for your browser.
- Check the New Tab page: Once installed, open a new tab, and you should see the fresh, Material You-inspired design!
What’s on the New Tab Page?
Once you’ve installed the Material You New Tab extension, your new tab page gets a makeover, aligning with Google’s Material You design principles. Although the extension doesn’t offer dynamic color theming based on your wallpaper, it brings a clean and organized interface to your browser. Here’s what you’ll find:
1. Custom Search Bar
The extension places a minimalist search bar in the center of your new tab page, allowing you to search directly using your preferred search engine. You can switch between Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, and YouTube from the new tab page itself without needing to adjust Chrome’s settings.
2. Quick Access Shortcuts
Just below the search bar, you’ll find shortcuts to your most frequently visited sites. While the extension claims it can be customized, there is no option to add your favorite sites yet. Also, it does not change the shortcuts automatically to your most visited websites. The shortcuts are set to YouTube, Gmail, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter.
3. Shortcuts to AI Tools
For those who frequently use AI-based services, this extension includes convenient shortcuts to popular AI tools—ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Adobe Firefly. Similar to the other shortcuts, these AI shortcuts cannot be customized either. However, if you need these tools, they are now easily accessible.
4. Clock and Weather
The extension also adds a simple but elegant clock and weather widget to your new tab page. The clock is minimalistic, blending seamlessly into the overall design. However, the weather widget does not work correctly. You need to create a free weather API. Follow the link below the API bar. While there’s a process to set up the weather widget, it takes around five minutes to complete.
5. Color Customization
Although this extension doesn’t offer dynamic theming that adapts to your wallpaper due to browser restrictions, it does give you some control over color choices. You can select from a preset palette of Material You-inspired colors, giving your new tab page a personalized touch. Whether you prefer subtle pastels or bolder shades, the color customization option allows you to tweak the look to suit your style.
If you’re a fan of Google’s Material You design and want to bring that aesthetic design to your browser, the Material You New Tab extension is a must-try. It’s clean, functional, and privacy-friendly, offering a fresh look for your new tab page without overwhelming you with unnecessary features.
While it doesn’t include dynamic theming based on your wallpaper, it still offers enough customization to make it feel like home. So go ahead, give your browser a Pixel makeover, and enjoy the sleek, modern design right on your screen.