What Is Mue and What Does It Do to Your New Tab Page?

Updated

Mue (muetab.com) is a free, open-source browser extension that replaces your browser's default new tab page with a customizable one featuring backgrounds, motivational quotes, and productivity widgets. It works on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Whale. If you want a more inspiring and personal new tab experience without giving up privacy, Mue is a reasonable fit; if you need deep browser-level customization beyond the tab page, it isn't designed for that.

What Mue actually changes

When you install Mue, opening a new tab no longer shows a blank page or your browser's default layout. Instead, you get a page built around three elements:

  • Backgrounds — choose from an in-house photography library, upload your own, or browse community packs in the Marketplace.
  • Quotes — pull from a large library of quote packs in multiple languages, including movie quotes and meme-style options in the Marketplace.
  • Widgets — the site describes "unique widgets and a design tailored towards productivity and wellbeing," though the specific widget list isn't detailed on the page.

The project has been maintained since 2018 and reports 10,000+ monthly active users and 10,000,000+ tabs opened.

Privacy and data handling

Mue states it is fully open source and contains no tracking. All data is stored on your device and is never shared without your consent, and there is no personal data collection. The source code is public on GitHub, so these claims can be checked directly rather than taken on trust — a meaningful advantage over closed-source tab extensions.

Who it's for

Mue suits people who:

  • Want their new tab to feel personal and motivating rather than empty.
  • Prefer open-source tools and on-device data storage.
  • Use one of the four supported browsers and don't need features outside the tab page.

It's less suited to anyone looking for a full UI framework or a tool that modifies other parts of the browser — Mue's scope is the new tab experience.

Community and support

The project is developed in the open with 50+ collaborators, 700+ GitHub stars, and 70+ forks. You can contribute code, suggest ideas, or report issues through GitHub. For a free extension, that active community is a practical signal of ongoing maintenance.

Getting started

  1. Confirm your browser is Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Whale.
  2. Install Mue from the "Get Started" link on muetab.com.
  3. Open a new tab — the Mue page should replace your default.
  4. Pick a background and quote pack, or upload your own.
  5. Optionally explore the Marketplace for community-made packs.

Verification: after setup, open several new tabs to confirm the page loads consistently and your chosen background and quotes persist. Since data is stored on-device, settings should survive browser restarts.

Common snags: if the new tab still shows your browser's default, check that the extension is enabled and that no other new-tab extension is overriding it — only one extension can control the new tab page at a time.