It is also natural to be worried when you see about:blank in the URL field of your browser as it can only spell out to you that there is some malware there. But it is in fact only a page that is embedded in your browser.
About:blank: This may be a blank page, showing that you have a virus or malware on your system and the system identifies this and isolates it.
Bad Internet Connection
Occasionally a site may fail to load due to a failed internet connection. This can happen due to many things including your Internet Service Provider not working, some technical problems at the site to which you were trying to access or your network being overloaded. To resolve this issue, it is possible to check your internet connection and repeat it.
The other alternative might be that you are having some problem with your router or modem. This may be attributed to various factors, such as damaged cables, heat or moisture damages and out of date firmware.
Here, it is advisable to request your ISP to help or do some troubleshooting including unplugging your router and leaving it a few minutes and then plugging it in.
Others are concerned about:blank pages is a warning sign of malware. Although this may be a possibility in select instances, about:blank is a valid URI scheme that is akin to most browsers and does not need any third-party resources to access.
When you are anxious about malware then you can always undergo a thorough scan of antimalware so as to know whether your system has been infected.
In the majority of the cases, however, the plain about:blank page opens as the system is just not configured to open a specific site. Assuming this occurs, there should be empty browsers caches and cookies that will remedy the issue.
Cache Issues
Reading the browser URL about:blank, many people would think about some malware or something bad. In fact, this page is an inbuilt aspect of an about URI scheme and is loaded by virtually all browsers when a user does not specify a home page or a tab page when they first start the browser (they simply leave the optional page blank, i.e. with literally nothing at all)
It comes in handy with individuals who have had metered Internet connection because the about:blank page does not consume any data prior to one clicking the web. But there are certain individuals who consider it annoying and desire to eliminate it. Then, it can be easily done by clicking on the menu of settings and removing the about:blank record under the Open a specific page or set of pages record.
Occasionally, you might find about:blank showing up the computer even after you may have deleted/quarantined the virus or malware.
This is because the virus/malware could have changed some of your browser settings and therefore make it look as though about:blank automatically opens each time you open your browser.
In this case, it is worthwhile to regard the task of conducting a full system scan with the help of an antimalware software with which you trust in order to make sure that the system is not infected.
Problematic Browser Extensions
When they see about:blank as the URL of their browsers, most people become confused. They believe it to be a malware or something bad. However, about:blank is actually a part of the About URI scheme which is implemented in almost all browsers. It means the browser is displaying one of its inbuilt, internal web pages as opposed to third party webpage.
It can be useful when the user is on a metered Internet plan as it does not require any external resources to load and does not use data before accessing the Internet. Users who want to conserve battery power is also a good idea as it does not load any additional pixels on the screen.
Although about:blank is a blank page, and it is not a malware, there are very few instances when it is automatically displayed in the browser. This tends to be as a result of virus/ malware infection in the system. In case it occurs, it will be a good idea to scan the system by a well-known anti-malware program.
Additional reasons that could be contributing to the display of the about:blank page are the availability of extensions that may be installed in the computer through the browsers. To rectify this then it will be appropriate to delete the browsing history and erase all cookies.
This will enable the browser to be launched clean and get rid of any corrupt data which might be causing issues. It is also a nice idea to disable any undesired browser extensions. These may be very resource intensive and may crash or slow down the browser.
JavaScript Loading Errors
When they observe about:blank in their browser URL field, many people worry as they believe it is an indication of having malware or perhaps something is amiss with their computer.
In practice, about:blank is a plain blank page, which is hard-coded into Chrome and other browsers, to show in the event that no other site is entered in the address bar.
The about:blank page is part of the “about” URI Scheme which is implemented by almost all browsers. The page does not rely on any external assets to load i.e. it does not request any data on the Internet, and as such, spares users on metered connections (who are more prone to the issue) the needless data consumption prior to browsing.
A common thing is that when a site is malfunctioning or throwing its guts, a browser will save on the incorrect files and in its stead they will show about:blank. To rectify that, emptying the browser browser and cookies will be useful to get rid of the old files and start fresh.
When the site is going down once again then this may be a sign that there is a greater issue and you should call up the web hosting company and get them to rectify the issue. Alternatively, you may carry out a scan using an anti-malware software to make sure that malware does not exist in your system.
Website Server Issues
On some occasions, sites might develop server issues causing the page to have a blank screen. This can be due to a number of reasons like network problems or the hosting service offered. In case of the web site failing to load, empty browser cache and cookies, update/change browser.
About:blank pages may also be an indicator of malware or virus in some few instances. However, this is not what happens unless it is the about:blank page that you will be presented with in your computer even though you did not insert it actually in the address box in your browser.
In this case, you need to scan your system with a well known antimalware software to ensure that you do not have malware in your system.
And if you have any questions or concerns about this article, comment down below!
