diff --git a/browser/base/content/utilityOverlay.js b/browser/base/content/utilityOverlay.js
index 936dc4caed92..4a5268b1db11 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/utilityOverlay.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/utilityOverlay.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ this.__defineGetter__("BROWSER_NEW_TAB_URL", () => {
       !aboutNewTabService.overridden) {
     return "about:privatebrowsing";
   }
-  return aboutNewTabService.newTabURL;
+  return "about:newtab";
 });
 
 var TAB_DROP_TYPE = "application/x-moz-tabbrowser-tab";
diff --git a/browser/components/about/AboutRedirector.cpp b/browser/components/about/AboutRedirector.cpp
index f5884531c6fe..d83d9a46c063 100644
--- a/browser/components/about/AboutRedirector.cpp
+++ b/browser/components/about/AboutRedirector.cpp
@@ -86,7 +86,8 @@ static RedirEntry kRedirMap[] = {
     nsIAboutModule::URI_MUST_LOAD_IN_CHILD |
     nsIAboutModule::ALLOW_SCRIPT |
     nsIAboutModule::ENABLE_INDEXED_DB },
-  { "newtab", "chrome://browser/content/newtab/newTab.xhtml",
+  // the newtab's actual URL will be determined when the channel is created
+  { "newtab", "about:blank",
     nsIAboutModule::ALLOW_SCRIPT },
 #ifndef RELEASE_BUILD
   { "remote-newtab", "chrome://browser/content/remote-newtab/newTab.xhtml",
@@ -162,18 +163,12 @@ AboutRedirector::NewChannel(nsIURI* aURI,
     if (!strcmp(path.get(), kRedirMap[i].id)) {
       nsAutoCString url;
 
-      // check if about:newtab got overridden
       if (path.EqualsLiteral("newtab")) {
+        // let the aboutNewTabService decide where to redirect
         nsCOMPtr<nsIAboutNewTabService> aboutNewTabService =
           do_GetService("@mozilla.org/browser/aboutnewtab-service;1", &rv);
+        rv = aboutNewTabService->GetNewTabURL(url);
         NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-        bool overridden = false;
-        rv = aboutNewTabService->GetOverridden(&overridden);
-        NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-        if (overridden) {
-          rv = aboutNewTabService->GetNewTabURL(url);
-          NS_ENSURE_SUCCESS(rv, rv);
-        }
       }
       // fall back to the specified url in the map
       if (url.IsEmpty()) {