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Clicking link doesn't open new tab

  • 11 replies
  • 45 have this problem
  • 20 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

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When I click on a link it does not open in a new tab.

I have tried and checked: - browser.link.open_newwindow ("3") - Browser.link.open newwindow.restriction ("2") - browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external ("3") - Safe mode - uninstall and install Mozilla Fireworks

Any other options?

Thank you!

When I click on a link it does not open in a new tab. I have tried and checked: - browser.link.open_newwindow ("3") - Browser.link.open newwindow.restriction ("2") - browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external ("3") - Safe mode - uninstall and install Mozilla Fireworks Any other options? Thank you!

Chosen solution

If the problem is mainly with search engine results pages, check out this thread on how to get the search site to code the links to open in a new window (which Firefox will divert to a new tab): How can I get a new tab to open when I click on an option in a search I have done?

More generally: multifunction extensions like Tab Mix Plus let you customize how links and bookmarks are opened in a wide range of ways. That's something to consider if Ctrl+click and middle-click (with your mouse scroll wheel) are hard to remember or hard to get used to.

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All Replies (11)

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Hi, Firefox doesn't open links in a new tab by default. You can right click > Open Link in New Tab, click the mouse wheel or hold down Ctrl when you click the link.

You can also try

If your question is resolved by this or another answer, please take a minute to let us know. Thank you!

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Note that these prefs only work when the website specifies a target window and in that case you can divert via these prefs to the current tab or to a new tab or window. Links that do not specify a target window will open by default in the same tab unless you override this via a middle-click or a Ctrl and left-click like posted above,

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Chosen Solution

If the problem is mainly with search engine results pages, check out this thread on how to get the search site to code the links to open in a new window (which Firefox will divert to a new tab): How can I get a new tab to open when I click on an option in a search I have done?

More generally: multifunction extensions like Tab Mix Plus let you customize how links and bookmarks are opened in a wide range of ways. That's something to consider if Ctrl+click and middle-click (with your mouse scroll wheel) are hard to remember or hard to get used to.

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Scribe said

Hi, Firefox doesn't open links in a new tab by default. You can right click > Open Link in New Tab, click the mouse wheel or hold down Ctrl when you click the link. You can also try If your question is resolved by this or another answer, please take a minute to let us know. Thank you!

Hi,

Thanks for your replay. I forgot to mention that I had already tried these two add-ons. It did not help me.

Thanks again.

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cor-el said

Note that these prefs only work when the website specifies a target window and in that case you can divert via these prefs to the current tab or to a new tab or window. Links that do not specify a target window will open by default in the same tab unless you override this via a middle-click or a Ctrl and left-click like posted above,

Thank you for help!

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jscher2000 said

If the problem is mainly with search engine results pages, check out this thread on how to get the search site to code the links to open in a new window (which Firefox will divert to a new tab): How can I get a new tab to open when I click on an option in a search I have done? More generally: multifunction extensions like Tab Mix Plus let you customize how links and bookmarks are opened in a wide range of ways. That's something to consider if Ctrl+click and middle-click (with your mouse scroll wheel) are hard to remember or hard to get used to.

Hi,

Tab Mix Plus solved my problem.

Thanks!

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Since the latest Firefox update, clicking on a link on a page (not necessarily from a search) will not open the tab, either on a new tab or in the tab I have open.

The only way I can reliably make a link work is to <Copy Link> and then click in the address bar and <Paste and go>. Then, I get a new tab with the linked page.

Could this be a new incompatibility with TabMix Plus? Or is it something happening in the update?

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WestofYouLB said

Since the latest Firefox update, clicking on a link on a page (not necessarily from a search) will not open the tab, either on a new tab or in the tab I have open.

That sounds like a different issue, and perhaps it deserves a new thread.

https://support.mozilla.org/questions/new/desktop/fix-problems

As always scroll down past suggestions to continue with the form.

Also, since you recently had a malware infection, you may also want to run some updated scans in case the bad add-on was just one of several problems on your system. See: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware.

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Hi WestofYouLB

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • switch to the DEFAULT theme: "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Appearance
  • do NOT click the "Refresh Firefox" button on the Safe Mode start window
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Thanks for the suggestion.

I tried Safe Mode, and once in that condition, every link I clicked performed correctly, without disabling anything. Default theme was, by the way, somehow not available.

But as in Safe Mode, at least, I couldn't duplicate the issue.

I hope there is a way out of this.

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Can you list your extensions?

If it works in Safe Mode and in normal mode with all extensions disabled ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) then try to find which extension is causing the problem by enabling one extension at a time until the problem reappears.

Close and restart Firefox after each change via one of these:

  • "3-bar" menu button -> Exit (Power button)
  • Windows: File -> Exit
  • Mac: Firefox -> Quit Firefox
  • Linux: File -> Quit