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External links overriding current tabs instead of opening a new tab
Hello,
I've recently switched to Firefox mobile on my Android (Samsung Galaxy 7) because the Samsung browser had a few issues. However, I'm having a few issues with tabs. There seems to be no setting for forcing an external link (from another app) to open in a new tab in Firefox. Instead, it overrides a current tab. Most people keep tabs open for later use, so I can't understand why Firefox would be designed to override that behavior. It's like going back in time before tabbed browsing became commonplace. I've tried editing about: config, but the setting "browser.link.open_external" is already set to 3, which as far as I can tell is supposed to open links in a new tab (why is there no manual/database somewhere with all the current about:config settings listed? How do people memorize what each number means? Why is this not more user-friendly?)
As you might be able to tell, I'm pretty frustrated as this is a very minor thing that should be easy to adjust in normal everyday settings. Everyone opens links in a new tab these days. It's much easier to close an extra tab than it is to find a site you were saving for later that got overridden by clicking a link.
Thanks for any help.
All Replies (4)
Hello, I've tried to replicate your problem but external links open in new tabs correctly in my case. I see you are using a relatively old version of Firefox for Android, have you tried updating to the lastest version of the app? (currently 68.6)
As a side note, if you want a list of about:config entries, here's one but I understand why it's not encouraged to modify them (it can easily create problems if you make a mistake).
Gewysig op
Thanks for your suggestion but Firefox is automatically updated and I'm using version 68.6.
I have my desktop set to open in a new tab for years yet my mobile never opens unless I long press. Sync is working. I believe I have everthing correct but I must be missing something. What must I do to open in a new tab?