Check if it helps. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/startup-home-page-tabs-download-settings

I think you are referring to the Google image results page, which has Visit page and View image buttons. These are coded with target="_blank" which sites can use to direct a link to a new window or tab.

Rather than try to convince Firefox never to observe the target attribute, you might look for an add-on which allows you to strip them on a site-by-site basis (either an extension or a Greasemonkey user script).

You could try searching here:

• Extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/
• User scripts:
  • https://greasyfork.org/en
  • https://openuserjs.org/

If you want to request a script, you can join either of those sites and post a request on their forum:

• https://greasyfork.org/en/forum/categories/script-requests
• https://openuserjs.org/corner

Also, the forum software detected your Firefox as version 35. Is that correct?

Version 35 is not secure; Mozilla discloses security flaws after each new release. Is something holding you back from upgrading to Firefox 44? Please let us know so we can suggest solutions or workarounds.

If Help > About Firefox shows Firefox 44.0.2, you may need to clear the preference that is misreporting your version number. See: How to reset the default user agent on Firefox.

Please help, this has very recently started being an issue and I have not added any addons/extensions to cause this. It literally only affects the page in Google images with visit page and view image but for every single site I have tested so don't want to make an infinite list of exceptions. I don't see why I should have to add an extension to fix something that clearly is not how it should be working. My firefox is 44.0.2.

pgbearensen said

I don't see why I should have to add an extension to fix something that clearly is not how it should be working.

I don't know why you say this is not how it should be working. This is how Google has it set up on the image results page. I assume Firefox and other browsers on your system work the same with these buttons. Do you think Firefox is reading it wrong compared with another browser?

It literally only affects the page in Google images with visit page and view image but for every single site I have tested so don't want to make an infinite list of exceptions.

Exceptions? What kind of exceptions would you make?

As a temporary workaround, you can drag the button up and drop it on the address bar to open it in the same tab. But otherwise, you would need an add-on to modify how the page works.

I wrote a userscript for this. You need two things:

(1) Greasemonkey extension: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/greasemonkey/

Then after you install Greasemonkey and restart Firefox so it becomes enabled:

(2) Script: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/17459-google-images-un-target-to-open-in-same-tab

My point as i thought was clear is that google images has never done this before in the history of me using it. By this, I mean open any "view image" into another tab instead of within the tab I am currently using. This is very new to my firefox browsing experience. Hence my reasoning as to why there now has to be an extension implemented to bring back the functionality there was previously.

In answer to your do other browsers do this also question, the answer is an emphatic no, and neither did firefox until very recently.

Surely this is not how your google images has behaved previously as you are talking as if this is how it always has been?

In short, I now have to use this script you have provided to get it how it was. No?

Hi pgbearensen, I see the same behavior in both Firefox and Google Chrome, so I think this is how Google intends it to work. Or maybe it was an accident and they'll change it. But as far as I can tell, the code directing links to a new window/tab isn't being added by Firefox.

Surely this is not how your google images has behaved previously as you are talking as if this is how it always has been?

Actually, I don't remember how it worked before. To save time reloading results pages and articles, I reflexively launch most links in a new tab by holding down the Ctrl key when clicking, or I middle-click with the mouse scroll wheel.

Well thanks for your help jscher2000 I am using your script and it is working as I hoped it would. I am just confused as to this sudden change as I like to work from the same tab personally so this was a shock.