This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Mulongo oyo etiyamaki na archive. Tuna motuna mosusu soki osengeli na lisalisi

How to prevent sites knowing when I select text?

  • 6 biyano
  • 0 eza na bankokoso oyo
  • 16 views
  • Eyano yasuka ya cor-el

more options

I've been trying to copy an email address someone emailed me. (I use Microsoft Outlook.)

However, when I try to select the email address, Outlook seems to know I've selected it and performs some action, taking me to a different page. VERY ANNOYING!

Sites shouldn't be able to know when you're selecting text - that has nothing to do with them! How do I disable this?

I've been trying to copy an email address someone emailed me. (I use Microsoft Outlook.) However, when I try to select the email address, Outlook seems to know I've selected it and performs some action, taking me to a different page. VERY ANNOYING! Sites shouldn't be able to know when you're selecting text - that has nothing to do with them! How do I disable this?

Ezalaki modifié na MartyJames

Solution eye eponami

Can you use the keyboard (possibly Tab and Ctrl+A and Ctrl+C)?

Tanga eyano oyo ndenge esengeli 👍 2

All Replies (6)

more options

Have you tried with the developer tool?

more options

Is this on a webpage or in an editable text area ?

If that email text is linkified (active) then you might be able to use "Copy Link Location" without the need to select it.

more options

Thanks cor-el. The email isn't in an editable text area and it's not a link. It's in the "To:" box at the top of the email.

I can find a workaround to getting the email address (including just reading what it says and typing it myself) but the big problem here is that I really don't want websites to know when I'm selecting text, that has nothing to do with them. It annoys me that they can see where my cursor is. Too intrusive. I just want websites to be pages of unchanging text, not have all these interactive features!

more options

Solution eye oponami

Can you use the keyboard (possibly Tab and Ctrl+A and Ctrl+C)?

more options

Cor-el to the rescue! You really are a superhero! :-)

Using the keyboard to select the text WORKED!

Though I'm still bummed out with the fact that websites have so much power, and there's so much javascript these days. You can't even save a web page any more as what you save typically looks like garbage without all the online scripts running!

more options

You can take a screenshot of the page or print the page to PDF if you need an exact copy.