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Only open links in new tab upon control+click

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I would like to decide for myself when new tabs are opened.

When a link is clicked using the mouse, the link should open in the current tab; however, when a link is clicked while holding down either control key, the link should open in a new tab.

The settings for `browser.link.open_newwindow` and `browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction` do not seem to account for this possibility.

How can users force unmodified hyperlink clicks to never open a new tab while forcing hyperlink clicks modified by the control key to always open in a new tab?

I would like to decide for myself when new tabs are opened. When a link is clicked using the mouse, the link should open in the current tab; however, when a link is clicked while holding down either control key, the link should open in a new tab. The settings for `browser.link.open_newwindow` and `browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction` do not seem to account for this possibility. How can users force unmodified hyperlink clicks to never open a new tab while forcing hyperlink clicks modified by the control key to always open in a new tab?

All Replies (1)

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Does this old advice not work? I haven't tested for ages...

Firefox takes its cue from how the site has coded its links. Usually they stay in the same tab, but they will open in a new window or tab if:

  • the site specifies a "target" in the link
  • the site attaches a script to the link that opens a new window

There is a group of setting that should force Firefox to ignore these aspects of the link, but I never tried it myself. If you want to experiment:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful or accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste neww and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Adjust the preferences as follows:

(A) browser.link.open_newwindow - for links in Firefox tabs

  • 3 = divert new window to a new tab (default)
  • 2 = allow link to open a new window
  • 1 = force new window into same tab <= Try this one

(B) browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction - for links in Firefox tabs

  • 0 = apply the setting under (A) to ALL new windows (even script windows with features) <= Try this one
  • 2 = apply the setting under (A) to normal windows, but NOT to script windows with features (default)
  • 1 = override the setting under (A) and always use new windows

(C) browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external - for links in other programs

  • -1 = apply the setting under (A) to external links (default)
  • 3 = open external links in a new tab in the last active window <= Try this one
  • 2 = open external links in a new window
  • 1 = open external links in the last active tab replacing the current page

To return to normal if things go haywire, right-click each "modified" preference and choose Reset.

If you need a test page: https://jeffersonscher.com/res/popit.html