Clicking a link will not open a new tab
On a Win7 computer, Firefox 34.0.5 works fine for the administrator account. For the user account however, a new tab will not open when clicking on a link in a web page. The settings under options / tabs are all checked properly. I have uninstalled Firefox, removed all the files from the profile directory for the user, then reinstalled Firefox - got the same result. I even uninstalled Flash player per https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1032376 - still, a new tab will not open when clicking on a link in a web page. Have tried safe mode and restoring defaults without any luck. I suspect the answer is simple (Occam's razor) - just can't seem to find it though.
All Replies (17)
I've called the big guys to help you. Good luck.
Is this part of a network (work for example) ?
Is the user just a user, restricted in some way, administrator?
The computer is a free-standing home system, not part of a network. And the user account is just a user account, not the administrator. I have tried changing the account to administrator without any change - a new tab will still not open when clicking on a link in a web page.
Boot the computer in Windows Safe Mode with network support (press F8 on the boot screen) as a test.
It is possible that your security software (firewall, anti-virus) blocks or restricts Firefox or the plugin-container process without informing you, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program.
Remove all rules for Firefox and the plugin-container from the permissions list in the firewall and let your firewall ask again for permission to get full, unrestricted, access to install for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.
See:
I had both the firewall and anti-virus disabled during the re-installation, so this is not the issue. Additionally, on previous versions of Firefox, a new tab would open when clicking on a link in a web page. It only started happening on a later version of Firefox. (I can't tell you what version it stopped working as it is not my computer - it belongs to a friend - I am just working on it for her.)
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.
See "Creating a profile":
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues
If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.
Does the Firefox have any king of blocking add-ons? Are there any blocking programs, including virus protection?
Start your Computer in safe mode. Then start Firefox. Try Safe web sites.
Apologies if this seems like a stupid question but I don't want to guess wrong and give you a lot of useless advice...
What currently happens when you click a link?
- Link opens in the same tab
- Link opens in a new window
- Nothing happens, Firefox doesn't open the link at all
Are there particular sites where you have this problem or is it on all sites?
The link opens in the same window. It's not unique to any site, it's consistent.
FredMcD said
Does the Firefox have any king of blocking add-ons? Are there any blocking programs, including virus protection? Start your Computer in safe mode. Then start Firefox. Try Safe web sites. Starting The Computer In Safe Mode;
Free Online Encyclopedia
No there are no blocking add-on's. I will try it in safe mode to see if that helps.
cor-el said
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem. See "Creating a profile": If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.
Creating a new profile is something I did not think of - thank you - I will try that and see what happens.
Hi postseason,
Your last post was merely a copy of another post. Did you post that because it was corel's answer that worked ?
(These sort of replies are a new forum feature, I think there is an intention to re-label the reply button a quote)
Type about:config<Enter> in the address bar. If a warning screen comes up, press the Be Careful button. This is where Firefox finds information it needs to run. At the top of the screen is a search bar. Type link
Compare your settings with these;
Just a thought.
The default action of most links, when left clicked, is to open in the same tab.
Try it with the links that are names under avatars on your question page.
If you wish to open such links in a new tab you need another method for instance
right click -> Open Link in New Tab.
Middle Click
FredMcD said
Type about:config<Enter> in the address bar. If a warning screen comes up, press the Be Careful button. This is where Firefox finds information it needs to run. At the top of the screen is a search bar. Type link Compare your settings with these;
NOTE
- Default values in order are 3, false, 1, 2
- User set means changed from default, and they display as bold
- You could also filter on "tabs" those settings would be expected to be
in light grey not bold black, if your tabs settings are at default values.
Hi postseason, you said
The link opens in the same window. It's not unique to any site, it's consistent.
As John99 stated, that is the normal way that Firefox handles links. The setting in options refers to when links are coded to open in a new window, do you want a new window or do you prefer a new tab.
In addition to the methods John99 listed, Ctrl+click opens a link in a new tab (nearly always; links intercepted by scripts can evade it).
If you want ALL links to AUTOMATICALLY open in a new tab, you would need an add-on for that. I don't use it myself, but Tab Mix Plus has a very rich set of options for where to open links, bookmarks, etc. You can read more about it here:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/tab-mix-plus/
As a footnote, Google has a search preference (here) that codes results to open in a new window, so that's why I asked if you only noticed the difference on particular sites.