Firefox open link in new tab sometimes loads link in current tab as well.
I regularly open links in a new tab to read later, especially for websites that I know will be slow to load (my internet is not great).
For the last couple of months, sometimes when I open a link in a new tab, it loads the link in the tab I'm in in addition to the new tab. If I go to the new tab immediately, wait for it to load the page completely, and then go back to the original tab to continue browsing in that tab, it's fine. If I open the link in a new tab and stay in the original tab to continue browsing further, the original tab will load the link in addition to the new tab so that the link is open in two tabs and the page I was on isn't in any tab. The back button still works, but it is INCREDIBLY annoying.
It doesn't do this on all links, but it consistently does that when I am using my Outlook email via webbrowser, and clicking on a link in the Washington Post email digest to a Washington Post article. For a while I thought it was just some weird thing in the Washington Post emails, but I have noticed it happening on other websites as well, most recently when I was on tumblr and clicked on a gofundme link.
Is this a general Firefox problem? a problem with an extension?
Chosen solution
Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.
- switch to the DEFAULT theme: "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Themes
- do NOT click the "Refresh Firefox" button on the Safe Mode start window
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems
If it works in Safe Mode and in normal mode with all extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) disabled then try to find which extension is causing the problem by enabling one extension at a time until the problem reappears.
Close and restart Firefox after each change via one of these:
- "3-bar" menu button -> Exit (Power button)
- Windows: File -> Exit
- Mac: Firefox -> Quit Firefox
- Linux: File -> Quit
All Replies (6)
Hi annahaugen, what method are you using to open the link in a new tab? For example:
- right-click > Open Link in New Tab
- middle-click with the mouse scroll wheel
- Ctrl+click
I've actually listed those in increasing order of risk of encountering this problem: most sites will not navigate on right-click, but many sites may treat a Ctrl+click as a regular click.
I use a laptop with a touchpad, and it happens both when the webpage automatically opens every link in a new tab (as with my outlook webmail) and when I right-click using the laptop touchpad.
You can check the browser.link.open_newwindow prefs on the about:config page to see if they are default.
You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I accept the risk!" to continue.
Chosen Solution
Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.
- switch to the DEFAULT theme: "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Themes
- do NOT click the "Refresh Firefox" button on the Safe Mode start window
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems
If it works in Safe Mode and in normal mode with all extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) disabled then try to find which extension is causing the problem by enabling one extension at a time until the problem reappears.
Close and restart Firefox after each change via one of these:
- "3-bar" menu button -> Exit (Power button)
- Windows: File -> Exit
- Mac: Firefox -> Quit Firefox
- Linux: File -> Quit
cor-el said
You can check the browser.link.open_newwindow prefs on the about:config page to see if they are default.
Here are the settings for browser.link.open_newwindow:
browser.link.open_newwindow 3 browser.link.open_newwindow.disabled_in_fullscreen false browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external -1 browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction 2 services.sync.prefs.sync.browser.link.open_newwindow true
Are they what they should be? I don't see any setting marked "default"
Modified by annahaugen
cor-el said
Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.
Thank you for the help. After going through all of my extensions, it appears to be WhatCampaign that's doing it. However, the weird behavior WhatCampaign is doing now is different from (but related to) what was happening before I disabled all extensions and then re-enabled them one by one. Before, it was (on some webpages, with some links) opening links in both a new tab and the current tab when it was only supposed to be opening it in a new tab. Now, having disabled and re-enabled every add-on one by one, when I have What Campaign enabled and open a link in a new tab it opens it in a new tab but not the original tab ... but it sends the original tab into an endless refresh loop. Weird. I've left a review on the extension, hope the dev figures out the problem and fixes it.