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How do i make "open in new window" the default, I don't like tabs

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Hi... I do not like tabs. I NEVER want ANY link to open in a tab. I want all links to open in a new window. Always. How do I set Firefox so that this will happen forever, without fail?

With the most current Firefox (54.1I believe) on my recently deceased desktop, I had accomplished this. I have now forgotten how to do it and find it increasingly difficult to locate option.

Thank you!

Hi... I do not like tabs. I NEVER want ANY link to open in a tab. I want all links to open in a new window. Always. How do I set Firefox so that this will happen forever, without fail? With the most current Firefox (54.1I believe) on my recently deceased desktop, I had accomplished this. I have now forgotten how to do it and find it increasingly difficult to locate option. Thank you!

All Replies (5)

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For links in web pages: if they are coded to open in a new window, Firefox will divert them to a new tab by default. You can turn that off on the Options page: Startup, home page, tabs, and download settings. Does that work?

Links in web pages that are not coded to open in a new window just open in the same tab.

Firefox will use a new tab for certain internal pages, for example: Options page, Add-ons page. There is no built-in setting to open those in a new window instead. Hopefully those are not a significant problem for you.

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Most extensions are about opening links in a new tab in the same window instead of opening the link in the current tab. I don't know if there are extensions to open links by default in a new window. The usual way to force a link that opens in the same tab to open in a new window is to hold the Shift key and left-click a link.

See also Tab Mix Plus.

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Thanks to all for the fast replies. With other help, I think I've found what I was looking for:

 3-bar menu
 Options
 Tabs

Uncheck box for "open new window in a tab instead"

Now... I swear I had done this before on this new computer a couple of times, and the browser reverts back to opening in tabs, the box is checked. I will see how it goes and keep all other solutions at hand.

I have been using FireFox since the beginning. I like that it lets me see the web the way I want to see it. I hope it will continue to do this without forcing new stuff, like tabs, upon me!

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jscher2000 said

For links in web pages: if they are coded to open in a new window, Firefox will divert them to a new tab by default. You can turn that off on the Options page: Startup, home page, tabs, and download settings. Does that work? Links in web pages that are not coded to open in a new window just open in the same tab. Firefox will use a new tab for certain internal pages, for example: Options page, Add-ons page. There is no built-in setting to open those in a new window instead. Hopefully those are not a significant problem for you.

I also hate tabs. I have Firefox Quantum 57 (don't know when the "quantum" part came in...I thought the logo looked a bit different). Maybe that made the change, but suddenly I have tabs. I want to open new content in a window instead of a tab, but when I go to startup/tabs, the "open new windows in a new tab instead" box is already unchecked, so I don't know why this is happening and how I can stop it. Thanks.

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Hi KimC27, when are you getting new tabs? Link, bookmark, search, address bar, etc.?