What did you set for your settings? Did you look there yet?

The basic setting is on the Options page.

You can check that here:

• Windows: "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options
• Mac: "3-bar" menu button (or Firefox menu) > Preferences
• Linux: "3-bar" menu button (or Edit menu) > Preferences
• Any system: type or paste about:preferences into the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it

Scroll down to the Tabs section and make sure the box is checked for "Open new windows in a new tab instead"

Now... Firefox does make an exception in some cases:

• Firefox may not be able to open a new tab in certain kinds of pop-up windows. Typically you would recognize these as "dialog" style because most of the toolbar is missing and you do not have a tabs bar.

• If it's a normal window, there may be a script attached to the link. To force scripts to launch new windows in a new tab, you may need to modify a setting. Here's how:

(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) <= This should already be set; if it's not, right-click > Reset to restore the default
• 2 = allow link to open a new window
• 1 = force new window into same tab

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

• 0 = apply the setting under (A) to ALL new windows (even script windows) <= 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) <= this should already be set; if it's not, right-click > Reset to restore the default)
• 3 = open external links in a new tab in the last active window
• 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.

Does that help with the problem links?

I want a link to go to a new window instead of a new tab. Most people want the reverse. I came across a lot of information that showed how to fix the reverse, in the about:config.

browser.link.open_newwindow browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction

I set them according to jscher2000 's directions, but I cannot find the value for this:

browser.link.open_newwindow.disabled_in_fullscreen

'And I am still not getting a new window when I click on a link'.

Does anyone know what that value is for a link to open in a new window instead of a tab?

Thanks!

Hi ccarden, if the page has set up a link to open in a new window using either of the customary methods --

• setting a target attribute in the link
• using the window.open() script function

-- then setting browser.link.open_newwindow to 2 should prevent Firefox from diverting those links to a new tab.

That has no effect on links that are not specially coded; those will open in the same tab. Firefox does not have a built-in feature to force ALL links, specially coded or not, into a new window or tab.

(The browser.link.open_newwindow.disabled_in_fullscreen preference is a boolean (true/false) preference. Those are the only two choices.)

You can hold the Shift key and left-click a link to force opening in a new window.