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Allow to highlight text that is URL for example header

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  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by akjanik

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Go for example to: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/ You can click "Get community support" or "index" links, but you can't hold left mouse button and highlight the text, so you can for example copy or search phrase. I'd like to do that.

Go for example to: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/ You can click "Get community support" or "index" links, but you can't hold left mouse button and highlight the text, so you can for example copy or search phrase. I'd like to do that.

Chosen solution

On Linux I can hold the right Alt key and drag the mouse over a live link to select part of the link. I don't know if there is something similar on Windows. If Alt doesn't work then try to press and hold the mouse key just below the link and then move it up to select part of the link.


Bug 378775 - implement Opera's behavior for selecting text inside of a link and link drag and drop

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Hi akjanik, for using the context search, Firefox will search for the text of the link when you right-click it and select Search Google for [text].

But if you wanted to be able to copy the link text, it's not so easy. The links in the header bar on this site are a bit extreme in that they have something like quarter inch of active link area on each side. You have to move the mouse further and further until the "pointer" turns back into and arrow before you can start selecting.

If the mouse doesn't work, a cumbersome keyboard method is as follows:

  • double-click some text above or to the left of the link you want to select
  • press the Tab key to select the link (you may need to press a few times if there are links or form fields in between)
  • when the dotted outline appears around the link, use keyboard selection to select the wording (for example, hold down Shift and press the right arrow repeatedly, or Ctrl+right arrow to select the whole word)

In this case, because there's no plain text above or to the left of the first part of the header bar, you have to do it backwards:

  • double-click some text below or to the right of the link you want to select
  • press the Shift+Tab key to jump backwards and select the link (you may need to press a few times if there are links or form fields in between)
  • when the dotted outline appears around the link, use keyboard selection to select the wording (for example, hold down Shift and press the right arrow repeatedly, or Ctrl+right arrow to select the whole word)

Maybe there's an add-on for this?

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Chosen Solution

On Linux I can hold the right Alt key and drag the mouse over a live link to select part of the link. I don't know if there is something similar on Windows. If Alt doesn't work then try to press and hold the mouse key just below the link and then move it up to select part of the link.


Bug 378775 - implement Opera's behavior for selecting text inside of a link and link drag and drop

Modified by cor-el

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cor-el said

On Linux I can hold the right Alt key and drag the mouse over a live link to select part of the link. I don't know if there is something similar on Windows.

Why yes there is! Very useful.

It seems safe for regular links. If the link has a script handler attached, it may fire unless I keep move the mouse pointer until it turns back into an arrow before lifting my finger. (For example, "Common responses" above this box I'm typing in right now.)

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Solution by @cor-el works, thank you! Quick note: I am linux user too, and I use XFCE. Here, you need to first change the following: "Window Manager Tweaks" -> "Accessibility" -> "Key used to gram and move windows" to something different, as Alt key is default one. Other way is to remap Firefox keys, but it's not my case, Alt for this is fine for me.