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Ctrl + click link opens in new tab but does not load - how do we enable it to load?

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If I hit ctrl + click on the link it will open in a new tab, however it does not load in these new tabs.

I will have to go to the new tab, select the location bar, and hit enter.

Is there a setting to change this in about:config?

Thank you

If I hit ctrl + click on the link it will open in a new tab, however it does not load in these new tabs. I will have to go to the new tab, select the location bar, and hit enter. Is there a setting to change this in about:config? Thank you

Chosen solution

The link should load. It's really strange that it doesn't.

Is the new tab that doesn't load the active tab or a background tab?

I can't think of a setting to intentionally leave a new tab in a "pending" state, unless that's a new feature (but I don't think it would be enabled by default).

Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

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All Replies (5)

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uninstall Firefox. Then Delete the Mozilla Firefox Folders in C:\Program Files , C:\Program Files(x86) & C:\ProgramData Then restart system. Then run Windows Disk Cleanup. (Note: This should be Pinned and run Weekly, If never done below expect 10's of gig's) Then run it again and click the button that says Cleanup System Files. Note: your Firefox Profile is saved. But you should make a back up before you do :

Reinstall with Current Release Firefox 59.0.1 with a Full Version Installer

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

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Chosen Solution

The link should load. It's really strange that it doesn't.

Is the new tab that doesn't load the active tab or a background tab?

I can't think of a setting to intentionally leave a new tab in a "pending" state, unless that's a new feature (but I don't think it would be enabled by default).

Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement?

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Pkshadow said

uninstall Firefox. Then Delete the Mozilla Firefox Folders in C:\Program Files , C:\Program Files(x86) & C:\ProgramData Then restart system. Then run Windows Disk Cleanup. (Note: This should be Pinned and run Weekly, If never done below expect 10's of gig's) Then run it again and click the button that says Cleanup System Files. Note: your Firefox Profile is saved. But you should make a back up before you do : Reinstall with Current Release Firefox 59.0.1 with a Full Version Installer Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.


Hi Pkshadow,

First off, thank you so much for such a detailed response, very helpful of you and I appreciate it.

Secondly, WOW lol - Is all of that necessary to be done in order to allow this to work?

I understand that I will backup my profile but will everything be restored without error?

- Will my profile save all of my info, cached, saved passwords, etc. in addition to any of my other customizations?

Also, will re-importing my profile into a new install bring back this new tab error?

Is there not a setting in about:config that enables/disables the new tab load?

My disk clean up has good upkeep, currently at 11MB

Thank you

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Hi jscher2000,

Thank you for such a simple yet painfully obvious solution.

Here's what I did:

I restarted in safe mode, the Ctrl + click featured work.

So I started Firefox again normally and disabled all plugins and tested one by one added them back in.

Thankfully I only have about 6 plugins so this was fast to find the culprit.

Internet Download Manger Module - I disabled it and it worked.

I opened this utility and there is a featured option that says "Force to download with IDM" and the hotkey was Ctrl.

So when you hold Ctrl + click this was causing the error. I've removed that hotkey. All is well now.

Thank you :)

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greyhood said

Internet Download Manger Module - I disabled it and it worked. I opened this utility and there is a featured option that says "Force to download with IDM" and the hotkey was Ctrl. So when you hold Ctrl + click this was causing the error. I've removed that hotkey. All is well now.

Thank you so much for reporting back on that. I never would have guessed a downloader as the culprit!