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Some Links Opening Second/Third Instances of Firefox Despite Firefox already Being Open

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My problem is as described in the subject line: I'm getting multiple instances of Firefox opened when I click links from email or web pages.

This just started happening within the last couple of days. In the past, whenever I opened a link a new window was opened in the already open instance of Firefox. Somehow some setting has been changed (a guess) that has caused a change in behavior.

Firefox is my default browser, but I do keep Chrome open for some testing of HTML/CSS I'm writing. Chrome is NOT my default browser.

I did some searching without finding anything I understood well enough to implement.

I would appreciate any help with this issue as having multiple instances of the app running is driving my octogenarian brain nuts.

My problem is as described in the subject line: I'm getting multiple instances of Firefox opened when I click links from email or web pages. This just started happening within the last couple of days. In the past, whenever I opened a link a new window was opened in the already open instance of Firefox. Somehow some setting has been changed (a guess) that has caused a change in behavior. Firefox is my default browser, but I do keep Chrome open for some testing of HTML/CSS I'm writing. Chrome is NOT my default browser. I did some searching without finding anything I understood well enough to implement. I would appreciate any help with this issue as having multiple instances of the app running is driving my octogenarian brain nuts.

All Replies (1)

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Normally, when a link in a page in Firefox directs Firefox to launch it in a new window, Firefox diverts it to a new tab instead. There is a checkbox on the Settings page for that. To check on it, open the Settings page and read down to the third or fourth section ("Tabs"). Make sure the box is checked for:

[x] Open links in tabs instead of new windows

Is that turned on?

Sometimes the link calls a script that specifies the new window should have particular features, and you get a limited feature pop-up window where you can't edit the address bar. There is a hidden setting to force those into a tag as well. I'm going to point you to a test page on my website for more details:

https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/popit.html

Finally, links you launch outside of Firefox (for example, in Microsoft 365 apps or in Acrobat) can open either in a new tab or a new window based on another hidden setting. If the problem is with external links, please let us know for more information about those.

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