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Middle Click To Open New Tab

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  • 2 have this problem
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  • Last reply by krustykobb

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When I middle click a link (e.g. a bookmark) to open a new tab, it automatically switches to this tab, and if possible I would like to disable this. Thanks in advance :)

When I middle click a link (e.g. a bookmark) to open a new tab, it automatically switches to this tab, and if possible I would like to disable this. Thanks in advance :)

Chosen solution

Sorry, I forgot about this pref that you can toggle on the about:config page:

  • about:config page: browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground = true

Note that you can toggle this by holding down the Shift key and middle-clicking the bookmark/link.

You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I'll be careful" to continue.


There are these prefs, accessible via the about:config page, to control the focus if you click a link.

  • browser.tabs.loadInBackground (normal links)
  • browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground (javascript)
  • browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground (bookmarks)
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All Replies (6)

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Hi!

Try this KB article and disable: "When I open a link in a new tab, switch to it immediately"

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/tab-preferences-and-settings

Let me know if that helps!

-Robert

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Hi,

This is already unchecked - the problem only appears to occur when I middle click a link bookmark in the bookmark bar, and not links within other sites

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Bookmarks always open immediately in a new tab (middle-click or Ctrl left-click) or the current tab (left-click) and you can't prevent that and open them in the background. Those settings only apply to links that you click on a web page.

See:

For links opened via JavaScript you can look at this pref:

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So there is no way that I can stop the bookmarks automatically being switched to when I open them? When I was using Chrome I would middle click a bookmark and it would load without switching to it

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Chosen Solution

Sorry, I forgot about this pref that you can toggle on the about:config page:

  • about:config page: browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground = true

Note that you can toggle this by holding down the Shift key and middle-clicking the bookmark/link.

You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I'll be careful" to continue.


There are these prefs, accessible via the about:config page, to control the focus if you click a link.

  • browser.tabs.loadInBackground (normal links)
  • browser.tabs.loadDivertedInBackground (javascript)
  • browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground (bookmarks)
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Thanks - changing the load bookmarks in background option in about:config solved my problem :)