What happens if you click a link in another program, such as Adobe Reader or MS Word? Does Firefox also open that page in a separate window? If so, maybe changing the setting for external links will help with the external search. Here's how to change that:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config and press Enter. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the filter box, type or paste link.o and pause while the list is filtered.

(3) There are three similarly named preferences for different scenarios, we're going to focus on the third one, but I mention the others in case you have a question when you see them:

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

3 = divert new window to a new tab (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) 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) 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

Does setting that third preference to a value of 3 make any difference?

You can also consider to create a shortcut that opens a new tab by creating a copy of the Firefox desktop shortcut and appending the -new-tab and an URL to the command line.

• "<path_to_firefox.exe>\firefo.exe" -new-tab "about:home"

• https://developer.mozilla.org/Command_Line_Options

jschar2000 thanks for the response. Links from both Adobe Reader and MS Work open in new tabs. As I would like.

I changed (C) browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external to 3 as you suggested. It doesn't change things, Web searches started from Windows Desktop Search box still open a new Firefox window. The other settings you mentioned A) and B) are at the defaults you suggested.

Thanks co-rel. I tried the shortcut you mentioned, and launching the shortcut does indeed open a new tab. But I don't quite see how that would help with my problem. Web searches started from Windows Desktop Search box still open a new Firefox window.

The Windows Desktop Search box (I don't remember such a thing, but I haven't used XP for a long time) apparently has its own way to send a search to a browser which different from ordinary hyperlinks. Perhaps an old article out there on the web has tips on how to change its behavior.

Thanks for that jscher2000. When I have my default browser as IE or Chrome, searches from Windows Desktop Search do go to a new tab, not a new window, so I was hoping Firefox could behave the same way. I'll try a few more searches, but I tried extensively before asking here. Thanks again.

Never really solved my issue. In the end my workround was to let the search open in its new window, then DRAG the tab in that new window to the Firefox window I already had open. The tab is now where I want it, and the extra window disappears in the process.