Middle-click to open in new tab is buggy after update.
Middle-click to open in new tab is wildly inconsistent, even on the same link on the same site in the same session. I'd say it works about 10% of the time after the recent 78.0.1 update. I verified my mouse's middle-click operation at https://www.onlinemictest.com/mouse-test/, so I know the middle-clicks are registering and the problem is with Firefox.
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What mouse do you use ?
You need to make sure that you set the action for the middle mouse button to default to make this work properly in Firefox.
Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.
- switch to the DEFAULT theme: "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Themes
- do NOT click the "Refresh Firefox" button on the Safe Mode start window
cor-el said
You need to make sure that you set the action for the middle mouse button to default to make this work properly in Firefox.
As a footnote, here's how you check that:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.
(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste midd and pause while the list is filtered
(3) If the browser.tabs.opentabfor.middleclick preference has a value of false, double-click it to restore the default value of true
More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox.
I actually meant to refer to the mouse driver settings in the Windows Control Panel as some mice support special actions for the middle mouse button and possibly scrolling with the mouse wheel, but checking mouse settings in Firefox wouldn't hurt.
Cool thought, but re-read my post:
"...even on the same link on the same site in the same session. I'd say it works about 10% of the time..."
It works sometimes. Not all the time. Maybe 10% of the time. I tested my mouse and it's fine. I looked at my setting (firefox, OS, and driver) and they're fine. None of that is the problem. It's clearly Firefox, since it happens on just about every site, with every link, in every session.
UPDATE: the problem exists even with bookmarks on my bookmark toolbar.
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I haven't seen any other reports of this yet, but Firefox 78 has only been out for a few days. Some possible scenarios are:
- Corrupted program files (can be replaced without affecting data)
- User data or add-on problem (could test a new profile to (in)validate)
- New incompatibility with your hardware/drivers (could test a new profile to (in)validate)
Perhaps we should start with the quickest test:
New Profile Test
This takes about 3 minutes, plus the time to test some links.
Inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.
Click the "Create a New Profile" button, then click Next. Assign a name like July2020, ignore the option to relocate the profile folder, and click the Finish button.
After creating the profile, scroll down to it and click the Launch profile in new browser button.
Firefox should open a new window that looks like a brand new, uncustomized installation. (Your existing Firefox window(s) should not be affected.) Please ignore any tabs enticing you to connect to a Sync account or to activate extensions found on your system so we can get a clean test.
Does middle-clicking links work more consistently in the new profile?
When you are done with the experiment, you can close the extra window without affecting your regular Firefox profile. (July2020 will remain available for future testing.)
IMPORTANT: Creating a new profile may change your default. If your regular profile has a Set as Default Profile button after this test, click that to make sure your next startup doesn't yield a surprise.
@jscher2000 - tried a new profile plus some time clicking around links. It seems like the first dozen links I middle-clicked didn't open in new tabs as expected, but since then, I've had no problems.
The inconsistency is really weird. Any change in your normal profile by this time?
Nope. In fact, I have this thread bookmarked in my bookmarks toolbar. On receiving the email notification that it had a new post, I middle-clicked the bookmark. It did not open.
It takes about 12-15 middle-clicks to open a link in a new tab, despite https://www.onlinemictest.com/mouse-test/ showing that every middle-click is individually registered.
Does starting Firefox in Safe Mode make any difference ?
Safe mode solves nothing.
New update: I've completely reinstalled Firefox, reinstalled mouse software and verified its behavior, both within and without Firefox, and the problem remains.
Really weird. I haven't an issue with either 78.0.1 or with 78.0.2 on Win7.
Do you have another mouse to check if that issue is due to the the middle-button on that mouse?
If your mouse is wireless, could the battery be weak?
I use middle-click so often that years ago I was wearing out the middle-roller-button like every 15 months or so. The spring was wearing out and / or the middle-button contact was "bouncing" some times and it would double-click. Did surgery on a few of then to see what failed, and got a couple working using a spring from a ballpoint pen. Damn, I can be cheap at times ...
Don't laugh, I got like 8 wireless (meese? mice? mouses?) from a clearance table @ RadioShack in 2001 for $10 for all of them. Good dual scroll-wheel "house brand" mouse and when WinME came out different drivers were needed, so they cleared them out. Worked fine for me with the default Microsoft drivers (sans the 2nd horizontal scroll wheel which Firefox didn't use anyways - but IE did). In total I got a decade of use out of them.