Stop opening links in new tab in modern pages
Please stop opening links in a new tab by default in modern pages.
It is against standard web behaviour (https://www.w3.org/TR/2012/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20120103/G200), and is confusing to users when they end up with 10+ tabs open when navigating even the simplest site.
Make it optional by all means, it makes sense in a number of cases, just please not by default.
Cameron Monks
shared this idea
In modern pages, we open links within SharePoint in the same tab by default, and external links in a new tab. In the text web part, users can specify to open links in a new tab, but that isn’t the default behavior. Similarly, for navigation links, they follow the same rule (within SharePoint, same tab, external to SharePoint in a new tab). This is true of the modern web parts that support linking as well (hero, quick links, images, etc.) This is the pattern we’ve adopted for consistency.
After reviewing other areas of modern sites, like the site pages library, document libraries, lists, site contents, etc. we did find some different opening behaviors which we’ll review and resolve.
Can you help us understand if this pattern isn’t meeting your expectation, if we have some inconsistencies within modern pages we’ve missed, or if it’s the other areas of modern sites where we need to focus more attention?
227 comments
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Max
commented
As there is still no solution from Microsoft (!!!) - I just used this one - easy to install and to deploy and it will just stop opening SharePoint Modern sites in new tabs: https://www.tecconsult.at/products/sharepoint-online-open-link-in-same-window-tab
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Dave S
commented
0-100 (Tabs) in under 4 seconds... Faster than a Tesla
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Jeff Benetti
commented
Interesting to note that this page DOES NOT open new tabs when you click links. I'm guessing that its because the new tabs behavior is REALLY ANNOYING. For real site development I generally only open a new tab if the link is external to the organization.
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LLB
commented
Yes, extremely annoying to have multiple windows open for each app - would prefer a new tab (not have ump-teen different windows). Super irritating!
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KTNN
commented
It would be important to have links to files always open in a new window because users have been used to open files in client applications and close the application when they finished reading.
The pattern offered by Microsoft is interesting (May 15, 2019) because it allows at least some consistency. However it would be more convenient to let users choose. If you search for 'open link new window' you will see plenty of more votes in this direction.
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Scott
commented
Why is there a restriction in the first place and not user choice?
Difficulty I am having is setting a default, but some users may want to open content in a different tab. The usual way they would do this is to hold ctrl or right click, but doing this on a link in a Hero web part opens the image in a new tab! This is bizarre behaviour, there is no use case for that when someone is expecting a web page.
Please fix this, allow users to make a choice when they are browsing sites. I'm already fielding questions about it.
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Anonymous
commented
Is there a roadmap on when this will be addressed? It seems crazy that there is not an option for an organization to choose the behavior they are expecting for their customers.
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Anonymous
commented
Clicking to edit a library view opens a new tab, clicking to edit metadata opens a new tab. In 30 min I have 23 tabs open and can't figure out which one is which. Have resorted to closing the browser and starting over. Multiple times. Very frustrating. If I was a user with visual restrictions, either not seeing the new tab opening or seeing only a very small portion of the screen it would be even harder to work with this. Please, please fix or give an option for site collection admins to set all links to open in same tab.
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Anonymous
commented
Every click in Site Contents opens a new tab - when working on a new site recently, I ended up with over 20 tabs open! This should be default "open in same tab" with the ability for users to customize "open in separate tab" as needed. It's counter-productive to search through 20 tabs to figure out where I started, and to then have to close all the redundant tabs to continue working.
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Tony Perrin
commented
If the option to specify same tab or new tab has been applied to the Text web part, surely this could be added to the other 'link' web parts so that each individual link has the option.
We have many links to PDFs across many SharePoint Online sites and users are constantly closing the browser inadvertantly when they are only trying to close the PDF and return to the page they came from.
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David Mann
commented
1. Clicking on any lists or libraries from the Site Contents page opens them in a new tab
2. Clicking all-items search from the list search page opens a new tab
3. Clicking any pages from a View in the Pages library opens them in a new tab
4. Clicking a link from the list search opens it in a new tabJust tested all of these today. There are probably more, those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head.
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Cheryl
commented
We need to be given the choice on how every link opens. The customer has specific needs, not one size fits all.
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Dave Gorman
commented
Needs to be set by user. I was demoing SPO to a new staff member and got dizzy at the number of tabs open.
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Anonymous
commented
We should be given the option of how we want the link to open when we create it, either in the current tab or new tab. This has been a feature of so many web applications for so long, I'm shocked it doesn't work in SharePoint Online.
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Cindy
commented
We are developing a new intranet, in the top navigation panel which shows across all sites, I want the headers to become landing pages. The functionality is there, I can change header to URL - BUT - Those landing pages insist on opening in a new tab, but all the pages linked to in the dropdown list below to pages across sites in the one tenant open in the same tab. Can you please figure out a fix for this?
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Anonymous
commented
Despite you suggest otherwise, 100% of my portal users are asking me to make links open in a new tab by default.
What can I do to meet their requirements?
my site is
https://spo-teamsite.ge.com/sites/RENOpsPortalLAM -
Ross
commented
Site navigation has improved, except when in a document library, all site links open in new tab.
Pretty frustrating user experience - please sort this out MS. -
Jacob
commented
All my links/files/folders open in the same tab, I wish I could have the option to open them in a new tab via middle-click.
edit: I mainly work from the Shared Documents library folder. If I want to open an Excel file in a new tab I have to manually open a new tab and navigate to the SP folder I want.
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Cindy
commented
This is very frustrating. Please make open in same tab by default no matter type of link, let us decide if an external link needs to open in a new tab.
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beatriz.alentejano
commented
Please open in the same tab by default. Please respect WCAG accessibility guideline technique G200 https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G200
