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?
246 comments
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jason chang
commented
We are about to go live with an intranet based on communications sites but have a complaint that every time a user clicks on a news post in carousel mode, it opens a new window.
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Melissa
commented
I also just got a ticket to research turning off the tab madness. It's a LOT of extra tabs since going to SharePoint Online. I get so frustrated that I periodically just have to close my whole browser several times a day because it's more mental effort to find the ones I wanted to leave open. Specifically this user is looking at forms in a form library and it opens the forms in a new tab.
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Karen
commented
We use SharePoint for a CRM site, and this is extremely frustrating. Staff is on the site all day every day, and the Modern Design with new tabs each time, results in dozens of tabs being open at a single time. Please stop the madness! This was NOT an issue in older versions of SharePoint, you broke something that was working well.
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Jake
commented
We have an organisational news site (Comm site) which has news posts, however when selected, it opens in a new tab, which isn't ideal at all.
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Fred Trigg
commented
This really needs sorting out Microsoft. We've moved to Modern and are constantly getting complaints from users about the number of tabs. It is surely an easy fix to simply have a check box to open in new tab or not. It is just some HTML mark up in the <a tag after all!
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Jaime Hand
commented
Has this been fixed? My site seams to be opening via in page navigation now. Curious if this works for others. I use Edge and Chrome.
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J.V.
commented
Yea it makes no sense why the News image it opens a new tab, but if you click the text from the News post it does not open a new tab. Please fix!
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jim
commented
Newsfeed webpart items open in a new tab when you click on the 'picture' part of a tile.
They open in same tab if you click on the text/link.
Depending on tile size, user is more likely to click on the 'picture' than on the words... and end up with 10 tabs open after just a little browsing. This is not OK.
Please allow for choice to have item open in same tab, or make this the default if it has to be one thing. -
Anonymous
commented
The newsfeed webpart is opening in new tabs. Its so frustrating, the behaviour seems to keep changing
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Barry Zickuhr
commented
As the initial entry says, this violates standard web behavior. Any link should open in the current tab unless it is clear that it opens in a new window. As others have expressed, it is very frustrating for users to open a link, click the back button and nothing happens - only to realize that they now have multiple tabs open.
Bad design. Please make this an optional toggle at the very least.
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Mike
commented
Please allow the option to control the new tsb option..
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Anonymous
commented
Field of type "Hyperlink" in a list leads to a document library. This link is created manually. No option to say if it should open in new tab or not --> will always open in new tab
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Mandino Nabula
commented
I need Quick Links to open on a new tab and I can't do it.
It's 2019 already, and Sharepoint still don't give the user the option to open on same tab or new tab of any link.. -
Carolyn Connors
commented
As a site administrator, I want the ability to specify if the button link opens a new tab or stays in the same window!
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Gilles Couzin
commented
@ADMIN
This is an issue with the 'Quick links' web part, for which there is no option to choose. So currently it can only be used for external links.
It would be good to have the choice as in the Text web part (i.e. links open in the same tab/window by default with the option to open them in a new tab).
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Derek D'Amore
commented
This honestly can't be that difficult to resolve... For system pages (Site Contents, Editing Views, etc...), DO NOT OPEN THEM IN A NEW TAB!!! It's crazy that we have to build custom extensions and deploy to the tenant to fix this.
Only open new tabs if the link is external to the tenant!
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Anonymous
commented
This is annoying to users!!! Users do NOT like it!
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Misty Miller
commented
We need a choice for all web parts and navigation. Each customer is unique and has specific requirements.
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Will Cooper
commented
This behavior is so broken. Microsoft please fix this issue. It is quite aggravating that I spawn 10+ tabs in my browser just navigating around in a modern site.
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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
