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?
264 comments
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David
commented
It's unbelievable that a simple change takes soooooo long. I'm sure it could be done in a day.
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Fredrik Sundlöf
commented
Just got back from the tab-jungle where I have been lost for 3 weeks. Clicked a link in Sharepoint mid February, got lost and was not found until rescue personel find me wandering around naked in the tab-jungle. My wife and kids reported me missing and the search was intense.
Watch out for the links in Sharepoint everybody, always tell someone where you are going and stay safe out there. Or you will end up with crrraaaazzzzzyyyyy number of tabs.
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Astrid
commented
NB! Please make it an option to open a new page or document in a new tab in lists and web parts. Even though it is against web standard, it sometimes is necessary and creates a better user experience. I am working on a project were it is important that documents open in a new tab, but unfortunately they open in the same tab when user click an URL in the list web part.
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Ed Sogolow
commented
Sop the madness, when working in SharePoint I end up with 15+ tabs and it gets ridiculously confusing. If I want a new tab let me decide.
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Anonymous
commented
Site Contents > Pages > Page1
it opens in a new tab. I don't like this either. Thanks!
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Barry Zickuhr
commented
Try this. Go to Site Contents on any modern page. Open any library or list. Bing! New tab.
stop this please. Seriously, this is ridiculous.
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Anonymous
commented
MS needs this explained???? On the document/list level, there is the option to open in new tab or not, but at the site/subsite/quick launch level it should be, too. Endless tabs are confusing for an end user. They are impractical. Give us the option to choose the behavior we desire! After 3 years and still no action, I'm assuming MS just doesn't care.
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Anonymous
commented
Just adding my voice here in case the number of comments makes a difference to Microsoft. This is user hostile. Please fix this defect.
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Shrinika Atapattu
commented
Customer Users want to open links in New window whether it's internal or external. Some users understand the behavior you mention above. But most of the ones don't like to open a link within the same page. We need attention to this matter.
Thanks
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Anonymous
commented
This is still going on after all this time? Can someone please just use SharePoint for a day and see how many tabs they end up with?
I too am astounded this still has a "tell us more" badge - any navigation between items in Site Contents (all document libraries etc) will always open a new tab.
Default best practice is and always was "links within the same site should open in the same browser window"
That's all that needs to be said - option to turn off and on might be nice, but the first simple step seems like it should be an easy fix, and yet here we are still.
(Please fix, thanks!)
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Scott LaPlante
commented
I can't believe this needs explaining. It's ridiculous that endless tabs should open just by navigating though a few pages on one site. It's confusing, and impractical, never mind the system resources being consumed for no good reason. Please end the insanity. At the very least, give us an option to choose the behavior we prefer.
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Katie Tipley
commented
I second what Laura said.
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Laura Calaway
commented
I simply want to be able to control the behavior based on whether it's top navigation, side navigation, in a Text web part, or a Quick Links web part.
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Matt B
commented
I see this when someone is looking at a SharePoint calendar and click on an existing item to view, edit, or delete it, it always opens in a new tab. Then that tab is the one that goes back to the calendar when the event is saved, so now there are two tabs. If I need to edit or view more than one item, the tabs quickly multiply.
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jason chang
commented
When I open a news post by clicking on an image, it opens in a new window but when i click on the text in the bottom of the image in the news post widget, it opens in the same window. Please make the behavior the same for both!
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Anonymous
commented
Can you please tell us the status of this request?
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kevinh
commented
This is a bottleneck for most SharePoint environments @customers.
Users a getting lost within there own intranets because of all the tabs that are opened in the browser. -
Britta
commented
I am desperately trying to open SharePoint pages and documents in the Quick Links App in a new tab.
Could you please add a menu where the user can choose whether to open in the same or in an new tab like it is possible in the text Editor app.
The Default Settings are very limiting! -
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.
