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?
295 comments
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David
commented
Seems the behaviour changed for me recently. Whenever I click a link leading to a different SharePoint group, it opens in a new tab. I prefer this not happening. Can it by default be opened in the same tab and even better, as many have mentioned, give us the power to decide how we want the navigation to behave?
This applies to navigation menus es0ecially for my part.
Thank you. -
David
commented
Microsoft, it has been more than a year since you asked for more feedback, when will you be doing something about this issue!! How can you not understand the problem by now?!
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Anonymous
commented
I strongly recommend that users have the option to select to open URL's in new tab or same tab.
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rajesh
commented
It will be better if user have option to select to open URL's in new tab or same tab.
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P FLynn
commented
And the default is not staying in the same tab. If on a page with web parts - if clicking on a library web part, it opens in a new tab. If clicking on settings or the main library page, it opens new tabs.....
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P FLynn
commented
This is a mess - managing the libraries results in 20 open tabs in no time. Bad experience and as prior commenter said - not adhering to accessibility requirements. Please fix this.
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Denis Molodtsov
commented
"In modern pages, we open links within SharePoint in the same tab by default, and external links in a new tab" - This is great as a default behavior. However, this is not OK to not give an option to the content managers. Suggestion to add a hyperlink via a text webpart is a temporary bandage.
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Anonymous
commented
Every time I click on an existing record, I get a new tab. I open many records daily, I end up with 20+ tabs open, this is not right, and very frustrating! Can you please fix this so we can change it or that is defaults to the same tab. Why hasn't this been fixed? Is there a way around it???
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Andrew Maney
commented
The 'target=' attribute has been a standard part of links since the beginning ... but after watching Microsoft's epic failure making an internet browser that works, this oversight is no surprise :-(
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Anonymous
commented
We should have an option to choose how we want links to open when they are added to quick links.
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Salman
commented
Can we add a feature to open current site links in NEW TAB
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Rachel
commented
I agree, it's confusing to see multiple tabs opened from the same page. Please correct this behavior or let us make the choice if we want this action or not.
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Francisco Venerio
commented
So the last response from Microsoft was 1 year ago "we did find some different opening behaviors which we’ll review and resolve" how long should we need to wait to get this fixed!!! it's very annoying to have a lot of tabs open in my browser
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Joe Dunn
commented
Tabs, tabs, and more tabs...this should get fixed! When opening from a Pages library (or a view of one) should NOT keep opening in new tabs! Simple nav basics...just trying to get around a few pages results in a dozen tabs, ludicrous.
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J DesChenes
commented
PLEASE provide an easy option to open images in a new tab. Default within Sharepoint in same tab is fine, but in some cases we want the user to have both tabs open. Need the option to properly manage our sites!
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Lin Zhang commented
This is really annoying! You can easily get 10+ tabs in a few minutes. It shouldn't be that hard to fix it!
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Angela Ashby
commented
Wholehearted support for this issue.
At present, forcing users to open external links in a new tab goes against the WCAG 2.1 AAA standard (https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#change-on-request) - by 'standardising', you are disadvantaging disabled users. Your design is *not* putting accessibility first, as recently asserted by a Microsoft employee at the Kent Digital Accessibility Conference, and it is one step away from being illegal.
Please change this link behaviour to be a default, rather than the only option. As stated below, site owners need the ability to choose where their links open to better address the needs of their users.
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Mandino Nabula
commented
I would like Microsoft to add the option to open links in the same tab or a new tab. Sometimes it is needed to open on the same page and sometimes you need to open in a different tab. It has nothing to do with "Standardization", it has to be the decision of the site owner where you need the link to open, and I found it really annoying that Quick Links don't allow you to open links in a different tab.
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Andrew
commented
So I am going to go against the grain here. While I am with most of you that is frustrating when designing pages, could you add an option to open a quick-link/other webpart links in new tabs?
I have been requested to design a page where links open in new tabs, and DO NOT want to have to do the entire page as plain text to accomplish this. The new webparts are great, but if they can't do what I want, then this site is going to look like trash...but at least it will do what I want?
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Kyle Ohmann
commented
Every time I edit a view it opens in another tab - VERY FRUSTRATING! Please fix this behavior.
