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?
349 comments
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David
commented
Every time I edit a view, it opens in a new tab. Why? This is especially annoying when I am initially setting up a new view and there is a lot of column formatting. Every time I save it to view the changes, and go to edit it to tweak any formatting, a new tab opens. Before I know it, I have 10 tabs open of the same view!
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Anonymous
commented
It's navigating within the site contents itself that we need documents to open within the same tab!
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Alvaro
commented
A bypass solution that i found is to format column -> advance and put the following json. in a new column, or the same if you want.
{
"$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/column-formatting.schema.json",
"elmType": "a",
"txtContent": "@currentField",
"attributes": {
"target": "",
"href": "='https://empresassk.sharepoint.com/sites/ "
}
}href could be any link you want, or a combination of a link and information of a column por instance
"href": "='https://empresassk.sharepoint.com/sites/'+[$FileLeafRef] "
txtContent also could be the name of another column
"txtContent": "[$FileLeafRef] "
eliminate the space before the last quote (").
[$internalname] you can search how to find the internal name of sharepoint columns on the internet.
Hope it helps.
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Mark
commented
This is so very bad. I am working with a client who is implementing a couple of very simple lists. If I have the list showing on the home page everything opens in a new tab.
If I'm "in the list" it opens a form from the right
If I click on a link in that list it opens a new tab.
It might be seen as "consistency" by Microsoft admin people, but it is "confusion" for normal people.
A pattern of opening things in the same window is probably more consistent than the current implementation.
Please consider a simple check box to allow the freedom for a user to choose.
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Anonymous
commented
For what it's worth... this is silly
Anyone with the technological acumen to set up a SharePoint site, should also be aware of the implications of having links open/not open in new tabs.
Give users the option to set up navigation to best satisfy their needs... not in the way that Microsoft *thinks* is best.
Thanks!
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Sally Jacunski
commented
We are implementing full ADA compliance and one aspect of that is the requirement to open new tabs only under circumstances where it is necessary. That isn't very often, and certainly not for every external link or document.
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Neko Ferro
commented
Decades of usability research has shown links opening in new tabs is a terrible user experience. My own recent usability studies at Marsh McLennan has shown this as well. Users lose the ability to press "back" on their browswer when this happens, or can't find the tab they came from. This bad UX is compounded even more on mobile, where the concept of "tabs" is much more difficult.
I am suprised a company as large as Microsoft does not have an experienced UX lead on the project that would have highlighted this problem. Not opening links in new tabs is usability 101.
Here is some relevant research from Nielsen Norman group:
---
Since 1999, it's been a firm web-usability guideline to refrain from opening new browser windows for several reasons. All of these also apply to opening new browser tabs and are still valid today:
More windows or tabs increase the clutter of the user’s information space and require more effort to manage.
New windows or tabs can cause disorientation, with users often not realizing that a new window or tab has opened. This problem is exacerbated on mobile, where the old window is never visible.
Less-technical users struggle to manage multiple windows and tabs, especially on mobile. (On tablets, where users can have both multiple windows and tabs for the browser, it’s even more confusing.)New windows or tabs prevent the use of the Back button for returning to the previous page and force the user to spend effort to find their way back to the previous content.
New windows or tabs are not inclusive for blind or low-vision users — especially when they open outside of the area that's magnified.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/new-browser-windows-and-tabs/
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JimmyDetts
commented
Barry makes a comment below that he has found a workaround but I cannot get that to work. I try using the last part of the URL but when I upload the file using file viewer the cursor doesn't change to a 'hand'
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JimmyDetts
commented
I would have thought that there would be a simple HTML solution to this. ADMIN, the link I am using from my file viewer web part is going to another page within the same site so it is not external. I do not understand why the link opens in a new tab and as many people have said before it is not helpful having multiple tabs opening when navigating around a simple site.
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Anonymous
commented
All quicklinks are opening in same window, I need the internal resource to open in a new window. Has this workaround been developed yet? Is there some sort of option I can't see squirrelled away somewhere? 4 years seems a long time without solution?
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Joerg K.
commented
Last ADMIN comment was made May 08, 2019 - today we have April 15, 2021! Nothing seems to be done and still working on it? "..links within SharePoint in the same tab by default, and external links in a new tab." Well this is still not the case, when will this be fixed? Any workarounds meanwhile? Is it really so hard to solve? What if real issues and problems occur? Sorry, this is not meant to be rude, I just want to understand why this is taking so long to fix?
Many thanks for all your work. -
Christian Valentiner
commented
This needs to be optional! There are cases both for and against opening in a new tab or window.
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Interfacer
commented
I'm starting work on a Knowledgebase (KB) Site Template for replication in other company department sites. The KB page template (Modern, Wiki-like) uses a Site Pages (Document Library) Web Part to display Table of Content (TOC) at right of each KB page. As users explore using the TOC links, new tabs open to fill the browser (Not Good). Perhaps the Library Web Part, at least, or its source Library View can have easy option to open links in same tab or not.
Hmmmm...maybe this already exists...Custom Site Column with link in same tab, added to Library, added to View, used in Web Part...I'll explore...
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DDoty
commented
I would like it to be optional for any links. I work on a lot of sites for our Intranet and use a lot of Quick Pick web parts and it's frustrating that some open in the same tab and some a new one (if a .PDF link is part of the site, it opens in the same tab and the user has to click back) so having it be an toggle on or off would be preferred.
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Norma B
commented
Navigating within modern SharePoint still results in an excessive amount of tabs being opened and confuses the users. I've had many users asking if we can turn this function off. Is there going to be any resolution on this anytime soon? It's almost been 2 years since the last status update.
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Mike
commented
I also have this issue and it can be very frustrating. Clicking on any item under Site Contents opens that list/library in a new tab, despite it being on the same site.
The one workaround I've found for now is to add links to those libraries in the Quick Launch. Then they open in the same tab.
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Barry
commented
I've struggled with this for ages but have found a relatively simple solution to stop internal links opening in a new tab.
Instead of the full page link -
http://companyname.sharepoint.com/sites/wwt_projects_cs.aspx
just use the last part of the link -
/sites/wwt_projects_cs.aspx
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Brenden
commented
This is also the case with document set links (in SharePoint 2019 on-prem) when you've configured a custom (modern) view to be displayed for that document set content type. Those links will always currently open in a new tab. From what I can determine, it's either because the doc set link is still rendered to "DocSetHome.aspx" in the layouts folder and redirecting from there to the custom view, or it's something to do directly with the DocSetHomePage class that sits behind that page.
It would be preferable for these links to open in the current tab as they are always to resources within the current site.
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rene
commented
It would be nice to have the option to check a box or click a slider to say open in new window as it is in Classic SharePoint.
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Steve McHargue
commented
I was showing someone how to go into Site Contents and edit the lists and libraries in the site. when i had gotten half way through, i had 24 tabs open in my browser. How does that meet anyones needs or expectations?
