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?
219 comments
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Cheryl
commented
We need to be given the choice on how every link opens. The customer has specific needs, not one size fits all.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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?
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
Jose Luis Arias
commented
That default behavior breaks a consistent workflow. Please, make it configurable, we need it.
-
Scott McCann
commented
We're running into massive issues with Terminal Server users. With each tab opening its consuming memory their work space locks up with 4gb ram assigned to a dozen users just IE alone... this is a problem.
When can we expect to have this as a feature?
-
Anonymous
commented
usage sample : With the Quick Links Web Part, we give to users direct links to acces to specific Views of a list (All elements to work on, All elements on error, ...).
All the links with specific .aspx page are opened in a new tab...
The only link opening in the same tab is the one pointing to the default view (root url of the list) -
Anonymous
commented
Is there a hotfix available for this nagging behavior? Pls. roll one out, thanks.
-
Anonymous
commented
Hi...Is there any other update on this. Or is there any work around to fix this issue?
-
Anonymous
commented
I have found that many others have voiced this complaint - going back as far as November 2016. It is a frustrating, counter-productive defect that should be addressed immediately. Some of the 'improvements'/new features that I have found in Modern sites seem to come at a cost but to change this for no apparent benefit is perplexing. Please revert back to opening within the same tab by default and allow the site admin to customize as needed/desired.
-
Veronique Palmer
commented
This is something that has been available in classic SharePoint for years! The ability for us to decide what ANY links open in what way. Stop breaking things that weren't broken. Nothing must open in a new window unless we decide. SharePoint is not a website, it is an internal, operational work-horse. Please try to remember that.
-
Anonymous
commented
Let the user adding the quick links decide whether or not it should open in a new tab by checking a simple checkbox.
