How to Open Mozilla Firefox Bookmarks in New Tabs by Default

Mozilla Firefox Nightly 57.0 build introduces an option where you can configure bookmarks to open in a new tab by default. This feature has been requested by many Firefox users, and Mozilla seems to have listened to them.

Firefox logoPreviously, to open bookmark items in a new tab by default, a third-party Add-on was needed. Alternately, many users still prefer Ctrl + clicking on a bookmark to open a bookmark in a new window. Clicking on the middle mouse scroll button and selecting a bookmark will work, too.

Firefox “loadBookmarksInTabs” setting in about:config

A new preference has been added to the Firefox advanced configuration page “about:config” where you can configure how bookmarks open — whether in the current tab or a new tab.

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter.
  2. You’ll see a “This might void your warranty” warning message. Click “I accept the risk!” to proceed.
  3. Type loadBookmarks in the search filter box to show only the bookmark-related settings.
  4. Set browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInTabs to true to always open bookmark in new tab.
  5. Optionally, you can also set browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground to true to open bookmarks in a background tab.

That’s it! As said earlier, this feature will be available in Firefox 57 and higher.

(Last reviewed in September 2022 – Firefox’s current version is 104.0.1.)

One small request: If you liked this post, please share this?

One "tiny" share from you would seriously help a lot with the growth of this blog. Some great suggestions:
  • Pin it!
  • Share it to your favorite blog + Facebook, Reddit
  • Tweet it!
So thank you so much for your support. It won't take more than 10 seconds of your time.

Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a ten-time recipient of the Microsoft MVP award in Windows Desktop Experience (Windows Shell), from 2003 to 2012. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

...

2 thoughts on “How to Open Mozilla Firefox Bookmarks in New Tabs by Default”

Leave a Comment