# Firefox opening tabs problem

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-opening-tabs-problem/317448>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 17, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-opening-tabs-problem/317448 "2005-08-17T15:54:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tuco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tuco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuco)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-opening-tabs-problem/317448/1 "2005-08-17T15:54:25Z")

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I’m having a problem (more like a niggle really) with Firefox at the moment - I can’t always use the middle mouse button to open a new tab when I click on a link.

For example, on most message boards (including this one) I can open a new tab by clicking the middle button on threads with no new posts in them, but not on threads without new posts in them, ie. they’re in bold type.

There are other instances when I can’t open a new tab using the middle button, but the new posts on a messageboard is the example that is easy to see what’s happening.

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**Author:** ![Tuco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tuco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuco)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-opening-tabs-problem/317448/2 "2005-08-18T20:00:27Z")

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Anyone?

One and only bump, I promise.

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**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-opening-tabs-problem/317448/3 "2005-08-18T22:52:54Z")

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I use the middle-click trick all the time, and the only time I’ve seen it fail is when a link isn’t really a link at all, but a piece of Javascript meant to open a new window. In that case I get a black tab with a title of (Untitled). If I left-click the link, a new window pops. I haven’t ever seen the behavior you’re talking about with the bold vs. non-bold thread titles. They all work just fine for me.