# HTML as a Windows desktop -- must links open in a new window?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/html-as-a-windows-desktop-must-links-open-in-a-new-window/251070
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 18, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/html-as-a-windows-desktop-must-links-open-in-a-new-window/251070 "2004-06-18T17:31:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/html-as-a-windows-desktop-must-links-open-in-a-new-window/251070/1 "2004-06-18T17:31:51Z")

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Question is the title. I have an HTML page for a desktop phone list. I’d like to put links there that simply open as part of the desktop (like the original desktop-page is). Whether I use separate pages, or anchors within the same page, it always opens a new MSIE window when I click a link.

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### Author: ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/html-as-a-windows-desktop-must-links-open-in-a-new-window/251070/2 "2004-06-18T19:04:53Z")

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I’ve tried to do what you want in the past and failed. To the best of my knowledge, it can’t be done…