# If I click a link that opens in a new window, which of the open ones is the default?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-click-a-link-that-opens-in-a-new-window-which-of-the-open-ones-is-the-default/303702>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 13, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-click-a-link-that-opens-in-a-new-window-which-of-the-open-ones-is-the-default/303702 "2005-05-13T16:48:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-click-a-link-that-opens-in-a-new-window-which-of-the-open-ones-is-the-default/303702/1 "2005-05-13T16:48:31Z")

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Sometimes I’ll have 5-6 Firefox/IE windows open, and I’ll be writing something on a message board in one of them, and I’ll be surfing around in another one… and then I’ll come across a link while surfing. I click it, and it goes to the [linked] page in the “message board” window (thereby erasing all the stuff I’d been writing!). How can I tell which window a link will open in?

Hopefully you’ll understand what I mean-- sorry, I’m having trouble articulating this in a manner that’s easy to understand.

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-click-a-link-that-opens-in-a-new-window-which-of-the-open-ones-is-the-default/303702/2 "2005-05-13T16:55:59Z")

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In IE when it happens to me it is the last active window that gets taken over. If I know it is going to happen I swap to the least important window I have open. But the back button replaces it anyway.

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**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-click-a-link-that-opens-in-a-new-window-which-of-the-open-ones-is-the-default/303702/3 "2005-05-13T17:24:35Z")

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> [@Cagey Drifter](#):
>
> Sometimes I’ll have 5-6 Firefox/IE windows open, and I’ll be writing something on a message board in one of them, and I’ll be surfing around in another one… and then I’ll come across a link while surfing. I click it, and it goes to the [linked] page in the “message board” window (thereby erasing all the stuff I’d been writing!). How can I tell which window a link will open in?
> 
> Hopefully you’ll understand what I mean-- sorry, I’m having trouble articulating this in a manner that’s easy to understand.

When using Firefox, right click on the link and select ‘Open in new window’ or ‘Open in new tab’

You can also go into Tools-\>Options and configure it to always open links in new tabs, so you don’t lose the page you were on, by default.