# Laptop users: how do you surf the dope with Firefox **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468 "2005-01-19T00:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/1 "2005-01-19T00:48:22Z")
One of my favorite Firefox features is the ability to open new pages as new tabs, but with my laptop, that operation requires two hands. Is there any easy way to use the touchpad/mouse buttons to open new tabs with one hand? I’m sure many dopers use laptops with the Firefox browser to surf the net, I’m wondering whether I’m the only dumb SOB trying to hold down ctrl and manipulate the touchpad at the same time. What shortcuts do you have set up on your machine to make browsing easier? ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/2 "2005-01-19T00:54:18Z")
I have a Mac Laptop. With my Mac I just hold the mouse button down over the link and a menu pops up with that option. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/3 "2005-01-19T00:57:07Z")
BTW, I realize that I _could_ right click and select “open in new tab”, I’m looking for more of a shortcut. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/4 "2005-01-19T01:02:13Z")
If you just want to open a new blank tab, control-T. Otherwise, just left-click and ‘open in new tab’. ---
**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/5 "2005-01-19T01:09:07Z")
See if your touchpad driver can emulate middle-button-click (e.g., when you click both touchpad buttons, or when you tap a corner of the touchpad). Mozilla can then interpret the middle click as “open new tab.” ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/6 "2005-01-19T01:09:33Z")
There’s an extension that installs Mouse Gestures for you. I haven’t played with it much, but it’s been invaluable as far as fwd and back browsing goes, plus closing existing tabs and so forth. The only problem I have is that I can’t just, say, print out a cheat sheet of the existing mappings to refer to (and there are a LOT!). ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/7 "2005-01-19T01:46:32Z")
I manage to use the right-click button on my laptop with no trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/8 "2005-01-19T01:59:32Z")
> [@Omphaloskeptic](#): > > See if your touchpad driver can emulate middle-button-click (e.g., when you click both touchpad buttons, or when you tap a corner of the touchpad). Mozilla can then interpret the middle click as “open new tab.” Just a side note on this, if you do set a corner to a right or middle click, it may require a slightly longer ‘click’ than normal to work. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/9 "2005-01-19T02:08:24Z")
Thanks Omphaloskeptic, that sounds like what I’d like to do. Middle click is what I use on my desktop machine. How would someone look into whether his laptop can emulate the middle click on a two button touchpad? ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/10 "2005-01-19T02:20:09Z")
One of the easiest ways to open a new tab is just to drag the link to the tab bar. You may need to go to the Advanced section of Options and tell Firefox that it should always leave the tab bar visible, even if there is only one page open. And I have to confess, I use a small (Labtec) cordless mouse most of the time with my laptop. Touchpads and keysticks are OK for emergencies, but mice are what I’m used to, and work fastest with. ---
**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-users-how-do-you-surf-the-dope-with-firefox/285468/11 "2005-01-19T02:44:15Z")
> [@Stan Doubt](#): > > Thanks Omphaloskeptic, that sounds like what I’d like to do. Middle click is what I use on my desktop machine. > How would someone look into whether his laptop can emulate the middle click on a two button touchpad? I don’t have my laptop handy to check, but I think the settings should be in some tab under Control Panel \> Mouse, if suitable drivers are installed. If they aren’t installed, you might be able to find updated drivers from the touchpad or laptop manufacturer, or on a CD that came with the laptop. (Adding new drivers may affect the way the laptop works with mice, though.)