Does Chrome open new tabs whenever you click a link on a search engine results page or a website? If that’s the case, Chrome is probably set to open every new link in a new tab.
If new tabs are opening automatically, most likely the website you’re on is malicious, your keyboard manager or browser extensions are interfering with the browser’s operation, or your browser or device is infected with malware.
If you’d like to open new links in the same tab or stop the browser from opening new tabs automatically, here are a few fixes you can try.
1. Apply Some Preliminary Fixes
To troubleshoot the issue, perform the following fixes first, as they may resolve it right away:
2. Ensure That the “Open New Tabs” Shortcut Keys Aren’t Pressed Down
If Chrome opens new tabs immediately upon launch and doesn’t stop until you close the browser, the shortcut keys for opening new tabs are probably pressed down on your keyboard. You can confirm that using the onscreen keyboard in Windows.
Simply pressCTRL + Win + Oto open the on-screen keyboard and check whether the shortcut keys to open a new tab in Chrome (CTRL + T)are pressed. If you see them pressed, check that the keys aren’t stuck. If the keys are in their normal position but appear pressed on the on-screen keyboard, there is likely a hardware issue with the keys.
If this is the case, unplug ortemporarily turn off your keyboardand have it inspected. However, if no keys appear to be pressed, move on to the next step.
3. Stop Chrome From Opening Links in New Tabs
Chrome comes with a built-in feature that lets users open links in new tabs. This feature helps users open and go through multiple links from the search engine results page at once without having to go back and forth.
If you want Chrome to open links in the same tab, taking over the current search engine results page, you must turn off this setting. To do that, follow these steps:
4. Stop Chrome From Opening New Tabs on PC Startup or Browser Launch
If Chrome automatically launches and opens new tabs when your Windows device boots up, you probably granted it permission to do so. To turn off this permission, open Task Manager, navigate to theStartup appstab, locateChromein the list of applications, right-click on it, and chooseDisable.
If new tabs open up at browser startup, you’ve probably configured the browser to open a set of new tabs at its launch or to open the tabs you left open when you last used the browser. Follow these steps to remove these permissions:
5. Ensure That the Website You Are on Isn’t Malicious
If Chrome opens new tabs with unwanted websites whenever you click on a text, link, or area on a particular website, that site or its content is likely malicious. That might explain why it redirects you to malicious offers and landing pages run by threat actors.
There are many ways to determine whether a website is untrustworthy, so learnhow to check if a site is safefor more information.
6. Ensure Your Browser and Device are Malware-Free
The Chrome browser can also misbehave or act strangely if infected with malware or viruses. If none of the fixes above resolve the problem, your browser could be infected with abrowser hijacker.
If the problem persists despite removing the hijacker, you may have a malware infection on your device, forcing Chrome to open unwanted websites on its own. To rule out this possibility,run a full malware scan using a Microsoft Security scannerto get rid of any possible infections.
7. Reset and Reinstall Chrome
If you find that your browser doesn’t have any infections and the virus scan does not detect any malware on your device, you should reset it. By resetting a browser, its settings are restored to their defaults, so you can confirm that misconfigured settings aren’t the cause of your problem.
To reset Chrome, go toChromesettings, click onReset settingson the left-hand side, and clickRestore settings to their original defaultson the right.
If resetting the browser also doesn’t work, you can reinstall the browser from scratch, which is the least desirable solution. Before you begin the new installation, ensure you properly remove the old installation using our guide onuninstalling apps on Windows.
Stop Chrome From Opening New Tabs on Windows
New tabs automatically opening or Chrome opening new tabs for every click can disrupt our user experience. Hopefully, you now better understand why Chrome opens new tabs and what fixes you should attempt to stop it.
If nothing works and Chrome keeps opening new tabs, reinstall the browser. If reinstallation also fails, scan your device for malware infection or switch to a different browser.
