Change Firefox To Open New Tab At Far Right End of Tabbar (Disable Insert Next To Current Active Tab)
Firefox 3.6 includes a new feature where new tab, when click on a hyperlink that targeted to open in new window or tab, middle-click a link, or right click a link and select “Open Link in New Tab”, will be inserted and opened right next after the current or existing active tab containing the link in the Tab bar. The behavior facilitate the related tabs, where tabs for origin web page and web pages that are open by following hyperlinks that span from origin page are grouped together.
Blank new tab continue to open at the far right end of the Tab bar. Previously, before Firefox version 3.6, all new tabs are added at the far right end of the Tab bar of the popular web browser to surf Internet. The change make Firefox tab behavior to be almost similar to Internet Explorer, specifically IE7 and IE8. Firefox users who can’t get used to the new tab opening style, and want to revert and get back to the old way of opening new tabs, where all new tabs are inserted and added at the far right end of the Tabbar after all existing tabs, use the following how-to trick to make the change.
How to Open New Tab At the End of Tab Bar After All Existing Tabs in Firefox and Disable Insert Next to Current Tab
- In Firefox, type about:config into Location bar.
- Click on I’ll be careful, I promise! button.
- In the filter text box, enter the following text string:
browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent
Alternatively, manually locate the preference name above.
- The default boolean value for the browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent is “true”. Double click on the browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent to change its value to false.
- Close the tab, and the change will take effect immediately.
Related posts:
- Change the Position of FireFox Tabs Close Button (or Revert Back to FireFox 1.5 Style at the End of Tab Strip)
- Change (Increase or Decrease) The Number of Recently Closed Tabs or Remembered by Firefox to Reopen or Undo
- Disable FireFox Tabbed Browsing Scroll Arrows and Scrolling Tabs Feature
- Disable Firefox 3 Auto Save Tabs on Close to Prompt for Choice
- Force Firefox to Open Search Box Originated Result Page in New Blank Tab
102 Comments
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Stun Gun – thanks. I just upgraded to 4.0, and now I find the same issue – I *want* new tabs to open next to the current tab, because otherwise they are miles apart (I usually operate with 15 or so tabs open).
I will try the plugin you suggest, but it does seem strange to me that a plugin is required. I wonder whether FF4 ignoring the config option is a feature or a bug? I suspect it is a bug and will raise it if it has not already been raised with Mozilla.
– Jason
THANK YOU
As I open tabs in the order I want them this change was more than annoying.
Most everyone here is a fan of new tabs opening to the far right; perhaps they are creatures of habit. Logically, however, if you have a lot of tabs open, it is very inconvenient for the new tab to appear on the other side of the moon. (You have to scroll like the dickens to get to the new, relevant tab… who needs that?)
I have Firefox 4.0 now, and it looks like the default setting is now set all the way to the right — which should make a lot of the commenters here happy. (Maybe the Firefox engineers spotted this page and felt very intimidated.) Me, I was looking for a way to change it so that the tab will open next to the one I'm on.
I read one the nicely written and very intelligent comment of one of the few here who argued the far-right opening is counter-productive (since when has the far right been productive?) – Pedro. Pedro wrote that he tried the "about:config" trick but noticed that the default setting was set on "true" anyway. Guess what — me too.
So the question became, as Pedro also asked for such help to no avail among the sea of far-righters around here — how do you set the tab to open next to the current one, instead of to the far right?
I poked around to see if I could find the answer to this dilemma, and here is what worked for me:
Firefox's "Tab Mix Plus" add-on allows this.
From Firefox: Click on Tools > Tab Mix Plus options…
From Tab Mix Plus: Click Events > Tab Opening
…and select Open other tabs next to the current one.
Basically, the solution entails the installation of the "Tab Mix Plus" add-on, which offers a handy-dandy way to control tab openings. It's much better than the "about: config" trick, which is hardly fail-safe. This add-on offers other benefits to make the lives of Firefox users easier, too.
I have lost more good finds to that idiocy than I can count (you'd think I'd learn … but I keep trying different solutions that aren't). The idea of taking over an open tab to use for the new search/find is the same as renting out hotel rooms that already have people in them and just dumping the bed of previous tenants out the window. Well, ok, maybe its not. Hugely frustrating in any event. One of the few REALLY STUPID things I've seen Firefox pull. I always gave "it" credit for more I.Q. points than competing browsers. Anyway, fix is much appreciated.
Thanks! Article was perfect; short, accurate and to the point.
[...] the end furthest to the right, it instead shoves it's ass RIGHT IN BETWEEN every-fucking-thing. Change Firefox To Open New Tab At Far Right End of Tabbar (Disable Insert Next To Current Active Tab… And I hear that every time Eilana smiles, a puppy dies… __________________ IGNs: LazyPadre (60 [...]
YOU ARE GREAT.
thanks allot this have been bugging me for a long time even sent Mozilla a message about it asking them to put this in as a option in the
setting for user to chose if they wanted this or not in a new version since they say firefox is the most customizable browser and this would not have been hard for them to do
but no response and no changes this was many version ago…
anyway now it is fixed for now anyway thanks again.
thank you so much for this extremely useful tip. I always google my problems away and have them solve instantly, so that means I could care less about the author. But I left a complimentary comment here! This means a lot, thanks.
when I type about.config into the address bar, it tries to find a website at http://www.about.config. How do I stop it doing this?
thanks!!! was driving me crazy
hhhhhh,Well done
that was more than useful
am gonna bookmark website
Thanks a lot, I got crazy everytime new FF opened new tags at the left of the main tag. And now the problem disaapeared after this great tip. Have a nice year.
Thank you kindly.
Arabs and Hebrews might enjoy the Firefox 3.6 default new tab behavior, essentially putting them in right-to-left order, but it's an abomination for the rest of the world. (Maybe Chinese would like the tabs to open from top to bottom?)
Thanks for the tip. Users who prefer the "new improved" behavior evidently have their thought processes stuck in reverse gear. As one goes down a Web page clicking on links to open them in new tabs, the logical sequence for people who read and write most European languages is for later material to appear farther to the right.
Oh lawd, thanks a lot!!!
I actually prefer the new tab opening behaviour.
Then I right click and select [Open Link in New Tab] I find it more logical and convenient for that related link to open next to the tab in which the link appeared. This, as the author explained, is to help keep related links together … which I personally think is a more natural behaviour.
For example, in a paper environment, one normally places "Post It Notes" on the page to which the note replies, not on the last page in the book.
However, I understand for those who have become used to the old behaviour, that this may be a surprise at first. On the other hand, I suspect most will end-up preferring the new behaviour if they get used to it.
Remember also, that now you can re-order tabs, click on a tab and drag it to a new location. This helps to keep tabs in a logical sequence. Also, note that you can drag and drop tabs from one window to another window, or even to a new window (if you drag and drop a tab from its position and drop in the middle of the window) then it emerges as a new window. In combination, all of these new features help users to keep related tabs together and grouped in their own individual windows if preferred.
However, my reason for being here is the opposite of what is presented.
Something unknown happened such that now, unexpectedly, my browser (3.6.12) now opens new tabs at the end, instead of (as before) next to the tab from which I launched the new one. THIS is really annoying to me, since I expected and actually want the new tab to open next to the tab where I found the link for the new tab (per my Post It Note analogy).
Then, if I believe this article, I would expect that the preference "browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent" has been changed to "false" … however, to my surprise, I find it is actually set to "true".
So, clearly, there is something else that is causing new tabs to open at the end, , other than this specific preference setting.
Does anyone else know what else can affect this belabour? Is there something that can over-ride the "browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent" preference settings?!?
Remember, I want new tabs opened using [Open Link in New Tab] to open next to the current tab (where I found the link I am trying to open.
I don't know if this is relevant, but I am using AVG AV, and this includes its own AVG search tool bar and also has changed the appearance of new (blank) tabs so that they now show AVG search … so I suspect they may have also changed other settings and preferences. Or maybe it is something else.
Any ideas, suggestions?!?
Pedro
–
Thank You Jesus! I wait for this option since they implement that stupid idea ! Is more easy to keep in mind the order of page opened, then the location … Thank U!
Tom hanks very very much, really, you rock!
Thanks very very much, I was going crazy with the new way of browsing.
Thanks very much. A life saver
Thanks mate..
this was really driving me crazy..
Cheers!!
Thanks a lot, you saved my sanity
)
I cant understand why they cant put this into normal settings tab and/or preserve original behavior and make this optional….
Firefox Should Sack the idiot who thought of this and every one who supported its implementation.
Thanks a bunch! Now I can keep my constant tabs in the same spot.
Thank you very much this was driving me crazy
Thanks so much. It was driving me crazy. Firefox shouldn't change anything
.
Thanks for that. Strange it's not a more easily accessible option.
Thanks very much for this post I agree with the above comments, give us choice don't foist your UI changes on us.
Thank you very much, sir. I was going crazy with that.
Thank you so much — simply incomprehensible why they made this change, but even more absurd that they didn't at least include the option to change it back to the logical state.
Thanks.
I understand the need for change but not the lack of choice in placement under options.
thanks a lot!!!
Download Microsoft INFO bro, because for kliker PTC like me, how old is more effective than a new way of existing in version 3.6.6.
Thank you… just thank you.
Great help, I just upgraded from 3.5 to 3.6, and in 3.5 I was using this behavior, and was annoying to have the link open in the tab beside the opener
this was driving me nuts!
THANK YOUUUUUUUU!
This was driving me nuts…
THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!
THANK YOU! The new change was driving me insane.
I am a TABaholic and use them endlessly. After opening a link in a new tab, I automatically go to the right, without thinking, to see the tab I just opened. Also, my brain memorizes the positions of the tabs left to right, I don't need Firefox to "group" things for me, when usually I am browsing a particular topic and all the tabs are ALREADY grouped by topic in said window.
Sorry for the rant.
THANK YOU AGAIN!
¡¡Muchísimas gracias!! Thank you very much!
Thanks! I don't know why I was waiting several weeks to change it…
thank you.
Thank you, you saved my sanity!
Thanks
Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.
Fantastic. A trivial thing that was bugging the hell out of me. Many thanks
Thank you thank you thank you.
Cards that did not open his right gave me trouble!
Thank you for this.
This new [and unrequested] function was beginning to annoy me and mess with my permatab set up!
Thank you SOOOOO much for this!!!
Sucks that they made the change as the default so that it's similar to IE7/IE8. There are reasons people DON'T use IE and want something different.
Thank you, it's working
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
Like everyone else that has posted this was driving me crazy too!