Links - Don't force links to open in a new window by default
To clarify, this refers to the practice of coding links so that they always open in a new window or tab by default. The link code will look something like this: <a href="link-destination.html" target="_blank">Link opening in a new window </a>
It matters to a user if new windows are popping up when they didn’t expect them. The best practice is to have them open in the same window and give the user a choice as to whether they want to open the link in a new tab/window or not.
The exception to this is where you’re logged in somewhere and referencing a link outside the authenticated area. Or where you’re in something like a form where data would be lost if the page refreshed to somewhere else.
If you want to read more of the debate about this, here’s a good, recent article.
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