Safari 16.5.1 (18615.2.9.11.7)
A window with a group of tabs is open.
When you try to open an external link from another application, instead of opening this link in this group, it opens in a new window.
If a window with regular tabs is running, it doesn't matter if it is minimized or active - the link will open there.
Is it possible to make links open in the active tab group?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.4
Hey there zeksempaii,
We understand you've noticed strange behavior on your MacBook where links open in a new window. We'd be happy to provide information to help you address this.
Check to see if this same behavior occurs while in safe mode. If the issue doesn't persist in safe mode, it can help us isolate the behavior to being linked to login items or something similar. Here's how to test in safe mode: How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support
Kind regards.
What you are seeing is intended behaviour from Apple.
But there is a workaround which I learned by Samuel Ye's blog post: https://www.samuelye.com/fix-safari-open-external-link-in-existing-tab-group/.
If you have a Focus Mode enabled, which sets a specific Tab Group to be active, then there is a setting for the focus mode to let you open links within the tab group, as shown in the screenshot below.
Opening external links with the tab group enabled
