Since updating to macOS Ventura 13.6, Safari is ignoring my preference to open all links in a new tab and instead, opens them in a new window instead

When I updated to macOS Ventura 13.6, Safari started refusing to open my last open tabs upon startup and would start with a new window open to my default homepage. Safari would also then open all links external to Safari (in emails and such) in a new window instead of in a new tab as my preferences were set. I then updated to Safari 17.0 (18616.1.27.111.22, 18616) and restarted my iMac. Now, when I start Safari, it is now, once again opening up with all of my last-open tabs (as specified in my preferences) but the changed behavior of opening all external links in a new window persists. I have already tried changing the preference, recycling Safari, setting the preference back to new tabs and again, closing and reopening Safari with no change in behavior. Any ideas on how I can get things back to external links opening in a new tab again? Thanks.

iMac 27″, macOS 13.6

Posted on Oct 2, 2023 04:17 PM

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2 replies

Oct 5, 2023 04:34 PM in response to J_Johnnyboy

Thanks for the feedback j_Johnnyboy. I had my preference set on the Tabs page to Always even before I upgraded but it is still ignored...sort of. I have Safari open and several tabs are in existence. The first external link I open will open a new Safari window but, if I leave that new window open and then open another external link, it will open in a new tab in that new window. If I close Safari with both windows still open, the next time I open Safari, the open tab(s) of that second window will now appear as additional tabs now open on my original, default Safari window. It is bazaar.


I will take your advice and contact Apple Support and see if the can fix this or, at the very least, make them aware of this weirdness. Thanks!

Oct 4, 2023 03:05 PM in response to Salems_Thom

Hi Salems_Thom,


See if the steps under the "Automatically open pages in tabs" section help.


Use tabs for webpages in Safari on Mac - Apple Support


1. In the Safari app  on your Mac, choose Safari > Settings, then click Tabs.
2. Click the “Open pages in tabs instead of windows” pop-up menu, then choose an option:
* Never: Links designed to open in new windows open in new windows.
* Automatically: Links designed to open in new windows open in new tabs.
* Always: All links designed to open in new windows open in new tabs, including links designed to open in specially formatted separate windows.


We recommend the steps above because they will show you how to automatically open webpages in tabs.


If those steps do not help, please contact Apple directly:


Get Support


If there is a feature you would like added in the future that is currently not available, you can submit feedback to Apple directly here:


Product Feedback


Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.


Cheers!

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Since updating to macOS Ventura 13.6, Safari is ignoring my preference to open all links in a new tab and instead, opens them in a new window instead

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