How to Change New Tab Behavior in Chrome: Focus New Tab?

Last week, Chrome (up to date, Version 130.0.6723.117 (Official Build) (64-bit)) changed the way it focuses new tabs. Previously, you could CTRL+click or right-click and select "Open link in new tab" to open a link in a new tab while keeping the focus on the current tab. However, the updated Chrome version now shifts the focus to the new tab by default. This article will cover the key concepts related to this change and provide detailed context on how to modify this behavior.

New Tab Focus Behavior in Chrome

The new tab focus behavior in Chrome is designed to improve the user experience for certain workflows, such as multitasking between different tabs. For instance, when you open a link in a new tab, Chrome will automatically switch to that new tab, allowing you to start interacting with it immediately.

Why the Change in Behavior?

The updated behavior aims to provide a more consistent experience for users. By automatically focusing the new tab, users can immediately start interacting with the content, rather than having to manually switch tabs. This can help improve productivity for users who regularly open multiple tabs and switch between them.

Modifying the New Tab Focus Behavior

Although the new behavior might be useful for some users, others might find it disruptive. Fortunately, there are ways to modify this behavior and revert to the previous setting.

Using Chrome Flags

Chrome flags are experimental features that can be enabled or disabled by users. One such flag, #tab-focus-changes, controls the new tab focus behavior. To modify this flag, follow these steps:

1. Type chrome://flags in the address bar and press Enter.
2. Use the search bar at the top of the page to search for #tab-focus-changes.
3. Click on the dropdown next to the flag and select Disabled.
4. Click the Relaunch button at the bottom of the page to apply the changes.

After disabling this flag, Chrome will revert to the previous behavior, and you will need to manually switch tabs after opening links in new tabs.

Using Extensions

Several Chrome extensions are available that allow you to customize the new tab focus behavior further. One such extension is Auto Open New Tab Next To Current. This extension lets you choose whether to open new tabs next to the current tab or at the end of the tab list, effectively controlling the focus behavior.

• Chrome's updated version focuses new tabs by default when opening links.
• This behavior aims to improve the user experience for multitasking between tabs.
• To modify this behavior, you can use Chrome flags or extensions like Auto Open New Tab Next To Current.

References

• Chrome Flags Documentation
• Auto Open New Tab Next To Current Extension