Should your link open in a new tab?

Here’s a common scenario…

A user clicks a link. A new tab opens. They try to hit the back button, and nothing happens. For sighted users, this is mildly annoying. For screen reader users who can’t visually see they’re in a new tab, it’s genuinely disorienting. They don’t understand why navigation broke.

The accessibility advice is simple: don’t open links in new tabs. Let users decide for themselves by right-clicking to open a new tab.

But if you work with clients or stakeholders, you know this advice often gets overruled. “External links should always open in new tabs so users don’t leave our site.” I’ve heard this argument many times, even when it’s not the right choice.

So, when does opening in a new tab make sense?

Here are the main scenarios where new tabs are justified:

• Forms or multi-step workflows where opening in the same window would lose user data
• Links from secure or authenticated areas where same-window navigation would break the session
• Context-sensitive help that users need to reference while completing a task

If you must use target=”_blank”, make sure to warn users

Both sighted users and screen reader users need to know that a link will open a new tab. Here’s a code example of how to do that:

<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
   Example site
   <span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span>
</a>

The .sr-only class uses CSS to hide the text visually while keeping it available to screen readers. If you use WordPress, the .screen-reader-text helper class does the same thing. I have an example of the CSS for this helper class in Quick Win #002.

The rel="noopener" is a security measure against a vulnerability called reverse tabnabbing.

Alternatively, you can add visible text or an icon that everyone can see:

<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
   Example site (opens in new tab)
</a>

Ask yourself this: Would opening this link in the same window cause real problems? Data loss, broken sessions, workflow disruption? If not, skip target="_blank" and let the user decide.