You can have specific requirements in your WordPress website. For example while you add new items in main navigation some custom links you want to open in new tab. The reason behind opening a custom link into new tab is not letting your user to leave your website. While they go another important website link.
As you sometime require a user to open menu item in new tab similarly you need sometime post link to open in a new tab. Therefore in this post i am going to explain you in two sections how to open menu item in new tab. Similarly how to open a post link in a new tab as well.
Don’t Open your Own site links in new tabs
Before going further i would like to tell you its not a good practice to open your own website’s link in new tabs. However if your own website’s link open in new tab several tabs will open. Which is not good and will annoy users to level where they leave your site. So its good practice to only open custom or other site’s link to open in new tabs from menu items or from post links.
Yes you can open your own site’s links in new tab also but that depends. For example if you are explaining something in a landing page or post. And for further reading you want user to go another page. Similarly you want user to stay on that page for further reading. Then you can use this feature for your site’s links also.
How to open Menu Item in new tab
First of all login the WordPress admin area with your administrator logins. Non administrator users in WordPress does not have access to main menu under Appearance >> Menu. Once you are logged in to your WordPress dashboard click on Appearance >> Menu. Once you are in menu page which URL become like with your domain name before /wp-admin/nav-menus.php .
Select a menu in which you want a menu item to open in new tab. Click on drop down in front of Select a menu to edit. Once your desired menu is selected and loaded. On top right click on screen options and select Link target checkbox this will add new option in your menu items. For more clear view see the image below.
WordPress menu open in new tab. Now scroll down to menu items and select the menu item which you want to open in new tab. Click on drop arrow in that menu item and check Open link in a new tab. Now save your menu item and load your website’s page again. That’s all now you are ready to let your specific link in new tab. For clear view see image below.
WordPress Post links open in new tab Gutenberg Editor
Since WordPress have launched Gutenberg update with its 5.xx release. The visual editor view and options are changed almost completely. Let’s begin how to add target new window or tab for links in Gutenberg editor.
First of all select a text which you want to make link for. Now click on the anchor icon above the text block options. Enter the URL where you want link to go.
Now if you want to open the link on same window after entering the URL you can just hit enter or press enter icon. In case you want to open the link in new tab you should click on drop down arrow for further options. There you can see switch to turn on open in new tab option for that link. After doing this enter or post the link and its done your link will open in new tab now.
WordPress Post links open in new tab Classic Editor
This is very important part sometime in our posts we need to give reference or links of other websites. We cannot let our visitor go to other website while they are on our website so the important website links we usually open in new tab. This is very simple first of all select the words which you want to make a link of. Once the words are selected simply click on anchor icon in visual editor’s tool bar in WordPress. Enter the URL which you want to create link for just see the image below.
Now just click on the settings icon along the blue enter icon. In which you can find the option to open link in new tab check that and you are done. This is how you can add a menu link or a post link to open in new tab or window in WordPress.
While in simple HTML you add target=”_blank” with the anchor tag. But in WordPress you can do this easily by selecting few options. I hope this post helps you we are looking forward to hear your thoughts.