I switched from Brave (Muon) to Brave v0.55.22 (Chromium), currently updated to v0.57.18.
Under Windows 7 (s/p 1) 32- and 64-bit installations
highlight a bookmark | right-click | select “Open link in new tab”
or
highlight a url | right-click | select “Open link in new tab”
In other browsers (including Brave v0.25.2 (Muon), Firefox, IE, Opera, Vivaldi …), this sequence opens the link in a new tab and focuses on the newly opened tab. Brave (Chromium) creates a new tab with what’s chosen but fails to select / focus on that tab.
@Mattches advised me to use Shift + Ctrl + Click to open and focus on a new tab. While this key combination works, it’s at odds with other browsers. It would be nice if opening a new tab – you know – opened the new tab.
The special key combination is hardly a deal-breaker, but I wonder if others find this exception to be a nuisance.
@Frederic I see you’ve withdrawn your post, but I did receive its content in an email message. I suggest you un-withdraw your comment because, if what you suggest were available, it would be great! Indeed, it would Solve The Problem! For those in the dark, the withdrawn content:
doesn’t the setting Preferences => Tabs => Switch to new tabs immediately => toggle to activated fix your issue?
I couldn’t find this sequence of options anywhere in Brave (Chromium) which is, perhaps, why you withdrew your comment. Did this option exist in Brave (Muon)? I don’t remember and I can’t check. Once I successfully transitioned from the Muon version to the Chromium version, I deleted the Muon version.
Suggestion to Brave: recognize the limitations of one-size-fits-all and offer the option of immediately shifting focus to a newly opened tab as just that – an option – for those of us who are accustomed to this behavior in other browsers.
Thanks for the follow-up; certainly no need for an apology.
As already noted, your withdrawn comment proposed an elegant solution. Brave (Muon) offered choice / flexibility / options when opening new tabs; Brave (Chromium) doesn’t. This aspect of Brave (Muon) code worked:
Preferences => Tabs => Switch to new tabs immediately => toggle to activate
No need to write new code.
No need to test new code.
No need to debug new code.
Port the relevant Muon code to Chromium.
Folks who don’t want the option can ignore it. Those of us – accustomed to other browsers – will have the option of consistent behavior across browsers. I’m agnostic about which option should be the default, but offer the choice.
I recently started to try out the Brave browser and see that this feature still has not been implemented. Is it planned to be implemented, if so, when?
I can’t understand why this feature has not yet been implemented. It is a pretty basic requirement to me as I have used it for years in Firefox. If I select to open a link on a web page or a bookmark or wherever then it seems to be pretty obvious to me that I want to view that new page when it opens in the new tab. To me (and others) its a pretty intuitive way to use a browser. I do this all the time when browsing.
Until this feature is available in Brave I will be sticking to Firefox.
Until this feature is available in Brave I will be sticking to Firefox.
I understand your frustration. Folks from Brave have never provided one example of a scenario when someone — anyone — would ever open a new tab without wanting to automatically shift focus to the newly-opened tab. Adding to the frustration: prior to Brave’s switch to Chromium from Muon, Brave offered this option.
In addition to Firefox offering this option (actually, in Firefox, logically, it’s the default), if you’d prefer a Chromium-based browser that automatically shifts focus to a newly opened tab, consider Vivaldi.
I would like to have the option, with a settable default, but also the option to not automatically switch. I like how Vivaldi has both options in the right click of a link (immediate or background), as well as the configurable option for when opening bookmarks. That same set of functionality would be ideal.
Tab Activate is an extension that automatically shifts focus to a newly-opened tab.
However, Krebs on Security and Ars Technica (these are but two of many citations on this topic) offer important cautions about “good” extensions going “bad”.
As noted earlier, Brave should offer this behavior — perhaps as an option — rather than leaving users to rely on extensions.
I do exactly that constantly. I come across things I want to view or research without constantly jumping around in the middle of it every time I do. Or even YouTubes without losing my place so I can watch after I’m done with a vid or whatever else. My problem is my new tabs jumping to the bottom of my tab list… I jump around a lot obviously.
Allow Brave to set the opening of a link in a new tab with focus on it would be very nice, especially when you ask Brave to open several tags when you launch it.
For example, I ask Brave to open 4 tags and the first one is my Search engine. When I search something and open the link, the new page takes the place of the tag immediately on the right.
I know that I can use Ctrl+clic on the link, but the focus does not come on the new tag, which is really unuseful.
It’s a feature I liked very much with Opera and I think it’s a lack on Brave.
Thank you.
Why would anyone want to open a link in a new tab but not select that tab? To me, it’s not intuitive. I open something in a new tab to quickly check whether it’s of interest, and the current behavior is annoying at best. Please at least give us an option.
Considering that the thread has come back to life, I’ll add this: some while back, based on comments in another thread on this topic, I switched from using Tab Activate (mentioned early in this thread) to Tabs to Front
Consistent with my original comment, I’d much prefer it if Brave offered this behavior as an option (as it did in its original Muon version). Extensions remain a security risk:
I’m a new Brave user, and am very happy with it, except for THIS. I can’t stress strongly enough how important this is. I’m moving from Safari on Mac, and all my Mac’s are set up to switch focus when a new tab opens (Safari provides this as an option, like Firefox). It’s the way I work, it’s the way my mind works. From what I’ve seen in this thread (and the fact of its longevity) lots of other users are similar to me.
I don’t want to force anyone to have to work in any way. I just want the option to do it my way on my machines
Adding to and amending this thread (considering that it started in 2018): I’m still using much of my old hardware, but it’s now set up to dual-boot Linux (for web-facing activity like this message) and Windows 7 for off-line work. Much of my work is (for me) better-accomplished by old(er) applications.
My point - and why I mention this in this thread: one-size-fits-all doesn’t … fit all. Choices are great.
Also adding: Brave’s decision to not offer to automatically shift focus to a newly-opened tab - as an option if not as default - is in no way related to Brave being Chromium-based.
is a chromium-based browser and it offers - as an option - to automatically shift focus to a newly-opened tab.
In many environments (Windows and Linux to mention two) it’s possible to install multiple browsers and use whichever I find does a specific job best. Choices.
Middle click works for me. No extension required. I really want to like Brave, but truthfully, the only reason I’m here is because YouTube has not given me the popup to disable ad blockers on Brave and I’ve passed the “two videos” warning on Vivaldi. If not for that, Vivaldi is where I prefer to do my browsing. If Vivaldi does get that fixed (they have a native ad blocker) or if Brave is not able to keep doing this job, I’ll almost definitely only use Vivaldi. And yes, they do have an option to go to the newly opened tab. I find that Tabs to the Front does not work for me here.
So from time to time I install Brave. I’ve always used chromium, chrome, thorium and other chromium base browsers. With Brave it is that way, that I test it every year or so, just to find that the dev team screwed up some important thing. Every time. I can’t use Brave if the focus is not on new tab. I wonder how a dev team can be so brilliant and yet so dull in some important detail. I guess the dev will keep doing so. Over the years I’ve always thought; what a nice browser, BUT …
During the last 2h I tried to write an extension for Chromium that gets me the text input / focus on the new tab page set website. It is not possible since the Brave devs coded this feature so damn stupid that it seems like it can’t be fixed with some extension. Since the beginning Brave had so much potential, but well… it is what it is; a PITA as with every version there comes more fuckery.
It turns out there is a way to make the new tab active on opening, at least on the Mac version: hold down shift and option while clicking a link.
That doesn’t quite take the place of the option to automagically make new tabs active by default, but it’s close. I just keep forgetting to hold the shift key, and it’s becoming annoying.
Again, why would anyone want to open a tab without making it active? Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? Why force an extra step?
I suppose The Message conveyed by this zombie thread continuing to rise from the undead is: there’s a continued expectation amongst Brave users that opening a link in a new tab will automagically shift focus - to that new link in the new tab.
Firefox has always offered this … as an option.
Vivaldi - a Chromium-based browser - offers this … as an option.
And the early version of Brave I installed in mid-2016 also offered this … as an option.
Since the end of 2018 - when Brave switched from relying on Muon to Chromium for its user interface - if Brave users want this functionality, the only option is - install an extension.
Which leads to … a potential risk. Good extensions go bad.
Initially, I installed
to restore the functionality I wanted. In mid-2021, I installed
which I continue to use.
There are other alternatives and one - Tabs to the Front - is an example of the very real risks accompanying extensions in the Chromium environment:
For more about the risks accompanying extensions:
I’m very cautious about installing extentions in a Chromium-based browser, but Tabs to Front is an extension which I appreciate.
To me, it’s not intuitive. I open something in a new tab to quickly check whether it’s of interest, and the current behavior is annoying at best. 
Please at least give us an option.