Reasons for opening links in a new tab

I can't tell you how many times I've discussed whether and when links should or shouldn't open a new tab. It's one of those topics that is impossible to settle; it just fires up occasionally.

It was March 2024, and we were just doing another round. While I had always been in the "let me decide when I want to open a new tab!" camp, I discovered three valid arguments for opening a new tab.

1. ✅ Clicking a link while filling out a form could lead to data loss.
2. ✅ Connected information needs to be visible in two places. I'm having a hard time coming up with a reasonable example for this, but I can see this happening.
3. ✅ Media is playing and would stop when navigating somewhere.

Are there more reasons? Maybe... Let's see what comes up in the next round.

More resources:

• How to make external links accessible (2024)
• When to use target="_blank" (2014)