ChatGPT won’t open a new chat in a new tab: what changed and how to get it back
Updated October 10, 2026 · By Otter Potter, the maker of Real Links (not neutral; we say where it matters).
On most websites you can hold Ctrl (or ⌘) and click a link, or click it with the mouse wheel, to open it in a new tab. In ChatGPT that stopped working for New chat, and right-clicking a chat in the sidebar now opens ChatGPT’s own menu instead of the browser’s “Open link in new tab”. People have reported it as a web update that broke Open in New Tab, as a step backwards in the sidebar, and as a request to support middle-click and Ctrl+click on New chat.
Why it happens
New chat is built as a button, not a link. Buttons have no address, so the browser has nothing to open in a new tab. The sidebar chats do have addresses, but ChatGPT shows its own right-click menu in place of the browser’s.
1. Open a new tab yourself (free)
Press Ctrl+T (⌘+T on a Mac), type chatgpt.com and press Enter. A new chat opens in the new tab and your current one stays put. Two extra steps, and it always works.
2. Bookmark it (free)
Add chatgpt.com to your bookmarks bar. A bookmark is a real link, so middle-click or Ctrl+click on it opens a new chat in a new tab, every time.
3. Duplicate the tab (free)
To keep the current chat open and also look at another one, right-click the tab at the top of the browser and choose Duplicate. Then pick the other chat in the copy.
4. Make them behave like links again
Real Links for ChatGPT (we make this, it’s free) restores both habits: Ctrl+click or middle-click on New chat opens a new chat in a background tab, and right-clicking a sidebar chat shows your browser’s own menu, with Open link in new tab. Hold Shift while right-clicking when you want ChatGPT’s menu instead. It changes how clicks are handled and reads nothing from your chats.
What it can’t do: chats inside Projects are out of reach, because those rows have no address in the page. It works on chatgpt.com in a desktop browser.
Questions
- Will OpenAI fix this?
- Nobody outside OpenAI knows. The requests are recent and unanswered as we write this.
- Can I still rename or delete a chat from the sidebar?
- Yes. Use the three dots beside the chat, or with Real Links, Shift+right-click.
- Is Real Links made by OpenAI?
- No. It’s made by Otter Potter and is not affiliated with OpenAI.