Open multiple links in Chrome at once as new tabs

javascript angularjs google-chrome tabs popup

70,760

Solution 1

You can do this in vanilla JavaScript:

<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
function open_win() {
    window.open("http://www.java2s.com/")
    window.open("http://www.java2s.com/")
}
</script>
</head>

<body>
<form>
<input type=button value="Open Windows" onclick="open_win()">
</form>
</body>

</html>

Here is a more Chrome-specific implementation (if popup blockers are giving you difficulty):

var linkArray = []; // your links
for (var i = 0; i < linkArray.length; i++) {
    // will open each link in the current window
    chrome.tabs.create({
        url: linkArray[i]
    });
}

Here is some documentation: https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/tabs

Solution 2

The reason that the browser extension can do it is because Chrome extensions have access to a special Chrome API, which lets you use:

chrome.windows.create({tabid: n})

where createData has a tabid value greater than any current tab (and you can find the greatest current tabid using chrome.windows.getAll()).

However, in terms of doing it on your page (or anywhere that's not a Chrome extension), that's not possible, since whether or not a new window opens in a new tab is determined entirely by the user's settings.

Solution 3

User will have to allow popups but I ended up doing this:

function openMultipleTabs(urlsArray){

    urlsArray.forEach(function(url){
        let link     = document.createElement('a');
        link.href    = url;
        link.target  = '_blank';
        link.click();
    });

}

Solution 4

The best way to open multiple tabs or windows is by using setTimeout() of 500ms.

window.open("https://facebook.com", "one", windowFeatures);
setTimeout(function(){
  window.open("https://facebook.com", "two", windowFeatures);
}, 500);

View more solutions

70,760

user3522725

Updated on August 19, 2022

Comments

user3522725 over 1 year
I'm trying to open multiple links at once in Google Chrome in new tabs but it fails.

Problems:
1. Blocked by popup
2. Open in new windows instead of tab after the user allowed the popup
With this, I can open multiple links at once in Firefox:
```
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="plunker">

<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
    <script>document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" >');</script>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
    <script data-require="[email protected]" src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.2.17/angular.min.js" data-semver="1.2.17"></script>
    <script src="app.js"></script>
</head>

<body ng-controller="MainCtrl">
    <button ng-click="openLinks()">Open</button>
</body>

</html>
```
Also, I came across someone who found a workaround.

I tried using setInterval to try to open the links individually but it didn't work.
- Admin almost 10 years
  
  This seems a little iffy, you're trying to bypass popup blocks even though they were made for this specific reason, to block popups... :L
- user3522457 almost 10 years
  
  I'm not doing some fishy stuff.. look at the extension, how the developer bypassed it? hmm
- Patrick Collins almost 10 years
  
  Do you want to do that independently of browser settings? I don't think that that's possible.
Maverick almost 10 years

While it may be interesting to look at the code of a browser extension, this code WILL NOT WORK on a website.
Maverick almost 10 years

This is correct. Browser extensions can do a lot more than a webpage can. Despite both using javascript, they are very, very different things.
Patrick Collins almost 10 years

chrome.tabs.create is part of the Chrome API that I discussed in my answer -- it's not going to work on a webpage.
nyzm almost 10 years

I know it won't work in a webpage since it uses chrome api. That was for answering his question about how extension developer achieved it.
Arthur over 8 years

"vanilla JavaScript" works nicely in your example. but a page with multiple open_win functions (and corresponding buttons) does not open multiple tabs for each button:
Kaddath over 6 years

the "vanilla JavaScript" is no longer working in chrome (January 2018), it's opening a single tab, not two..
tfantina almost 6 years

As of July 2018 I believe the best solution is something like this: window.open("https://www.ecosia.org", "_new"); window.open("https://www.duckduckgo.com", "secondWindow"); The trick is to make sure that the second window has a name other than _new otherwise the browser will try to stick the link into the same window overriding the first window.open. I have tried this in Chrome and IE and it works for me.
Ethan Allen over 4 years

As of Nov 2019, tfantina's code only opens one tab on mobile Safari (iOS 13.2). Works fine on Mac Safari (13.0.3) though.
Flimm over 4 years

This only opens it in one tab for me.
Serge about 3 years

Could you give a test reference where such a solution works ? Tnx in advance
Don Kartacs about 3 years

sure, codesandbox.io/s/young-architecture-7nzot?file=/src/App.js
Revisto almost 3 years

dude, your second solution was awesome.