Shortcut to open new browser

Question

I configured "open browser" to ctrl-alt-w here, since my keyboard does not have a "www" key:

System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts

Unfortunately firefox opens in a new window. That's not what I want. I want to open a new tab.

Is the current default really the best default for the 21 century? AFAIK most people use browser tabs, and not several browser windows.

Solution

You can assign this command below to a custom shortcut, it will always try to open a new tab in an already open Firefox window, if possible:

firefox -new-tab about:newtab

See How can I change what keys on my keyboard do? (How can I create custom keyboard commands/shortcuts?) (especially this answer for a GUI method) if you don't know how to set custom shortcuts.

Comments

[Zanna]

I'm confused... once you've opened your browser, can't you just open a new tab with ctrl+t?

[guettli]

@Zanna: I want to hit ctrl-alt-w and the browser should get the focus with a new tab beside my other tabs. Of course ctrl+t works. But I want a shortcut that works everywhere, not just with the browser having the focus. Example: a terminal has the focus, and I want a new browser tab. Got it? Please ask, if not.