Hi colt, are you running the search from the address bar, or the optional short search bar, or from within the page?

Firefox has preferences to direct searches entered into the address bar and search bar to a new tab, but these are not specific to pinned tabs, they would affect all tabs.

As a workaround, you can hold down the Alt key while pressing Enter in the address bar/search bar to send the input to a new tab.

Thanks for the help. I am using the address bar for the search. The alt enter workaround is exactly what I want, now I just have to remember to do it.

colt said

Thanks for the help. I am using the address bar for the search. The alt enter workaround is exactly what I want, now I just have to remember to do it.

In case you want to make that the default and use Alt+Enter to stay in the same tab:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful or accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste intab and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the browser.urlbar.openintab preference to switch the value from false to true

But for most users, that would be too many new tabs...

Very helpful. I think I will give this a try. I mostly use bookmarks for navigation, and luckily they still open in the same tab.

I'm having a slightly different problem. I use the search bar for searching and can't seem to find a setting that will open the search results in a new tab. Instead, every search opens in my currently active tab. The "about:config" suggestions above didn't seem to give me this choice. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Johnk, with the classic short search bar (not the address bar), there is a setting:

browser.search.openintab

If you switch that to true, what you submit in the search bar should be directed to a new tab.

Note that the Alt+Enter method behaves in the opposite way in that case:

• Same tab (browser.search.openintab = false)
  • Alt + Enter in search bar => new tab

• New tab (browser.search.openintab = true)
  • Alt + Enter in search bar => same tab

Thanks for your reply! I happened to find the same solution with an internet search just a few hours ago. Works fine -- as long as you don't just click the arrow in the search box. That will open the search results in the currently active tab. Thanks again for your help.

Johnk said

Works fine -- as long as you don't just click the arrow in the search box. That will open the search results in the currently active tab.

Yes, oddly, the arrow = current tab and Ctrl+click arrow = new tab doesn't get flipped by changing the preference. Not sure why not, but it seems to have been this way for a long time.