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A section on a website has a list of links to PDF files (containing end user content).

When a user clicks on one of these links should it open in a new tab on the browser? Or should it open in the current tab/window?


I notice that when you click on external links on Twitter or Facebook they open in a new tab, but I am unsure about best practices for internal links to PDF documents.

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4 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

One thing to keep in mind is to see if the browsers have the ability to render/open the document in itself (built-in feature or via 3rd party plugins (Adobe Reader or Foxit PDF Reader) without having to engage an external application on the host operating system.

If the browsers can open the document in itself, then you have access to the back button which will take them back to the previous page, which is good UX. If the document opens in a new tab, then there's a risk that it might get blocked if the browser deems it to be a pop-up.

Also, if the user wants to view multiple documents, it could get a little annoying with all those extra tabs that will crowd the browser. Or else, the user will have to close every tab after she is done with it, which could also be tad bit cumbersome when compared to just hitting back on the current tab.

My recommendation would be to open it in the current tab.

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+1 for not breaking the back button – Jimmy Breck-McKye Oct 22 '12 at 16:24
I'm concerned about not breaking the back button. A window with a PDF forgets that it's a browser window in Mozilla and starts behaving like a PDF application. This is not so in Chrome. I believe that soon all browsers will go the Chrome way (well, there might be one exception ...). – Juan Lanus Oct 22 '12 at 21:33
Thank you for your suggestions. The more you think about it the more it seems that breaking the back button is a very bad idea. – Jonathan Oct 23 '12 at 9:42
up vote 5 down vote

I would normally avoid opening new windows on a user's machine (depending on context) but this is one situation where I think it's beneficial. PDFs can take a while to open so it can be handy to let this happen in another tab while keeping the original web page open and accessible.

Even more important than this however is making it explicitly clear to the user that they are about to open an external file, rather than a normal web page. Links to PDFs and other files should indicate the format and file size (e.g. "Our Downloadable Document (PDF, 1024kb)"). You should also avoid mixing links to downloadable documents within links to web pages, particularly within main navigation.

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Thanks for the ideas, whilst I'm probably not going to open it in a new tab/window now, I am looking into explicitly letting the user know they are about to click on a PDF (something I had previously overlooked). – Jonathan Oct 23 '12 at 9:43
@Jonathan Good stuff. That at least gives them fair warning and the opportunity open/download it without leaving the original page. – Matt Obee Oct 23 '12 at 9:46
up vote 2 down vote

Some points to consider:

  • you can't open pages in new tabs. You can only create new windows. It's up to the end user and their browser whether or not they open in a tab.

  • you can not force a PDF to load in a page. It's up to the end user and their browser as to whether or not they open the PDF in the browser or download it.

So, in conclusion, no, you should not create new browser windows for PDFs. It's a file. Let the user know it's a PDF file and let them handle it as they see fit.

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Thanks, this very much fits into the "let the use think they're in control" philosophy :) – Jonathan Oct 23 '12 at 9:44
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let me update a scenario...

We use http://support.openview.hp.com/selfsolve/documents for getting the OpenView software manuals, which are usually big - around 300 pages easily.

Little ago(i think around one year before), the site allowed us to do "Right click" and "Save document as". this is what we wanted, right. We need to download the document and read it or refer it.

but, now, they have changed the site design and the pdf document window opens on the same page. i was visiting this site after some six months and i felt "what the hell???". now, 1. i search for the document 2. open the document on a separate window or new tap. 3. i have to click once again a new button to save the document.

"1 step" became "THREE STEPS". Maybe, this gives you some ideas, i hope.

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