Android users are hitting a wall with Chrome’s latest changes, and they’re not happy about it. What used to be a simple tap on a bookmark now forces open unwanted new tabs, leaving users with a pile of tabs to manage.
The trouble started showing up just a few days ago when users noticed their bookmarks weren’t behaving normally. James Miller, posting on Chrome’s support forums, said: “Since today whenever I open a bookmark on my Android tablet it opens it in a new tab. I cannot select a bookmark without it opening a new tab. It didn’t do this yesterday.”
Reddit user Kobe824 ran into the same thing and called it exactly what it feels like – a bug.
But it seems that it’s not actually broken. Google apparently rolled out this behavior as the new default way bookmarks work on Android devices.
A product expert on the community forums explained that this shift comes from “a Chrome update/change in tab handling.” There’s no direct setting to make bookmarks open in the same tab anymore, which means users have to work around Google’s decision rather than simply toggle it off.
The expert also shared a potential workaround, but it’s not ideal. Instead of tapping a bookmark like you always have, you now need to long-press it and select “Open in this tab.” That extra step might not sound like much, but when you’re used to quick, seamless browsing, it feels like friction where there shouldn’t be any.
That said, this change appears to be rolling out gradually because I could not replicate it on my end using the latest Chrome version on a Pixel 8 and Pixel 7a. For me, it worked the same ol’ way by opening the bookmark URL in the same tab.
Luckily, Reddit user -rfkd- discovered a way to restore the old behavior. You can visit chrome://flags/#android-native-pages-in-new-tab in your browser and set it to "Disabled." After restarting Chrome, bookmarks go back to opening in the current tab instead of spawning new ones.
But here’s where things get worse. Some users aren’t just dealing with unwanted new tabs – they’re watching their bookmarks multiply like digital rabbits. Angel Long described spending “hours cleaning up duplicate bookmarks, only to have them reappear instantly.”
This duplication problem reportedly stems from Chrome’s sync feature going haywire. When users clean up bookmarks on one device, Chrome’s sync pulls duplicates back from other connected devices, creating an endless cycle of bookmark multiplication. The fix requires turning off sync completely, cleaning bookmarks on all devices, then carefully re-enabling sync. This is a process that shouldn’t be necessary for such basic functionality.
Chrome users who want their bookmarks to behave predictably now have to either learn new gestures, dig into experimental browser flags, or deal with the frustration of constantly managing unwanted tabs and duplicate bookmarks. That’s not exactly the seamless browsing experience most people expect from their default browser.
For now, the flag workaround seems to be the best solution, though there’s no guarantee Google won’t remove that option in future updates.
TechIssuesToday primarily focuses on publishing 'breaking' or 'exclusive' tech news. This means, we are usually the first news website on the whole Internet to highlight the topics we cover daily. So far, our stories have been picked up by many mainstream technology publications like The Verge, Macrumors, Forbes, etc. To know more, head here.
Dwayne Cubbins
1325 Posts
For nearly a decade, I've been deciphering the complexities of the tech world, with a particular passion for helping users navigate the ever-changing tech landscape. From crafting in-depth guides that unlock your phone's hidden potential to uncovering and explaining the latest bugs and glitches, I make sure you get the most out of your devices. And yes, you might occasionally find me ranting about some truly frustrating tech mishaps.
Follow Us
