Open a Menu Item in a New Page or Tab

2 min read Updated

To make a menu item open in a new browser tab, enable Open link in a new tab for that item. On a classic theme, the option is on the Menus screen and in the Customizer, but it is hidden until you show Link Target. On a block theme, the setting is Open in new tab on the link in the Navigation block. The setting suits links to other sites, such as a booking service or a social profile, because your site stays open in the first tab.

The menus you see in Appearance depend on your theme. A classic theme shows Customize, and it shows Menus when it supports menus or widgets. A block theme shows Editor in place of Customize, unless the theme or a plugin adds Customizer settings, and it shows Menus only when it supports menus or widgets.

Classic Admin Screens

  1. Go to AppearanceMenus.
  2. Click Screen Options at the top right and enable Link Target. WordPress remembers this for your user account.
  3. In Select a menu to edit, choose the menu and click Select.
  4. Click the arrow on the right of the menu item to open its settings.
  5. Enable Open link in a new tab.
  6. Click Save Menu.

A menu item's settings with Open link in a new tab checked

Customizer

  1. Go to AppearanceCustomizeMenus.
  2. Click the gear icon (Menu Options) at the top of the panel and enable Link Target under Show advanced menu properties.
  3. Click the menu, then click the menu item to open its settings.
  4. Enable Open link in a new tab.
  5. Click Publish.

Link Target turned on in the Customizer Menu Options, and a menu item set to open in a new tab

Block Themes

  1. Go to AppearanceEditorNavigation and click the menu. Click the three dots (Actions) and choose Edit.
  2. Select the link you want to change.
  3. In the block settings sidebar, under Settings, enable Open in new tab.
  4. Click Save.

A Custom Link in the Navigation block with Open in new tab checked

If the menu lists your pages automatically, it uses a Page List block, and single pages in it have no link settings. Select the Page List block, click Edit and confirm to turn each page into its own link, then follow the steps above. New pages are then no longer added to the menu automatically.