1. IronPDF
  2. Troubleshooting
  3. IronPDF - _blank hyperlinks in a PDF open in same browser tab

Fixing Blank Hyperlinks in IronPDF

Curtis Chau
Curtis Chau
Updated:

This is a known limitation of many web browsers when opening a PDF in a browser.

Not specific to IronPDF.

Chrome has this issue, so does Safari and we await an update from the browser developers to fix it.
_blank is not respected in PDF documents.

You can achieve the same by printing any web page to PDF in your browser print menu and notice the same behavior.

When viewing a PDF in Adobe Acrobat, or Apple Preview, you will notice that links open in a new browser tab.

Bug report for Chrome web browser:
https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/9273095/open-display-pdf-in-a-new-tab-when-click-on-a-link?hl=en

As this relates to your client software, there is nothing we can currently do to change this behavior.

Rendering this simple HTML file to PDF via print to PDF in Chrome or Safari gives the same behavior as IronPDF.
The hyperlink opens in the same tab if viewed in a browser rather than a desktop PDF client.
test.html
test.html.pdf

Curtis Chau
Curtis Chau
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Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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