Microsoft/vscode

Markdown Preview: Open markdown links in new tab

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#265,994 opened on Sep 10, 2025

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 (3 comments) (5 reactions) (1 assignee)TypeScript (39,847 forks)batch import
feature-requesthelp wantedmarkdown-ext

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Description

In the the Markdown Preview, it should be possible to open markdown links in a new tab. For example through Ctrl + Clicking the link.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open markdown file
  2. Open Markdown Preview through command palette
  3. Click link to another markdown file

Example

# The Foo 1 File
[foo2](./foo2.md)

# The Foo 2 File
[foo1](./foo1.md)

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate the Markdown Preview source code to find where links are handled. Look for existing event handling on link clicks and modify to open in new tab when Ctrl is pressed.
Tech stack
typescriptjavascript
Domain
frontenddeveloper experience
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GitTypeScript
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
75