After you first install Firefox, and you go to open an HTML file from your hard drive, Firefox shows the file in whatever tab you last used, possibly navigating away from a webpage that you're viewing. This can be quite annoying sometimes. Want to change it? Read on.

By the way, this one's pretty simple, so I don't think we need a screen shot. Bug me at ethan@firefoxtutor.com if you want help.

Click the menu Tools > Options. Click the Advanced tab. Find the part that says Tabbed Browsing and it should list an option labled Open links from other applications in:. Now, you have three options.

"a new window"
"a new tab in the most recent window"
"the most recent tab/window"

If you prefer the files you open to be opened in a new window, select the first option. If you want the files you open to be opened in a new tab, in the last window you used, select the second option (If you have no windows open, a new one will be opened for the file). The default is the third one, which opens the file in the last tab you used.

So there you have it! A simple solution to a pesky peeve. (Use of alliteration was unintentional!)