Codious External Links Opener

Description

Codious External Links Opener is a lightweight WordPress plugin that automatically opens all external links in a new browser tab.
It also adds rel="noopener noreferrer" to external links for improved security and performance.

No setup required. Simply install and activate the plugin.

Features:

  • Automatically adds target="_blank" to external links
  • Adds rel="noopener noreferrer" for security and performance
  • No settings or configuration required
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Works with posts, pages, and custom post types

Credits

Developed by Codious Technologies

Installation

  1. Upload the plugin files to the /wp-content/plugins/codious-external-links-opener directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress.
  3. That’s it! External links will now open in a new tab automatically.

FAQ

Will this affect internal links?

No. Only links pointing to external domains are modified.

Is there any admin settings page?

No. The plugin works automatically without any configuration.

Will it slow down my website?

No. The plugin is lightweight and only processes post content.

Reviews

May 20, 2026
External Links in New Window / New Tab is one of the best free WordPress plugins for automatically opening external links in a new tab. The plugin is lightweight, easy to configure, and works perfectly without affecting website speed or SEO performance. If you are searching for the best external links opener WordPress plugin, WP external links solution, or a simple way to make all external links open in a new tab in WordPress, this plugin is an excellent choice. It helps improve user experience by keeping visitors on your website while external pages open separately. The setup process is very beginner-friendly. You can quickly enable options for opening external links in a new window or new tab directly from the WordPress dashboard without editing any code. The plugin also allows you to exclude specific domains or customize link behavior easily. Compared to many heavy external link management plugins, this plugin remains fast, clean, and compatible with most WordPress themes and page builders. It is especially useful for bloggers, affiliate marketers, news websites, and SEO-focused websites that regularly use outbound links. If you want a reliable plugin for adding external links in WordPress while improving navigation and reducing bounce rate, External Links in New Window / New Tab is highly recommended.
January 3, 2026
This plugin is very convenient because after installation it automatically opens external links in a new tab, without requiring extra configuration. It smartly ignores email (mailto) and phone (tel) links, so only real external hyperlinks are affected. I tested it along with a WordPress automatic internal links plugin and a WordPress plugin auto internal link setup, and there were no conflicts at all. Internal links remain untouched while external URLs correctly open link in a new tab. If you are using an auto internal linking plugin WordPress website and want a clean solution to manage external links, this plugin works perfectly for open in new tab WordPress functionality. Lightweight, automatic, and SEO-friendly. Thank Codious Technologies for building a simple and effective solution.
Read all 3 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Codious External Links Opener” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Changelog

1.1

  • Updated compatibility with WordPress 6.8
  • Minor internal improvements