zen-browser/desktop

Holding ⌥ on Mac to select the text inside a link is broken

Open

#8391 opened on May 18, 2025

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 (6 comments) (2 reactions) (0 assignees)JavaScript (42,031 stars) (1,498 forks)batch import
Bugcomponent: othergood first issueplatform: linuxplatform: macOSplatform: windows

Description

Captchas

  • I have read the instructions.
  • I have searched existing issues and avoided creating duplicates.
  • I am not filing an enhancement request.
  • I have checked that this issue cannot be reproduced on Mozilla Firefox.
  • I have checked that this issue can be reproduced once I removed all my Mods and Custom CSS.

What happened?

In Firefox it is possible to hold ⌥ (or Alt on Linux or Windows) to select the text inside a link instead of clicking on the link. But on Zen the link is unintentionally opened at the end of the clic.

Version

1.12.5b

What platform are you seeing the problem on?

macOS - aarch64

What component is this issue related to?

Other

Relevant log output if applicable

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
frontendaccessibility
Issue type
bug
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
Basic JavaScriptBrowser event handling concepts
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Investigate the event handling code for link clicks in Zen Browser, focusing on how the Alt/Option key modifier is processed. Compare with Firefox's behavior to identify the difference. The issue comments may contain hints. Test on macOS to confirm the fix.