Restore middle-click on "New Tab" (+) button to open a new tab and paste primary selection (Linux)

[bukowski12]

In Chromium commit 3b48235a4d3d853824288d3cc1310916ddc334a6 (Oct 2025), the long-standing Linux-specific behavior was removed:
middle-clicking the "New Tab" (+) button no longer opens a new tab with the current primary selection (X11 "highlight" clipboard) pasted into the address bar.

This feature existed in Chromium/Chrome and Brave on Linux since ~2014 and has been a beloved power-user shortcut for many Linux desktop users (especially on distributions like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Arch, etc.).

Even though the original implementation was Linux-only and added some code complexity, the functionality itself is extremely useful and has no direct equivalent on other platforms (Windows/macOS rely on Ctrl+C instead of primary selection).

Request
Please consider restoring this behavior in Brave on Linux only (it does not need to be enabled on Windows/macOS).
Possible implementation options:

• Re-introduce the few removed lines in TabStripRegionView::OnMousePressed (the code is only ~15 lines and already guarded by #if BUILDFLAG(IS_LINUX))
• Or provide a hidden flag/preference (brave://flags/#enable-middle-click-new-tab-paste or similar)

Many Brave Linux users miss this workflow and it was one of the small things that made the Linux experience feel polished.

References

• https://issues.chromium.org/issues/457495649
• Chromium removal commit: https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/3b48235a4d3d853824288d3cc1310916ddc334a6
• Original addition (2014): https://codereview.chromium.org/74133003/

Platform
Linux (X11 and Wayland)

Thank you for considering this! This would be a very appreciated quality-of-life improvement for the Linux community.

[rfdj]

When it was still available, I also noticed that when using that functionality to paste a search phrase in a private window, it would search using the default search engine, rather than the one selected for private windows.

For example, my regular search engine is Google and my private window search engine is DuckDuckGo. I would then select a word, which stores it in the secondary clipboard and then middle click the new tab button, which would open a new Google search for that word immediately. The bug was that it always used Google, even in a private window.

I would absolutely love this feature to be returned, as it allowed searches with just two clicks.

[bukowski12]

I made simple Chrome Extension, because i cannot live wihout this feature.

[rewolff]

Me too! I really need this back! (There is no "this affects me too" button here on github, right?)

I tried the PasteTab extension that @bukowski12 wrote. It doesn't work to fix the issue at hand here.

[LufoX11]

Oh man I thought I was the only one... PLEASE rollabck this change and allow me to click open a new tab with the selected text! It was INCREDIBLY useful. WHYTF did you remove such a useful behaviour??

[Guilherhast]

We need to raise awareness and get more votes for the issue on the official page.

https://issues.chromium.org/issues/457495649

Maybe if we have more votes, they will look at it and revert the change.

[bukowski12]

So not only new tab button but disabled the "Middle-click to paste and go" functionality on UI elements like the Site Info (left in omnibox) https://issues.chromium.org/issues/495747190

[bukowski12]

Hurrah both issues are reverted in Chromium >148. In Brave-core soon and in Brave-origin nigtly just now.

[LufoX11]

FINALLY!! Thanks for the heads up!