diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/BrowserTabFragment.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/BrowserTabFragment.kt
index 515277405d6b..245ebbf8ece7 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/BrowserTabFragment.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/BrowserTabFragment.kt
@@ -353,15 +353,9 @@ class BrowserTabFragment : Fragment(), FindListener, CoroutineScope, DaxDialogLi
 
     override fun onPause() {
         logoHidingListener.onPause()
-        dismissDownloadFragment()
         super.onPause()
     }
 
-    private fun dismissDownloadFragment() {
-        val fragment = fragmentManager?.findFragmentByTag(DOWNLOAD_CONFIRMATION_TAG) as? DownloadConfirmationFragment
-        fragment?.dismiss()
-    }
-
     private fun createPopupMenu() {
         popupMenu = BrowserPopupMenu(layoutInflater)
         val view = popupMenu.contentView
@@ -841,6 +835,14 @@ class BrowserTabFragment : Fragment(), FindListener, CoroutineScope, DaxDialogLi
             }
 
             it.setDownloadListener { url, _, contentDisposition, mimeType, _ ->
+                //handling target=_blank if link points to a file
+                if (viewModel.url == null) {     //in an empty tab
+                    launch {
+                        viewModel.closeCurrentTab()
+                        destroyWebView()
+                    }
+                }
+
                 requestFileDownload(url, contentDisposition, mimeType, true)
             }
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/DownloadConfirmationFragment.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/DownloadConfirmationFragment.kt
index ccec131898f1..c8e4e81ab771 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/DownloadConfirmationFragment.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/duckduckgo/app/browser/DownloadConfirmationFragment.kt
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ class DownloadConfirmationFragment : BottomSheetDialogFragment() {
         return view
     }
 
+    override fun onPause() {
+        dismiss()
+        super.onPause()
+    }
+
     private fun setupDownload() {
         file = if (!pendingDownload.isDataUrl) File(pendingDownload.directory, pendingDownload.guessFileName()) else null
     }