Open in New Window Plugin
by Keith P. Graham · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 2.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
Opens external links in a new window, keeping your blog page in the browser so you don't lose surfers to another site.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 56/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
2K+
≈2.5K estimated
Momentum
+14%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “new window”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
56 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.6%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 128.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
28/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Not actively maintained. No update in about 2 years.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 839 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.6.11; the current branch is 6.8
4.8★ over 16 reviews, smoothed to 4.27★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 839 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| new window your tag | #11 | #17 | up 1 |
| links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| open your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| outbound your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- One page off on “new window”. #11 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “links”, “open” and “outbound” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.9K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 69% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 14 months ago; the previous band took 19 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 8 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ CyberCobre5.7y ago
Install, check the Settings page Settings > Open in New Window and uncheck the images etc checkbox if you want, and you’re done. Nifty. Works. No fuss.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Craig7.6y ago
Not much to say, but it worked as advertised. 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ peteto20068.7y ago
I installed different plugins with that purpose, but none of them worked with my custom theme. This one works like magic! Thank you! You saved me lots of time!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ JNashHawkins9.1y ago
Works fine here on Twenty Seventeen Theme and this is a multisite install
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ O_Breda9.8y ago
I’ve been using this plugin for a few years. I am pleased with the functionality of the plugin. No problem whatsoever. This topic was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by O_Breda.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mavery7626610.1y ago
There’s not much to say. I installed the plug-in and just like that external links opened in new tabs. This shouldn’t be necessary since WordPress offers an “Open in new window” option when creating a link, but it doesn’t seem to work, so third party developers have make it work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Keith P. Graham11.0y ago
Works
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ singmann12.2y ago
Does exactly what it is supposed to do. Opens all external links and pdfs in a new window/tab. All others are opened in the same window. Does this without any configuration. Perfect.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.9 Tested under WordPress 6.4.2 2.9
- — Version 2.8 Tested under WordPress 5.7 2.8
- — Version 2.7 Tested under WordPress 5.4 2.7
- — Version 2.6 Fixed a bug in the javascript loader url. 2.6
- — Version 2.5 Changed comments to / … / so that javascript compressors will not get confused. Fixed bug in the way options are stored. Fixed bug in the way control js was loaded. 2.5
- — Version 2.4 Major rewrite. Uses script enqueue methods so WP loads the scripts. Fixed some problems with the scripts. THey should compress correctly now. set up so translations might work (but I doubt it). 2.4
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.5.5
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 600 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "outbound" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-09-20 3K+ → 2K+ down after 578 days in tier
- 2024-02-20 4K+ → 3K+ down after 480 days in tier
- 2022-10-28 5K+ → 4K+ down after 642 days in tier
- 2021-01-24 6K+ → 5K+ down after 524 days in tier
- 2019-08-19 7K+ → 6K+ down after 61 days in tier
- 2019-06-19 9K+ → 7K+ down after 906 days in tier
- 2016-12-25 10K+ → 9K+ down
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
WP Open Comment Links in New Window 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
External Links in New Window / New Tab 30K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Easy External Links 300+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags D -
Broken Link Checker 500K+ installs · 3.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
LuckyWP Table of Contents 90K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag B -
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Open in New Window Plugin into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/open-in-new-window-plugin" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Open in New Window Plugin — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Open in New Window Plugin: 2K+ active installs, 4.8★ (16 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/open-in-new-window-plugin
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