SharePoint Document Issues

How to Make SharePoint Visio Links Open in the Same Tab

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants hyperlinks inside Visio flowcharts embedded in a SharePoint page to open in the same browser tab rather than defaulting to a new tab.

Product: Microsoft SharePoint / Microsoft Visio
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Clicking a hyperlink contained within an embedded Visio diagram on a modern SharePoint page.
Observed behavior: The embedded Visio links automatically force the target URL to open in a new browser tab, interrupting seamless same-tab navigation.

Before you start

Log into your Microsoft 365 account and verify that you have editing permissions for the SharePoint page, though keep in mind that this specific web part behavior is controlled at the system level by SharePoint.

Solution 1Recommended

Acknowledge SharePoint Default Behavior and Submit Feedback

Currently, SharePoint does not offer a native setting to change how Visio web part links open, so the recommended action is to request this feature from Microsoft or use alternative web parts.

By default, the SharePoint Visio web part forces hyperlinks to open in a new browser tab. This is designed to prevent users from accidentally navigating away and losing their current view or zoom level in the flowchart.

At this time, Microsoft has not implemented a built-in toggle or configuration option in the Visio web part settings to change the link target to the same tab.

Open the SharePoint Feedback Portal

Navigate to the official Microsoft SharePoint Feedback Community portal using your web browser.

Search for existing requests

Use the search bar to look for terms like 'Visio link same tab' or 'Visio embed hyperlink target' to see if other users have already requested this feature.

Submit or upvote a request

Click the 'Upvote' button on existing requests to increase their visibility to Microsoft developers, or click 'Send feedback' to submit a new feature request explaining your specific use case for same-tab navigation.

Alternative Site Design Approach: If same-tab navigation is absolutely critical for your SharePoint page flow, consider recreating the essential navigation paths using standard SharePoint Quick Links or Image web parts, which do allow configuration for same-tab routing.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Looking for a Lightweight Alternative to Manage Documents?

While WPS Office does not alter Microsoft SharePoint's web part behaviors, it serves as a powerful, free, and highly compatible alternative to the Microsoft Office suite for creating, editing, and managing your daily documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

1. Download the software: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installation package for your operating system.
2. Install and launch: Run the installer and open the WPS Office application to access the all-in-one dashboard.
3. Create and edit diagrams: Open a new Document or Presentation, navigate to the Insert tab, and use the built-in Shapes and SmartArt tools to easily construct flowcharts without needing external diagramming software.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats.Free and lightweight alternative to expensive, heavy office subscriptions.All-in-one tabbed interface for seamless document navigation.Built-in flowcharting and drawing tools to handle daily diagramming needs natively.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use custom scripts or HTML to force the Visio links to open in the same tab?

On modern SharePoint pages, custom script injection is heavily restricted for security reasons. While older classic SharePoint pages sometimes allowed Script Editor web parts to modify link targets to target='_self', modern SharePoint does not support this workaround for embedded Visio files.

If I change the hyperlink properties inside the Visio desktop app, will it fix the issue?

No. While the Visio desktop application allows you to configure hyperlinks, the web rendering engine of the SharePoint Visio web part ultimately overrides those settings, enforcing its default behavior to open links in a new tab.

Which SharePoint web parts do support same-tab link navigation?

Standard native SharePoint web parts, such as Quick Links, Text, and Image web parts, offer more flexible configuration and generally allow links to navigate within the same tab, depending on how they are configured.

Document & File Issues