What is the rel='noopener noreferrer' attribute in HTML?
Jul 06, 2025 am 12:58 AMUsing rel="noopener noreferrer" in HTML links is essential for security, privacy, and analytics. When opening external links with target="_blank", it prevents reverse tabnabbing attacks by blocking the new tab from accessing the original tab via JavaScript (noopener), and stops the browser from sending the referrer URL (noreferrer), which protects user privacy and ensures accurate traffic tracking. These attributes should be used on all external links that open in a new tab, especially third-party, user-generated, or affiliate links, but are generally unnecessary for internal site links unless extra caution is needed. While noreferrer often implies noopener in modern browsers, including both explicitly ensures broader compatibility and stronger protection across all environments.
When you see rel="noopener noreferrer"
in an HTML link, it's there to control how the browser behaves when opening a new tab or window using the <a></a>
tag with a target="_blank"
attribute. It’s not just random code—it serves specific security and tracking purposes.

Why You Should Use rel="noopener noreferrer"
If your website opens external links in a new tab (using target="_blank"
), not adding this rel
attribute can leave your site open to certain types of attacks—especially reverse tabnabbing. Also, from an analytics perspective, not including noreferrer
means you might be sending referrer information that could interfere with accurate traffic tracking.

Here are some practical reasons why you’d want to use it:
-
Security: Prevents the new tab from accessing your original tab via JavaScript (
window.opener
). - Privacy: Stops browsers from sending the referrer URL when navigating to the new page.
- SEO & Analytics: Helps avoid skewing referral data by not passing your site as the source.
When and Where to Use It
You should use rel="noopener noreferrer"
specifically on any external link that opens in a new tab. That includes outbound links to other websites, especially if you don’t control or trust the destination.

For example:
<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit Example</a>
This is common practice for:
- Links to third-party sites in blog posts or comments
- User-generated content linking externally
- Affiliate links (though sometimes those have different handling)
You generally don’t need it for internal links within your own site unless they open in a new tab and you're extra cautious about referrer behavior.
Breaking Down noopener
vs noreferrer
While they’re often used together, each part does something different:
-
noopener
: This stops the new page from accessing the opener window via JavaScript. Without this, a malicious site could technically run code against your original page. -
noreferrer
: This blocks the browser from sending the HTTP Referer header when the user navigates to the new link. This affects analytics but also helps protect privacy.
A few things to note:
-
noreferrer
also impliesnoopener
in most modern browsers, but it's still best to include both explicitly. - If you only use
noopener
, referrer data will still be sent. - Some older browsers may treat them differently, so including both ensures better compatibility.
Final Thoughts
Adding rel="noopener noreferrer"
is a small detail that makes a big difference. It's a standard best practice for external links that open in new tabs, and it takes just a second to include. Most CMS platforms and static site generators already do this automatically these days, but if you're writing raw HTML or working in a framework, it’s good to double-check.
That’s basically it. Small tag, important job.
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