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how to close browser tab using js? [duplicate]

I want to create a link on a webpage that would close the currently active tab in a browser without closing other tabs in the browser. When the user clicks the close link, an alert message should appear asking the user to confirm with two buttons, "YES" and "NO". If the user clicks "YES", close that page and If "NO", do nothing.
How can it be done? Any suggestions?

You will need Javascript to do this. Use window.close():
close();
Note: the current tab is implied. This is equivalent:
window.close();
or you can specify a different window.
So:
function close_window() {
if (confirm("Close Window?")) {
close();
}
}
with HTML:
close
or:
close
You return false here to prevent the default behavior for the event. Otherwise the browser will attempt to go to that URL (which it obviously isn't).
Now the options on the window.confirm() dialog box will be OK and Cancel (not Yes and No). If you really want Yes and No you'll need to create some kind of modal Javascript dialog box.
Note: there is browser-specific differences with the above. If you opened the window with Javascript (via window.open()) then you are allowed to close the window with javascript. Firefox disallows you from closing other windows. I believe IE will ask the user for confirmation. Other browsers may vary.

Try this
close

This method works in Chrome and IE:
<a href="blablabla" onclick="setTimeout(function(){var ww = window.open(window.location, '_self'); ww.close(); }, 1000);">
If you click on this the window will be closed after 1000ms
</a>

As far as I can tell, it no longer is possible in Chrome or FireFox. It may still be possible in IE (at least pre-Edge).

Sorry for necroposting this, but I recently implemented a locally hosted site that had needed the ability to close the current browser tab and found some interesting workarounds that are not well documented anywhere I could find, so took it on myself to do so.
Note: These workarounds were done with a locally hosted site in mind, and (with the exception of Edge) require the browser to be specifically configured, so would not be ideal for publicly hosted sites.
Context:
In the past, the jQuery script window.close() was able to close the current tab without a problem on most browsers. However, most modern browsers no longer support this script, potentially for security reasons.
Current Functionality:
window.close() will work on tabs opened by a script, or by an anchor with target="_blank" (opened in a new tab)
See #killstreet's comment on #calios's answer
Browser Specific work-arounds:
Google Chrome:
Chrome does not allow the window.close() script to be to be run and nothing happens if you try to use it. By using the Chrome plugin TamperMonkey however we can use the window.close() method if you include the // #grant window.close in the UserScript header of TamperMonkey.
For example, my script (which is triggered when a button with id = 'close_page' is clicked and if 'yes' is pressed on the browser popup) looks like:
// ==UserScript==
// #name Close Tab Script
// #namespace http://tampermonkey.net/
// #version 1.0
// #description Closes current tab when triggered
// #author Mackey Johnstone
// #match http://localhost/index.php
// #grant window.close
// #require http://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.4.1.min.js
// ==/UserScript==
(function() {
'use strict';
$("#close_page").click(function() {
var confirm_result = confirm("Are you sure you want to quit?");
if (confirm_result == true) {
window.close();
}
});
})();
Note: This solution can only close the tab if it is NOT the last tab open however. So effectively, it cannot close the tab if it would cause window to closes by being the last tab open.
Firefox:
Firefox has an advanced setting that you can enable to allow scripts to close windows, effectively enabling the window.close() method. To enable this setting go to about:config then search and find the dom.allow_scripts_to_close_windows preference and switch it from false to true.
This allows you to use the window.close() method directly in your jQuery file as you would any other script.
For example, this script works perfectly with the preference set to true:
<script>
$("#close_page").click(function() {
var confirm_result = confirm("Are you sure you want to quit?");
if (confirm_result == true) {
window.close();
}
});
</script>
This works much better than the Chrome workaround as it allows the user to close the current tab even if it is the only tab open, and doesn't require a third party plugin. The one downside however is that it also enables this script to be run by different websites (not just the one you are intending it to use on) so could potentially be a security hazard, although I cant imagine closing the current tab being particularly dangerous.
Edge:
Disappointingly Edge actually performed the best out of all 3 browsers I tried, and worked with the window.close() method without requiring any configuration. When the window.close() script is run, an additional popup alerts you that the page is trying to close the current tab and asks if you want to continue.
Edit:
This was on the old version of Edge not based on chromium. I have not tested it, but imagine it will act similarly to Chrome on chromium based versions
Final Note: The solutions for both Chrome and Firefox are workarounds for something that the browsers intentionally disabled, potentially for security reasons. They also both require the user to configure their browsers up to be compatible before hand, so would likely not be viable for sites intended for public use, but are ideal for locally hosted solutions like mine.

It is possible. I searched the whole net for this, but once when i took one of microsoft's survey, I finally got the answer.
try this:
window.top.close();
this will close the current tab for you.

The following works for me in Chrome 41:
function leave() {
var myWindow = window.open("", "_self");
myWindow.document.write("");
setTimeout (function() {myWindow.close();},1000);
}
I've tried several ideas for FF including opening an actual web-page, but nothing seems to work. As far as I understand, any browser will close a tab or window with xxx.close() if it was really opened by JS, but FF, at least, cannot be duped into closing a tab by opening new content inside that tab.
That makes sense when you think about it - a user may well not want JS closing a tab or window that has useful history.

Try this as well. Working for me on all three major browsers.
<!-- saved from url=(0014)about:internet -->
<a href="#" onclick="javascript:window.close();opener.window.focus();" >Close Window</a>

window.close() doesn't work in 2k21 because Scripts may close only the windows that were opened by them.
BUT if the tab is opened in the browser not manually, but automatically - then window.close() works.
Automatically (when close() works):
<a href="/close" target="_blank"> the browser will open address in the new tab and this tab can be closed with close()
when new browser tab is opened from another application (when you click a link in Telegram/Whatsup/Outlook etc) - OS will open new tab and it can be closed with close()
when you open the with window.open('ya.ru') - for sure it can be closed with close()
Manually (when it doesn't work):
when you open fresh browser and type in the address.
when you click (+) to open new tab and type in the address

Tested successfully in FF 18 and Chrome 24:
Insert in head:
<script>
function closeWindow() {
window.open('','_parent','');
window.close();
}
</script>
HTML:
Close Window
Credits go to Marcos J. Drake.

As for the people who are still visiting this page, you are only allowed to close a tab that is opened by a script OR by using the anchor tag of HTML with target _blank. Both those can be closed using the
<script>
window.close();
</script>

<button class="closeButton" style="cursor: pointer" onclick="window.close();">Close Window</button>
this did the work for me

a bit late but this is what i found out...
window.close() will only work (IE is an exception) if the window that you are trying to close() was opened by a script using window.open() method.
!(please see the comment of #killstreet below about anchor tag with target _blank)
TLDR: chrome & firefox allow to close them.
you will get console error:
Scripts may not close windows that were not opened by script.
as an error and nothing else.
you could add a unique parameter in the URL to know if the page was opened from a script (like time) - but its just a hack and not a native functionality and will fail in some cases.
i couldn't find any way to know if the page was opened from a open() or not,
and close will not throw and errors.
this will NOT print "test":
try{
window.close();
}
catch (e){
console.log("text");
}
you can read in MDN more about the close() function

It is guaranteed that the closing of tabs will not be tolerated in any future browsers. Using scripts like mentioned above will not work.
My solution was to use a Chrome Extension. A Chrome Extension can require tab manipulation permissions so it will be easy to handle the closing of any tab from the domain in which the extension's content script is active.
This is how the background script should look like:
chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener(function(message, sender, sendResponse) {
console.log(sender)
console.log(message)
if(message.closeThis) {
closeTab(sender.tab.id)
}
});
const closeTab = id => {
console.log("Closing tab");
chrome.tabs.remove(id);
}
The content script should look like this:
window.addEventListener("message", (event) => {
// Only accept messages from ourselves
if (event.source !== window)
return;
if (event.data.type && (event.data.type === "APPLICATION/CLOSE")) {
console.log("Content script received APPLICATION/CLOSE event");
chrome.runtime.sendMessage({closeThis: true});
}
}, false);
Close the tab by calling this in your application (make sure the content scripts are enabled in your domain by specifying that in the manifest):
window.postMessage({ type: "APPLICATION/CLOSE" }, "*");
Be cautious when using this because Chrome Extensions' deployment can be a pain.

I just wanted to add that window.close() works in 2021, chrome 91, but not always. One of the cases when it works if there is no history in tab (you can't go back).
In my case I wanted to create self-destructing tab which closes after few seconds, but I was struggling with how to go to development server avoiding new tab, because apparently New tab is also tab and it is being saved in tab history :D I created link in about:blank tab with target=_blank attribute and it was leading to new tab where window.close() method finally worked!

This is one way of solving the same, declare a JavaScript function like this
<script>
function Exit() {
var x=confirm('Are You sure want to exit:');
if(x) window.close();
}
</script>
Add the following line to the HTML to call the function using a <button>
<button name='closeIt' onClick="Exit()" >Click to exit </Button>

You can try this solution to trick the browser to close the current window using JavaScript + HTML:
JS:
function closeWindow() {
if(window.confirm('Are you sure?')) {
window.alert('Closing window')
window.open('', '_self')
window.close()
}
else {
alert('Cancelled!')
}
}
HTML:
Some content
<button onclick='closeWindow()'>Close Current Window!</button>
More content

Due to strict browser behaviors, window.close() will only work if it's opened by window.open(...)
But I made a solution for this!
Add an empty hashtag with window.open(...) when it is NOT included
When the perfect time for closing occurs, call window.close
If 2. has returned an error, replace any hashtag or HTTP parameters with an empty hashtag and finally close the window
<button onclick="myFunction()">Close</button>
<script>
if (location.href.indexOf("#") == -1) {
window.open(location.href + "#", "_self")
}
function myFunction() {
try {
window.close()
} catch (err) {
window.open(location.href.substring(0, location.href.indexOf("?")).substring(0, location.href.indexOf("#")) + "#", "_self")
window.close()
}
}
</script>
Type close in this live demo

Here's how you would create such a link:
close

Why is sessionStorage in Edge different from Firefox/Chrome and how can I change that?

In Microsoft Edge, when I right click on a link and use "Open in new tab" option, then I can see/access sessionStorage values created in initial page. However, this issue is not there in Chrome and Firefox browsers. You can see this issue in this JSFiddle.
Open JS Fiddle link (in Edge)
Enter any text. Observe entered text is shown in output section text field item
Right Click on "Run" button and choose "Open in new tab". Observe text entered in previous step in another browser tab is accessible in this new tab. As per documentation sessionStorage is created for each tab and it is private to the tab.
If you repeat these steps in Chrome or Firefox, you wont see this issue. Why does sessionStorage in Edge browser behaves differently from other browsers like Firefox and chrome? Is there any work around for this issue in Edge browser?
<span>Your Name is</span> <input type="text" id="name"/>
(function() {
// check value exists or not in session storage
if (sessionStorage.getItem("username") == null || sessionStorage.getItem("username") == undefined)
{
vUserName = prompt("Enter your name");
sessionStorage.setItem("username", vUserName);
}
document.getElementById("name").value = sessionStorage.getItem("username");
})();

The reason is:
sessionStorage.getItem("username") == null // false
Instead, you should use:
sessionStorage.removeItem("username")
Calling getItem now would result in a return value of null, not "null".

From the doc, it says Opening a page in a new tab or window creates a new session with the value of the top-level browsing context. So I think the page opened from right clicking on a link and using "Open in new tab" option should inherit the sessionStorage from the former page. You could also refer to the answer in this thread, I think it's reasonable.
Besides, there're also people think it's an issue with Chrome. So I think it's a different behavior which is by design in different browsers. You could also refer to this thread for the solution.

TinyMCE and IE 9 Issue

I have TinyMCE 4.0 in the page and when I select the text and try to paste it via CTRL+V, I get an error message saying that "Clipboard access not possible." This happens in IE8/9. However the same works fine in Chrome. Is there any workaround for this to get this working in IE?
Bounty:
I've tried resetting all IE settings (via Internet Options->Advanced->Reset All...) on two different computers, both running IE9, and one has the problem while the other does not.
Ultimately, I need to be able to paste formatted text (often with bullets or numeric lists and such) into TinyMCE and have it format them correctly. For this, I'm using the paste plugin, which seems to be throwing the error.

It seems to me that you're using an older TinyMCE 4 version, so in my opinion you should first do an upgrade to the latest version (4.0.3).
I've checked the source code of such version and I've found no trace of the Clipboard access not possible error message, which seems instead to be present in an earlier version of the tinymce/plugins/paste/plugin.min.js file, and only for Internet Explorer:
e.ie ? o.on("init", function () {
var e = o.dom;
o.dom.bind(o.getBody(), "paste", function (n) {
var r;
if (n.preventDefault(), a() && e.doc.dataTransfer)
return c(e.doc.dataTransfer.getData("Text")), t;
var i = u();
e.bind(i, "paste", function (e) {
e.stopPropagation(), r = !0
});
var s = o.selection.getRng(),
f = e.doc.body.createTextRange();
if (f.moveToElementText(i.firstChild), f.execCommand("Paste"), d(), !r)
return o.windowManager.alert("Clipboard access not possible."), t;
var p = i.firstChild.innerHTML;
o.selection.setRng(s), l(p)
})
}
Not being able to find an unminified version of this script, I can't say why such code fails, nor can I explain why it works only on one of your's computers.

In Internet Explorer's Tools menu, choose Internet Options.
Click the Security tab.
Click Trusted Sites.
Click the Sites... button.
Type your domain name (for example, widgetdesigns.com) in the first field, then click Add.
Unselect the checkbox that says Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone.
Click OK to apply your change.
Back on the Security tab, confirm that Trusted Sites is still selected, then click the Custom Level button.
Scroll down the Security section (near the bottom) and check the Disable box below Allow Programmatic clipboard access. (Checking this box will disable the access alert only for sites in your Trusted Sites list.)
Click OK then OK again to apply your changes.
What about this? Does this work?

Javascript popup - Works in FF & Chrome, fails in IE

I can't seem to figure out why the following simple popup will not work in IE9. FF & Chrome popup as expected, but IE does not appear to do anything when the link is clicked. I tried the IE9 debugger, but didn't get any helpful information out of it.
In the head section:
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">
function JSPopup(linkref) {
window.open(linkref,"Report Definitions","width=600,height=480");
return false;
}
In the body:
<strong>Report Definitions</strong>
Thanks for your help,
Filip

Turns out the problem was the name given to the popup - IE doesn't allow spaces, FF & Chrome do:
window.open(linkref,"Report Definitions","width=600,height=480");
needed to be changed to:
window.open(linkref,"ReportDefinitions","width=600,height=480");
This works across browsers.
Filip

This is part of the security changes made in IE6. Now you can only call "window.open" from within a user-initiated event. For example, your code would work inside an element's onclick event. The "window.open" http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536651(VS.85).aspx MSDN page says this:
"This method must use a user-initiated action, such as clicking on a link or tabbing to a link and pressing enter, to open a pop-up window. The Pop-up Blocker feature in Internet Explorer 6 blocks windows that are opened without being initiated by the user."
Example...
function popUpWin(url,wtitle,wprop){
if (!window.open){ return; } // checking if we can't do this basic function
// Kill if(win), since win was a local var this was a usless check
var win = window.open(url,wtitle,wprop);
// next line important in case you open multiple with the same 'wtitle'
// to make sure the window is reused and refocused.
if (win && win.focus){ win.focus(); }
return false;
}

Google Chrome opens window.open(someurl) just fine...but page/window with clicked link also opens someurl.com

As the title says "Google Chrome opens window.open(someurl) just fine...but page/window with clicked link also opens someurl.com.
When I click the "Click here" link with the onclick="shpop..." call attached, my pop up opens /facebook_login.php' correctly...BUT...at the same time, the original window opens /facebook_login.php too!
This happens in Chrome and IE, but FF is fine and doing just what i want..
I have this link:
Click here
I know I could remove the href="/facebook_login.php" and replace with href="#" .. but I need the link to work if js is disabled.
I have this js code imported in my tag:
function shpop(u,t,w,v)
{
var text = encodeURI(t);
var uri = encodeURI(u);
var h = document.location.href;
h = encodeURI(h);
var wwidth='600'; /*popup window width*/
var wheight='300'; /*popup window height*/
if(v=='' || undefined==v)v=document.domain; /*popup name/title */
switch(w){
case 'loginfb':
var url = '/facebook_login.php';
wwidth='980';
wheight='600';
break;
}
window.open(url,v,'width='+wwidth+',height='+wheight);
return false
}
Any ideas?

what is with returning false, and having false in the onclick?
This
onclick="shpop('','','loginfb','');return false"
Just needs to be
onclick="return shpop('','','loginfb','');"
If the onclick returns any error, the link will still open up. Do you see any errors in the JavaScript console? I wonder if the browsers are freaking out about any . in the window name from using document.domain. Try giving it a name.
onclick="return shpop('','','loginfb','foobar');"

According to the latest browser statistics - well last time it was measured anyway (2008) only 5% of users had Javascript disabled. Nowadays it's likely to be less. Consider that all browsers have it enabled by default. Therefore it's generally only advanced users that for whatever reason choose to disable javascript, and will therefore understand that there's a good chance any website they visit won't work as expected - Facebook, Google, Amazon - everyone uses javascript these days. It's perfectly acceptable to assume the user is using it, with one overall <noscript> version at the start of your page for those users if you really really want to cover all your bases :)

Here is the simplest solution:
<a href="/facebook_login.php"
target="FBpopup"
onclick="window.open('about:blank','FBpopup','width=980,height=600')">
Click here
</a>
You don't need return false because you actually want the link to execute.
The trick is to use the same window name in both the window.open and in the link target.
window.open will create the popup, then your login page will run in that popup.
If popups are blocked or Javascript is disabled, your login page will run in a new tab.