Title: PLTarget &#8211; Post Links Target
Author: PL Target
Published: <strong>July 17, 2026</strong>
Last modified: July 17, 2026

---

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![](https://s.w.org/plugins/geopattern-icon/pltarget-post-links-target.svg)

# PLTarget – Post Links Target

 By [PL Target](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pltarget/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/pltarget-post-links-target.1.0.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pltarget-post-links-target/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pltarget-post-links-target/#reviews)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pltarget-post-links-target/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pltarget-post-links-target/)

## Description

Opens post links inside a target window of one of the following types: an internal
embedded iframe, an external popup window, a separate browser window/tab. The type
of window to be opened is mapped to the file extensions in the links via the plugin
settings. By default, links to images and PDF files open in the internal embedded
window, while all others open in an external popup or browser window (except for“
technical” links to ZIP files and similar assets, which are downloaded within the
current window).

Exceptions are provided for these rules in certain cases. For instance, to prevent
the plugin from handling frontend UI elements within the post container (such as
edit buttons), you can add their URL fragments to a dedicated exclusion list. Additionally,
you can specify websites that block their pages from being loaded inside iframes
due to security policies (the plugin will automatically open these in a separate
browser window instead).

The plugin processes links from both the main “post_content” field and custom fields(
including in Multisite mode). It scans links exclusively inside the post container
and ignores standard UI components (menus, widgets, pagination, etc.).

Out of the box, target window assignment is configured only for links with a user-
defined target=”_blank” attribute. It is assumed that authors decide which links
should open externally, while the plugin simply manages the appearance of these 
windows. However, you can change this setting to apply the plugin’s logic to all
links within a post.

## Screenshots

[⌊Main settings (target window options).⌉⌊Main settings (target window options).⌉[

Main settings (target window options).

[⌊Miscellaneous settings.⌉⌊Miscellaneous settings.⌉[

Miscellaneous settings.

[⌊Example page showing links for different target window types.⌉⌊Example page showing
links for different target window types.⌉[

Example page showing links for different target window types.

[⌊Example of a link opening in an embedded iframe window.⌉⌊Example of a link opening
in an embedded iframe window.⌉[

Example of a link opening in an embedded iframe window.

[⌊Example of a link opening in an external popup window.⌉⌊Example of a link opening
in an external popup window.⌉[

Example of a link opening in an external popup window.

[⌊Example of a link opening in a separate browser window.⌉⌊Example of a link opening
in a separate browser window.⌉[

Example of a link opening in a separate browser window.

## FAQ

### When attempting to open a link in a popup window, the browser displays an error message similar to: “To protect your security, website will not allow your browser to display the page if another site has embedded it”. Is there any way to avoid this?

Some websites prohibit opening their pages within embedded iframes for security 
reasons. Since popup windows also embed iframes internally, this restriction applies
to them as well.

To avoid such issues, these websites should be added to the “URLs excluded for iframe”
list in the plugin settings (this forces their pages to open in a separate browser
window/tab). If there are many such links, it is recommended to use only browser
windows as target containers.

### Certain interface elements in WordPress posts (such as frontend plugin edit buttons, pagination links, etc.) are implemented as URLs that must open within the current page. How can I prevent a target window from being assigned to them?

To resolve this, you need to list the specific URL fragments associated with the
ignored interface elements in the “Exclude URLs with the next fragments” field within
the plugin settings. For example, the edit button for the WP-Recall plugin contains
the “rcl-post-edit” GET variable, which should be added to this list.

### The Simple Lightbox plugin automatically opens image links inside its own popup window, even if they are meant to load inside your plugin’s embedded iframe or external popup window. How can I prevent this?

Some image lightbox plugins, like Simple Lightbox, automatically intercept all image
links on a page. To avoid this behavior, we recommend either not using target windows
for images or switching to a plugin that allows their selective targeting (such 
as Meow Lightbox).

### Does the plugin support WordPress Multisite?

Yes, it is fully compatible with WordPress Multisite.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“PLTarget – Post Links Target” is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ PL Target ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pltarget/)

“PLTarget – Post Links Target” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pltarget-post-links-target/contributors)
for their contributions.

[Translate “PLTarget – Post Links Target” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pltarget-post-links-target)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pltarget-post-links-target/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/pltarget-post-links-target/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pltarget-post-links-target/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pltarget-post-links-target/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.0.0

 * Start version

## Meta

 *  Version **1.0.0**
 *  Last updated **10 hours ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 5.5 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.0.2**
 *  PHP version ** 7.2 or higher **
 *  Languages
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pltarget-post-links-target/) and
   [Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/pltarget-post-links-target/).
 *  [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pltarget-post-links-target)
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 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pltarget-post-links-target/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

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[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pltarget-post-links-target/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ PL Target ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pltarget/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pltarget-post-links-target/)