# How to stop rel="noopener noreferrer" and target="\_blank" being set as default

**URL:** <https://forum.builder.io/t/how-to-stop-rel-noopener-noreferrer-and-target-blank-being-set-as-default/3029>\
**Category:** Technical Questions\
**Tags:** visual-editor\
**Created:** [December 29, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://forum.builder.io/t/how-to-stop-rel-noopener-noreferrer-and-target-blank-being-set-as-default/3029 "2022-12-29T20:38:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![edplotts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6bbea6/32.png) [@edplotts](https://forum.builder.io/u/edplotts)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://forum.builder.io/t/how-to-stop-rel-noopener-noreferrer-and-target-blank-being-set-as-default/3029/1 "2022-12-29T20:38:56Z")

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**What are you trying to accomplish**  
We want to copy/paste from Google Docs into a text editor in [Builder.io](http://Builder.io) for blog content, but we noticed that all the links are automatically getting rel=“noopener noreferrer” and target=“\_blank”.

^^ We don’t want this to happen because most of our links are internal. How can we stop this from happening?

**Screenshots or video link**  
Loom video: [https://www.loom.com/share/a956cd04b6224ec0baa9a8d342d62d0e](https://www.loom.com/share/a956cd04b6224ec0baa9a8d342d62d0e)

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**Author:** ![Lukas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.builder.io/lukas/32/4606_2.png) [@Lukas](https://forum.builder.io/u/Lukas)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 8:10am UTC](https://forum.builder.io/t/how-to-stop-rel-noopener-noreferrer-and-target-blank-being-set-as-default/3029/2 "2026-02-27T08:10:51Z")

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Any updates on this?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HusnainCH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ec9cab/32.png) [@HusnainCH](https://forum.builder.io/u/HusnainCH)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://forum.builder.io/t/how-to-stop-rel-noopener-noreferrer-and-target-blank-being-set-as-default/3029/3 "2026-03-07T09:32:16Z")

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This usually isn’t caused by Google Docs itself. When you paste content into [Builder.io](http://Builder.io)’s rich text editor, the editor often applies its own **link security defaults**.

Many modern editors automatically add:

- `target="_blank"` → forces the link to open in a new tab

- `rel="noopener noreferrer"` → prevents security risks when opening external links in a new tab

These attributes are commonly added to protect against a vulnerability called **reverse tabnabbing** , which can happen when external pages access the original window.

If most of your links are **internal** , you have a few options:

**1. Adjust [Builder.io](http://Builder.io) editor settings**  
Check whether [Builder.io](http://Builder.io) allows configuring default link behavior. Some editors have settings that disable automatic `target="_blank"` or allow removing `rel` attributes for internal URLs.

**2. Use a cleanup script after pasting**  
If the editor allows custom scripts or hooks, you can automatically remove these attributes from internal links. Example logic:

- Detect links that start with your domain

- Remove `target="_blank"` and `rel="noopener noreferrer"`

**3. Paste as plain text**  
Sometimes using **Paste without formatting (Ctrl + Shift + V)** prevents extra attributes from being added.

**4. Manual cleanup**  
If the editor stores HTML, you can remove the attributes during your content processing step before publishing.

In general, these attributes are useful for **external links** , but for **internal links they’re usually unnecessary** , so adjusting the editor configuration or running a cleanup step is the best approach.