Google Drive - how to open files in a new tab by default without having to preview in a modal window in the same tab first

Question

In Google Drive on the web, when looking at a folder that contains many files like images or audio files, I want to be able to click or cmd-click many files in the list and have them open in new tabs in the background (i.e. don't immediately switch to the new tab). Is there some way I can achieve this with settings or an add-on for Firefox and/or Chrome?

Current behavior requires opening the file in a modal window in the same tab, clicking the three-dots menu on the top-right, and selecting "open in new tab". This is cumbersome when going through many files.

I am not trying to download each of them, but rather have them open in a new tab so that I can get the URL or review the contents later.

See this Google Drive Help thread for the same request.

Answer 1

Answer originally posted at https://www.reddit.com/r/chrome/comments/kp6p35/open_google_drive_filesfolders_in_new_tab/ Jan 2, 2021. Use Ctrl / ⌘ + Shift + Left Click (New Tab). I verified that this works with PDFs which have the same annoying issue of not automatically opening in a new tab like all Google Docs / Sheets / Forms, etc.