diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/bookmark-list.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/bookmark-list.js
index 6ea4c9cb634..15dd1f42cab 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/bookmark-list.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/bookmark-list.js
@@ -75,10 +75,9 @@ export default Component.extend(Scrolling, {
 
   @action
   screenExcerptForExternalLink(event) {
-    if (event.target && event.target.tagName === "A") {
-      let link = event.target;
-      if (shouldOpenInNewTab(link.href)) {
-        openLinkInNewTab(link);
+    if (event?.target?.tagName === "A") {
+      if (shouldOpenInNewTab(event.target.href)) {
+        openLinkInNewTab(event, event.target);
       }
     }
   },
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/html-with-links.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/html-with-links.js
index a49b1dfcc90..9149668fb8e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/html-with-links.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/html-with-links.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export default Component.extend({
   click(event) {
     if (event?.target?.tagName === "A") {
       if (shouldOpenInNewTab(event.target.href)) {
-        openLinkInNewTab(event.target);
+        openLinkInNewTab(event, event.target);
       }
     }
   },
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/click-track.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/click-track.js
index 52cadb5cff0..52b45ec9b4e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/click-track.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/lib/click-track.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import User from "discourse/models/user";
 import { ajax } from "discourse/lib/ajax";
 import getURL, { samePrefix } from "discourse-common/lib/get-url";
 import { isTesting } from "discourse-common/config/environment";
-import discourseLater from "discourse-common/lib/later";
 import { selectedText } from "discourse/lib/utilities";
 import { wantsNewWindow } from "discourse/lib/intercept-click";
 import deprecated from "discourse-common/lib/deprecated";
@@ -59,7 +58,7 @@ export function shouldOpenInNewTab(href) {
   return !isInternal && openExternalInNewTab;
 }
 
-export function openLinkInNewTab(link) {
+export function openLinkInNewTab(event, link) {
   let href = (link.href || link.dataset.href || "").trim();
   if (href === "") {
     return;
@@ -69,23 +68,7 @@ export function openLinkInNewTab(link) {
   newWindow.opener = null;
   newWindow.focus();
 
-  // Hack to prevent changing current window.location.
-  // e.preventDefault() does not work.
-  if (!link.dataset.href) {
-    link.classList.add("no-href");
-    link.dataset.href = link.href;
-    link.dataset.autoRoute = true;
-    link.removeAttribute("href");
-
-    discourseLater(() => {
-      if (link) {
-        link.classList.remove("no-href");
-        link.setAttribute("href", link.dataset.href);
-        delete link.dataset.href;
-        delete link.dataset.autoRoute;
-      }
-    }, 50);
-  }
+  event.preventDefault();
 }
 
 export default {
@@ -185,7 +168,7 @@ export default {
 
     if (!wantsNewWindow(e)) {
       if (shouldOpenInNewTab(href)) {
-        openLinkInNewTab(link);
+        openLinkInNewTab(e, link);
       } else {
         trackPromise.finally(() => {
           if (DiscourseURL.isInternal(href) && samePrefix(href)) {
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/lib/click-track-test.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/lib/click-track-test.js
index bf53abb11f1..67e8ea605b5 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/lib/click-track-test.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/lib/click-track-test.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { module, skip, test } from "qunit";
 import ClickTrack from "discourse/lib/click-track";
 import DiscourseURL from "discourse/lib/url";
 import User from "discourse/models/user";
-import discourseLater from "discourse-common/lib/later";
 import pretender from "discourse/tests/helpers/create-pretender";
 import sinon from "sinon";
 import { setPrefix } from "discourse-common/lib/get-url";
@@ -191,36 +190,6 @@ module("Unit | Utility | click-track", function (hooks) {
     assert.ok(track(generateClickEventOn(".mailto")));
   });
 
-  test("removes the href and put it as a data attribute", async function (assert) {
-    User.currentProp("external_links_in_new_tab", true);
-
-    assert.notOk(track(generateClickEventOn("a")));
-
-    let link = fixture("a");
-    assert.ok(link.classList.contains("no-href"));
-    assert.strictEqual(link.dataset.href, "http://www.google.com/");
-    assert.blank(link.getAttribute("href"));
-    assert.ok(link.dataset.autoRoute);
-    assert.ok(window.open.calledWith("http://www.google.com/", "_blank"));
-  });
-
-  test("restores the href after a while", async function (assert) {
-    assert.expect(2);
-
-    assert.notOk(track(generateClickEventOn("a")));
-
-    assert.timeout(75);
-
-    const done = assert.async();
-    discourseLater(() => {
-      assert.strictEqual(
-        fixture("a").getAttribute("href"),
-        "http://www.google.com"
-      );
-      done();
-    });
-  });
-
   function badgeClickCount(assert, id, expected) {
     track(generateClickEventOn(`#${id}`));
     const badge = fixture(`#${id}`).querySelector("span.badge");