HN Explorer

Ask HN: Gmail not formatting URLs pasted from Firefox?

4 points by whycombagator ↗ HN
If I type https://test.com into the address bar of Firefox, cut/copy said URL, and paste it into Gmail there is no automatic formatting (IE I can't visit the URL, it is purely text).

If I paste the URL into a Chromium address bar, immediately cut/copy it, and paste it back into Gmail (which is still open in Firefox) - it is now formatted as a link.

Why?

4 comments

[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 12.5 ms ] thread
verdverm
Check your clipboard? If it's plaintext and the same both times, a glitch? I don't see there being enough info or malice on Gmail's part
whycombagator
So I recently switched to FF from Chrome (at home and work). Whilst at work I often create email drafts that have links to articles I may wish to read later.

I have noticed recently the links in my drafts are no longer pre-formatted.

So I tried a few times copy/pasting URLs from Chromium into Gmail, and then pasting the same URLs into FF and subsequently copying/pasting into Gmail again (and vice versa).

Each time links from FF are not formatted, whilst ones from Chromium are.

gshdg
Once you send they’ll be interpreted as clickable by the recipient’s email client anyway in 99.5% of cases.
murkle
Chrome now adds the formatting when it puts the URL on the clipboard; Firefox doesn't