Why is the navigation between tabs not working when using buttons with IDs in Webflow?

If your navigation between Webflow Tabs isn’t working when using buttons with IDs, it’s often due to Webflow’s built-in tab functionality conflicting with your custom button interactions. Here’s how to troubleshoot and fix it.

1. Check the Button Setup

• Ensure each button intended to switch tabs has a unique ID (e.g., #tab-1, #tab-2).
• Verify that the buttons are separate from Webflow’s default Tab Menu to avoid conflicts.

2. Use Webflow’s Default Tab Links (If Possible)

• If you’re trying to manually trigger tabs, consider using Webflow’s built-in Tab Menu links instead of custom buttons.
• Webflow handles tab indexing automatically, so using default links avoids JavaScript conflicts.

3. Add Custom JavaScript for Button-Based Navigation

If you must use custom buttons, use JavaScript to trigger Webflow’s tab clicks:

• Go to Page Settings → Custom Code → Add this in the Footer Code section:
  ```js
  document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {
  document.querySelectorAll("[data-tab-button]").forEach(button => {
  button.addEventListener("click", function() {
  let tabTarget = this.getAttribute("data-tab-target");
  document.querySelector(.w-tab-link[data-w-tab="${tabTarget}"]).click();
  });
  });
  });
  ```
• For each button, add the custom attributes in Webflow:
• Custom Attribute: data-tab-button → Value: true
• Custom Attribute: data-tab-target → Value: (match the tab name, e.g., Tab 2)

4. Ensure Tabs Have Matching Data Attributes

• Each Webflow tab link should have data-w-tab values matching the buttons’ data-tab-target.
• Example:
• Button: data-tab-target="Tab 2"
• Webflow Tab Link: data-w-tab="Tab 2"

5. Test in Preview Mode

• Webflow’s custom code doesn’t run in the Designer. Publish your site and test the navigation.

Summary

If button-based tab switching isn’t working in Webflow, use JavaScript to simulate a tab click. Ensure your buttons have proper data attributes, and test only after publishing. Using Webflow’s default Tab Menu links is the easiest alternative.