diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/tabstray/TabsTrayViewHolder.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/tabstray/TabsTrayViewHolder.kt
index 499dcf5c8..e0c443526 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/tabstray/TabsTrayViewHolder.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/tabstray/TabsTrayViewHolder.kt
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import org.mozilla.fenix.ext.toShortUrl
 import org.mozilla.fenix.selection.SelectionHolder
 import org.mozilla.fenix.selection.SelectionInteractor
 import org.mozilla.fenix.tabstray.browser.BrowserTrayInteractor
+import org.mozilla.fenix.tabstray.ext.isSelect
 
 /**
  * A RecyclerView ViewHolder implementation for "tab" items.
@@ -206,7 +207,7 @@ abstract class TabsTrayViewHolder(
         itemView.setOnClickListener {
             val selected = holder.selectedItems
             when {
-                selected.isEmpty() -> interactor.open(item)
+                selected.isEmpty() && trayStore.state.mode.isSelect().not() -> interactor.open(item)
                 item in selected -> interactor.deselect(item)
                 else -> interactor.select(item)
             }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/tabstray/ext/TabsTrayState.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/tabstray/ext/TabsTrayState.kt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..96434cc5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/tabstray/ext/TabsTrayState.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+package org.mozilla.fenix.tabstray.ext
+
+import org.mozilla.fenix.tabstray.TabsTrayState.Mode
+
+/**
+ * A helper to check if we're in [Mode.Select] mode.
+ */
+fun Mode.isSelect() = this is Mode.Select