diff --git a/qutebrowser/app.py b/qutebrowser/app.py
index bcf5bed9a..8b1e7a53f 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/app.py
+++ b/qutebrowser/app.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import traceback
 
 from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QApplication, QDialog
 from PyQt5.QtCore import (pyqtSlot, qInstallMessageHandler, QTimer, QUrl,
-                          QStandardPaths, QObject)
+                          QStandardPaths, QObject, Qt)
 
 import qutebrowser
 from qutebrowser.commands import cmdutils, runners
@@ -230,6 +230,28 @@ class Application(QApplication):
         self._open_startpage()
         self._open_quickstart()
 
+    def _get_window(self, ipc):
+        """Helper function for process_args to get a window id."""
+        if not ipc:
+            return 0
+        open_target = config.get('general', 'ipc-open-target')
+        if open_target in ('tab', 'tab-silent'):
+            try:
+                window = objreg.get('last-main-window')
+            except KeyError:
+                message.error("No main window found!")
+                return None
+            else:
+                if open_target != 'tab-silent':
+                    window.setWindowState(window.windowState() &
+                                          ~Qt.WindowMinimized |
+                                           Qt.WindowActive)
+                    window.raise_()
+                    window.activateWindow()
+                return window.win_id
+        else:
+            return mainwindow.MainWindow.spawn()
+
     def process_args(self, args, ipc=False):
         """Process commandline args.
 
@@ -239,10 +261,9 @@ class Application(QApplication):
             args: A list of arguments to process.
             ipc: Whether the arguments were transmitted over IPC.
         """
-        if ipc:
-            win_id = mainwindow.MainWindow.spawn()
-        else:
-            win_id = 0
+        win_id = self._get_window(ipc)
+        if win_id is None:
+            return
         for cmd in args:
             if cmd.startswith(':'):
                 log.init.debug("Startup cmd {}".format(cmd))
diff --git a/qutebrowser/config/configdata.py b/qutebrowser/config/configdata.py
index 193277975..6e94f253c 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/config/configdata.py
+++ b/qutebrowser/config/configdata.py
@@ -181,6 +181,11 @@ DATA = collections.OrderedDict([
          "The encoding must be a string describing an encoding such as "
          '_utf-8_, _iso-8859-1_, etc. If left empty a default value will be '
          "used."),
+
+        ('ipc-open-target',
+         SettingValue(typ.IPCOpenTarget(), 'window'),
+         "How to open links in an existing instance if a new one is "
+         "launched."),
     )),
 
     ('ui', sect.KeyValue(
diff --git a/qutebrowser/config/configtypes.py b/qutebrowser/config/configtypes.py
index f1b4fd1b7..6e6b75b31 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/config/configtypes.py
+++ b/qutebrowser/config/configtypes.py
@@ -1254,3 +1254,15 @@ class IgnoreCase(Bool):
                 ('false', 'Search case-sensitively'),
                 ('smart', 'Search case-sensitively if there are capital '
                  'chars')]
+
+
+class IPCOpenTarget(BaseType):
+
+    """How to open links in an existing instance if a new one is launched."""
+
+    valid_values = ValidValues(('tab', "Open a new tab in the existing "
+                                       "window and activate it."),
+                               ('tab-silent', "Open a new tab in the existing "
+                                              "window without activating "
+                                              "it."),
+                               ('window', "Open in a new window."))
diff --git a/qutebrowser/widgets/mainwindow.py b/qutebrowser/widgets/mainwindow.py
index da22c4e7b..1ed38ef18 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/widgets/mainwindow.py
+++ b/qutebrowser/widgets/mainwindow.py
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ class MainWindow(QWidget):
         self.registry = objreg.ObjectRegistry()
         objreg.window_registry[win_id] = self
         objreg.register('main-window', self, scope='window', window=win_id)
+        objreg.register('last-main-window', self, update=True)
         tab_registry = objreg.ObjectRegistry()
         objreg.register('tab-registry', tab_registry, scope='window',
                         window=win_id)