This is a bit awkward, but it works.

With the file downloaded, select

1. the three dots at the end of address bar 2. Share Page With. . . 3. Copy 4. Open the Files app, hold your finger in a blank space on the screen until a menu appears, select Paste.

The file icon will have a P in a box.

I followed these steps and I still get a ‘can’t open file’ message from PowerPoint. It won’t open in Notability either, or any app I tried.

Firefox instead opens it in a new tab.

Does Firefox display gibberish or the actual presentation?

I tapped on the file icon and the file opened without needing PowerPoint

I downloaded Powerpoint to my iPad and had no problem opening a file. Do you have a current version of PP?

Eliot said

Firefox instead opens it in a new tab.

Does Firefox display gibberish or the actual presentation?

It shows the presentation. The problem is that I can’t download the presentation from Firefox to open it in other apps.

I downloaded Powerpoint to my iPad and had no problem opening a file. Do you have a current version of PP?

I have the most current version. If I press the same link on Safari, the ppt downloads and can be opened in other apps. It is only on Firefox that I get this behaviour.

This is perplexing. My next thought is that the file downloaded using Firefox got corrupted in the process (not necessarily having anything to do with FF). I did a little research on the net and found a couple of similar comments. Try deleting the file and downloading it again.

jscher2000 said

Eliot said

Firefox instead opens it in a new tab.

Does Firefox display gibberish or the actual presentation?

It shows the presentation. The problem is that I can’t download the presentation from Firefox to open it in other apps.

Maybe it is different on iOS, but as far as I know, Firefox doesn't have a built-in interpreter for PowerPoint files. Is it possible that Firefox is showing either of these in the tab:

(A) a static PDF of the slides (B) an HTML conversion of the slides

Eliot said

jscher2000 said

Eliot said

Firefox instead opens it in a new tab.

Does Firefox display gibberish or the actual presentation?

It shows the presentation. The problem is that I can’t download the presentation from Firefox to open it in other apps.

Maybe it is different on iOS, but as far as I know, Firefox doesn't have a built-in interpreter for PowerPoint files. Is it possible that Firefox is showing either of these in the tab:

(A) a static PDF of the slides (B) an HTML conversion of the slides

I think it is showing an HTML conversion. This is the address for the tab that’s opened: https://modules.lancaster.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/1983034/mod_resource/content/8/LEC.142%20Lecture%201_moodel%20version_2019.pptx?forcedownload=1 You can see ‘plugin file.php’. Does that mean anything?

This is perplexing. My next thought is that the file downloaded using Firefox got corrupted in the process (not necessarily having anything to do with FF). I did a little research on the net and found a couple of similar comments. Try deleting the file and downloading it again.

I have repeated the process multiple times and I can’t open any of the copies I download this way through Firefox.

I clicked on your link, Eliot, and was asked for a login name (i.e. current student or faculty). The screen I did retrieve did not open in a separate tab.

I tried the process I outlined again on my iPad using a larger file I found online. Everything happened in one tab, and I had no problem opening the file I retrieved in PowerPoint. I think you may need to contact someone at your university for help with this.

I clicked on your link, Eliot, and was asked for a login name (i.e. current student or faculty). The screen I did retrieve did not open in a separate tab. I tried the process I outlined again on my iPad using a larger file I found online. Everything happened in one tab, and I had no problem opening the file I retrieved in PowerPoint. I think you may need to contact someone at your university for help with this.

I knew the link would require a login. I posted it in case it could give any information about the way Firefox is displaying the PowerPoint file (particularly the ‘plugin file.php’ part).

Here's a screen shot of what I see when I click on your link.

I keep changing my mind about your issue. The "can't open file" message usually occurs when the file is corrupt. Since you can open it in Safari, it's not. I did a bit more research and found a mention of Moodle in reference to 'plugin file.php'. You might try deleting the Moodle app and redownloading it in case that's causing the issue (what affect on Safari?). Or you could delete Firefox and reinstall. I'd try Firefox first. If that doesn't work, again I suggest you contact someone at the university.

I ran a Google search on Firefox Windows for inurl:pluginfile.php inurl:pptx and that found public links for PowerPoint files on Moodle. I can't vouch for them being safe, but clicking them did trigger a download dialog (Open/Save/Cancel).

When I ran the same search in both Firefox and Safari on iPad, and tapped the links, in both cases, the slides displayed in a tab. The difference I see is:

• In Safari, I can use [share] > Save to File > Keynote to download the actual presentation
• In Firefox, [share] doesn't have that option, so I can't figure out how to download from the open tab

I don't have any other ideas.