Manage file types and download actions in Firefox
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- Creator: AliceWyman
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- Reviewed by: AliceWyman
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This article describes how Firefox handles downloaded files for different types of content, such as saving a file or opening an application installed on your computer, and how you can change that behavior.
- For help with problems downloading files, see What to do if you can't download or save files.
- For help with embedded media on web pages, see Fix common audio and video issues.
- For help changing the e-mail program Firefox uses, see Change the program used to open email links.
Table of Contents
File types and download actions
When you click on a link to download a file, you may see a dialog asking whether you want to save the file or open it with a specific application, if there is no download action already set for that file type. Thethe Media type, also called the MIME type or Content type, as configured by the web server, will determine what action Firefox will take.
Firefox will not be able to properly handle a file if a misconfigured web server sends it with an incorrect content type. For example, Firefox may display the content as plain text instead of opening the file in an application. To learn more, see Properly configuring server MIME types and Common MIME types at MDN web docs. You can contact the website in such cases, or you can try a Firefox add-on such as Content-Type Fixer to work around the problem. (If you use an add-on and need help with it, you should visit the add-on site or contact the add-on developer for support.)
When you tell Firefox to open or save a file and also check the option "Do this automatically for files like this from now on" in the "What should Firefox do with this file?" prompt,If Firefox does not have a download action set for a file that can be opened with an installed application and you select ( in the Downloads panel right-click context menu for the file,see below) a new Content Type and Action entry will be added to the panel Applications section of Firefox settings.
Changing download actions
You can change what action Firefox takes for defined content types. This will not affect media embedded in a web page – only links to the files themselves.
- In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click and then select or , depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button and select .
- In the panel, go to the Applications section.
- Select the Content Type entry for action you want to change. (You might see more than one entry for the same file format or extension because some types of files include multiple content types.)
- The Action column will give you a drop-down menu, with options on the action to take.
- Open in Firefox: Select this if you want Firefox to display the content. It only applies to a limited number of file types that Firefox is able to decode, such as PDF, AVIF, XML, SVG, and WebP Image.
- Always ask: This will show you a prompt asking What should Firefox do with this file? (see below) so that you can choose the action you want to take. This can be useful if Firefox is automatically saving that type of file or is always opening it with a certain application, and you want to be asked what to do.
- Save File: This will always save the file to your computer, when you download that type of file. To learn more, see Where to find and manage downloaded files in Firefox.
- Use WindowsmacOSsystem default application: This will open the file with the default application configured in your operating system. This is only shown for file types that include the Open in Firefox option, such as PDF, AVIF, XML, SVG, and WebP Image files, and is available when your system has another application set to open that type of file by default.
- Use <application name>: Open the file or handle the protocol with this application. Note that some Content Types, such as mailto, irc and ircs, are protocols, not types of files (see this MDN Web Doc for details). Options will include one or more web applications to use, as well as any installed applications that can handle the protocol.
- Use other…: This opens the Select Helper Application dialog, where you can choose the application you wish to use.
- Application Details…: If web applications, or if installed applications other than the system default are listed, this opens a dialog where you can learn the location of those applications or remove an application as an available option.
- The template "closeoptionspreferences" does not exist or has no approved revision.
Adding download actions
Starting in Firefox version 98, when you download a type of file that can be opened with an installed application, you can set Firefox to always open similar files:
- Right-clickHold down the control key while you click the downloaded item in the Downloads panel. (You can also do this from the Library window Downloads history.)
- Select
- This option may be missing for executable files, or if the website has served the file with an incorrect content type (see above).
from the context menu.
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Selecting see above), such as Always ask or Save File, if you wish.
will add a new entry to the panel Applications section of Firefox settings, to use the system default application to open that type of file. You can later change it to a different download action (When you click on a link and Firefox doesn't have a content type and download action set up for that type of file, Firefox will ask you how to handle the file by showing you the following prompt:
"What should Firefox do with this file?" prompt
If you change the action for a file type to Always ask in the Applications section of Firefox settings (see above), you will see a What should Firefox do with this file? prompt when you download that type of file.
- Open with: Saves the file to a temporary folder and opens itOpens the file in the operating system's default application for that file type. (You can also use the drop-down menu to choose another application.)
- Save File: Saves the file to the download folder (specified in your Firefox Settings Preferences in the panel Downloads section).
- Do this automatically for files like this from now on: Check mark this option to always take the selected action and then click This will add a new entry to the Content Type list of download actions. You may need to restart Firefox for the download action change to take effect. .
"What should Firefox do with this file?" prompt does not show an application
The "What should Firefox do with this file?" prompt may not show a default application for some file types. You can click the button to choose an application installed on your computer to open the file.
Resetting download actions for all content types
If you are having problems with how Firefox is handling file downloads that you can't resolve, or if you just want to start fresh, you can restore the default content types and actions by manually deleting the file that stores these settings.
-
Open your profile folder:
- Click the menu button , click and select .From the The Troubleshooting Information tab will open. menu, select .
- Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. - Close Firefox. Click the Firefox menu and select .Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select .Click the Firefox menu and select .
- Delete (or rename) the handlers.json file.
- Restart Firefox.