Open file types
Does anyone else have an issue opening documents? All of a sudden Firefox no longer allows me to open certain files. When I go to the settings, the only applications that I have options for are PDF, AV1F, XML, SVG and WebP Image. I seem to have lost the ability to selection "open", "save" or "always ask" for all other documents such as Word, Excel, etc. Screenshot included.
This seems to have happened out of nowhere.
Chosen solution
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/98.0/releasenotes/ Firefox has a new optimized download flow . . . .
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/manage-downloads-preferences-using-downloads-menu Changes to how file downloads are handled in Firefox version 98
- Firefox no longer asks what to do for each file by default
- Downloads panel automatically opens
- Downloaded files are saved to disk
- Set a default app to open a file type
- "Always Open Similar Files" option from the Downloads panel
- Frequently asked questions
You can set this pref to false on the about:config page to prevent opening the
download panel on each download.
- browser.download.alwaysOpenPanel = false
You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I accept the risk!" to continue.
WARNING: Changing preferences through this interface not officially supported Hidden settings edited using the about:config tool are explicitly not supported, which means that Mozilla makes no guarantees they will be supported in the future, or that Mozilla will fix them if they break. Mozilla does not test these preferences, and will not in the future. That includes security and performance testing which these preferences may affect.
[Warning added by moderator]
Read this answer in context 👍 0All Replies (3)
Chosen Solution
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/98.0/releasenotes/ Firefox has a new optimized download flow . . . .
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/manage-downloads-preferences-using-downloads-menu Changes to how file downloads are handled in Firefox version 98
- Firefox no longer asks what to do for each file by default
- Downloads panel automatically opens
- Downloaded files are saved to disk
- Set a default app to open a file type
- "Always Open Similar Files" option from the Downloads panel
- Frequently asked questions
You can set this pref to false on the about:config page to prevent opening the
download panel on each download.
- browser.download.alwaysOpenPanel = false
You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I accept the risk!" to continue.
WARNING: Changing preferences through this interface not officially supported Hidden settings edited using the about:config tool are explicitly not supported, which means that Mozilla makes no guarantees they will be supported in the future, or that Mozilla will fix them if they break. Mozilla does not test these preferences, and will not in the future. That includes security and performance testing which these preferences may affect.
[Warning added by moderator]
Modified by Chris Ilias
You may in time be able to add more applications. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-firefox-behavior-when-open-file
Thanks for the replies. I am glad it was not just something wrong on my end. I'm not a fan of that change though. In my field (government contracting) I open a lot of files with the same name and as a one time check after I upload them to other sites. The originals are already stored on my drives, I just open them again as a double check that nothing went wrong. Just a personal preference, but I can live with it. Thanks all! :)