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When downloading a file that opens in another program, say a pdf-file, is it possible to open this program in the background so that I can continue browsing?

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  • Last reply by jacobhauge

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When downloading and viewing files, e.g. pdf- or Excel files, focus is automatically switched from Firefox to the pdf viewer or Excel when the files have finished downloading. It would be nice to be able to download and open multiple files without switching back and forth between Firefox and the other program for every time a new file is downloaded. Is it possible for Firefox to somehow "override" this behavior, so that I can continue browsing while the program opens in the background?

Thanks Jacob Hauge

When downloading and viewing files, e.g. pdf- or Excel files, focus is automatically switched from Firefox to the pdf viewer or Excel when the files have finished downloading. It would be nice to be able to download and open multiple files without switching back and forth between Firefox and the other program for every time a new file is downloaded. Is it possible for Firefox to somehow "override" this behavior, so that I can continue browsing while the program opens in the background? Thanks Jacob Hauge

All Replies (4)

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This might be a Windows 7 configuration difference, but I think this happens when the external program is launching for the first time. If the program was already open, it usually doesn't come to the front but instead its task bar icon flashes. Try leaving Adobe Reader and Excel minimized in the background and see whether that makes any difference.

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After some short testing I found that when Excel is already open, it does not come to the foreground. However, both Word and XChange Viewer (which i use for viewing pdf's) do.

So what you are saying is that this is possible to configure in Windows somewhere, or perhaps in the preferences in each program? It's not a very big deal actually, but I find sometimes that these small details can be a little bit annoying.

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I do think it's possible that there are some application settings which determine whether, like Microsoft Word, they leap to the foreground or stay in the background. However, I haven't found time to research them.

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Ok, thanks for your quick answers!