With our work slowly becoming more and more web-centric, web browsers have found a new sense of importance on our computers. They serve an important role in most of the media consumption, and now many applications have released their web versions, which eliminates the need to download the standalone client software for the same.
It makes sense for users to be able to open the local files in web browsers as well. Chrome and other popular browsers are now so advanced that they can handle multiple file formats natively. Here I shall discuss how to open files in Chrome.
Chrome Auto Open Downloads
The option to automatically open the downloads has apparently been removed from the latest version of Google Chrome. This change was not appreciated among the users, as some people prefer certain files to open automatically within the browser.
There is just one workaround remaining as of writing, which can help you open the downloaded files automatically in Chrome. To apply this, first, download a file with a similar file format e.g. jpg photos. In the download status bar at the bottom, click on the small arrow to open the expanded menu for the file.
From this menu, select Always open this type of file. Chrome will now open this file format automatically the next time you download something similar.
Opening Downloaded Files In Chrome; How To Open Files In Chrome?
Google Chrome is the most popular web browsers available in the desktop and smartphone environment, with Google spending a good amount of time on stabilizing the browser and introducing new features. However, when it comes to natively open files, the developers seem to have missed adding the pointers to the feature.
However, rest assured, as the browser has native support for opening downloaded files within the browser itself. There are three methods to do so, and the browser supports a wide variety of file formats like images, documents, PDFs, videos, images, etc.
Let us take a look at these methods one by one.
Method 1: Drag And Drop The File
One of the easiest methods to open downloaded files in Chrome is to drag and drop the file onto an empty space in the window. You can drag and drop the downloaded file from the downloaded status bar itself, saving you the effort of going to file explorer and then opening the file.
When you open a compatible file format, you will see a small + icon next to the file name, which indicates that Chrome can open the said file.
The drag and drop also work for local files as well. Simply drag and drop the files from Explorer onto Google Chrome, and the browser should open the file easily.
Method 2: Use Ctrl + O
The Open hotkey also works in Google Chrome, although there is no mention of this anywhere in the browser. The next time you wish to open a file within Chrome, simply use the hotkey Ctrl + O and the open file dialog should open, asking the location of the file. You can show off your skills in front of others who do not know this shortcut exists.
Method 3: Address Bar Location
You can also use the address bar to insert the location of the file that you wish to open natively in Chrome. In the address bar of Google Chrome, type the following and press Enter:
file:///c:/
Note: Replace c: with the drive letter that you wish to open. You can also enter the full path of the file in the address bar.
This will open an explorer page titled Index of C:\, which will allow you to browse and open any files from local storage. Yes, there is a file explorer built into Google Chrome, another thing that sees no mention from the developers.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how to open files in Chrome using the methods provided above. Did this help you in opening downloaded files within Chrome? Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.