Open in Browser - View Documents Directly in Firefox
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Add-on summary
Have you ever been annoyed when you wanted to see a document and the download popup appears which forces you to select an external application to view it?
This extension allows you to open the document directly in your browser.
Version 2.0 and later is rewriten using the WebExtensions API. A limitation is that the extension is not able to detect the type when the server does not specify an explicit Content-Type header. In this case, the extension will show the dialog even when it should not be shown. If you would rather see too few dialogs than too many, select the "Open with Firefox" option and remember the choice.
You can always force an "Open in Browser" dialog to be shown by using the "Tools" > "Open in Browser" menu.
Manual configuration after installation (updated again in version 2.7, July 2018): After installing the extension, saving a file can require two confirmations because of browser limitations. To avoid this unnecessary second prompt, follow the following instructions, visit the add-on's preferences page, enable the "Never ask to confirm "Save File" action" option and follow the instructions.
(In version 2.4 until 2.6, a different instruction was shown. To clean up, visit about:config
and reset the browser.helperApps.neverAsk.saveToDisk
preference.)
If you use Firefox 56 or earlier, install Open in Browser version 1.18.
User reviews
- Extremely handy for opening various file types directly in Firefox without downloading them first.
- Allows inspection of YAML files and other formats without the need for external applications.
- Works well with PDFs and some image formats.
- Does not work reliably in full screen mode on macOS.
- Certain file types like CSV, DOC, and XLS do not open properly, causing frustration for users.
- Requires access to browsing history, which raises privacy concerns.
- Functionality issues with specific file types.
- Compatibility problems on macOS.
- Strong positive feedback for opening files directly in the browser.
User reviews
Add-on safety
Risk impact
Open in Browser requires some sensitive permissions that could impact your browser and data security. Exercise caution before installing.
Risk likelihood
Open in Browser has earned a fairly good reputation and likely can be trusted.