Why does firefox download files instead of opening them

When you click 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 Firefox cannot handle the file internally. The Media type , also called the MIME type or Content type , as configured by the web server, will determine what action Firefox will take.

When you tell Firefox to open or save the file and also check the option to "Do this automatically for files like this from now on" see below , a new Content Type and Action entry for that type of file will appear in the Applications section of the General panel in Firefox Options Preferences Settings. 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 Firefox and select Preferences. Click the menu button and select Options Preferences. Click the menu button and select Settings. 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:. This markup is easier to understand and is supported by all modern browsers, but may not be supported by all content management systems.

If for whatever reason, you cannot add the download attribute in the case that you cannot directly edit the HTML of your web page , you can optionally compress the file using zip, and instruct the user to download the zip file. You can alternatively explain to the user that they should right click on the link and select download. If you have no other alternatives to force the file to download, you can host it on a file hosting service such as Google Docs. The most common file types that are affected by this behavior are PDF files and images.

To change how Opera treats PDF files in the browser, follow the steps below. Tip To have PDF files open in the browser again, repeat these steps and select the Preview in Firefox option or Use other option to choose another program. Internet browser help and support.

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Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Firefox downloads the video instead of playing it Ask Question. Asked 2 years, 8 months ago. Active 2 years, 8 months ago. Viewed 8k times. EDIT: Just installed the chrome and the site works fine on chrome i. EDIT2: The video format from the problematic site is mp4. Improve this question. Is it spam????? No, the site is an online book and video store for training. We can't check it.