topic Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open in Discussions

Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

MP — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 19:21:21 GMT

Please fix this, or give me the option to just open a document. I do not want to save each and every document I open.

I do not see the logic in this decision.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jonesmg_msw — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 20:13:59 GMT

Please. This is now such a pain. I'm so frustrated by this change, I think I'm going to try to find a new browser. Too bad, Firefox, it's been a fun 20 years.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

anhtr — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 23:56:25 GMT

Please revert back to the original behavior, or at least give us an option to switch. This has been interfering seriously with my workflow. I will have to switch to another browser if this continue.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Rachara — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 03:15:14 GMT

I agree that this has been a horrible change. Forcing it on people without giving them an option is a poor decision that was made. And the feedback was so strong they had to close one thread in particular:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1370409

I regularly have to open PDF's from our company CRM to verify information, and this has completely flooded by downloads folder. The problem is, sometimes I DO need to download files to edit, and they have similar file names, which makes this even worse.

This change has essentially made the browser un-usable for me, and now that I see the extent of the problem I'll have to move on to another one, this is affecting my work and my solution is to use another browser. The problem with this, is I generally stick with a browser until they make some stupid change (like this) that forces me to switch, so it's probably going to be a long time before I end up returning to Firefox, if ever.

So long and thanks for all the fish I guess.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

BobBriscoe — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 13:26:17 GMT

Thank you for working on it.

In the process, pls make sure you fix this further problem that the new download process introduced: If you configure 'Always Ask' then choose 'Open in Firefox', not only does it still clog up the downloads folder, but it also shows the URL as a local file://... so you don't ever see the original URL and therefore cannot share it.

Before someone says you can copy the URL that you originally clicked to get the file in the first place, that is often full of private information you don't want to share (e.g. the URL that a search returns).

Opening only local files also makes all the internal URLs within a downloaded file incorrect. In a PDF, for example, pre-Firefox98 you could right click on one of the thumbnails to copy and share the URL pointing to a particular page within a PDF file. Now, it just points to the particular page in your local file, which is useless for sharing.

So this change has broken the work of many other people who had previously made it possible to share references to all sorts of more specific parts of files on the Internet. Mozilla is not meant to be making sharing more difficult (or impossible).

To revert this change in Firefox 98, I have used about:config and set browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel to false, as in this support article:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1370409
However, that is likely to be removed in future.

So, when you fix this, please can the 'Open in Firefox' option of the 'Always Ask' facility at least behave the same as the direct 'Open in Firefox' facility.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 00:49:01 GMT

@BobBriscoe wrote:
In the process, pls make sure you fix this further problem that the new download process introduced: If you configure 'Always Ask' then choose 'Open in Firefox', not only does it still clog up the downloads folder, but it also shows the URL as a local file://... so you don't ever see the original URL and therefore cannot share it.
Before someone says you can copy the URL that you originally clicked to get the file in the first place, that is often full of private information you don't want to share (e.g. the URL that a search returns).
Opening only local files also makes all the internal URLs within a downloaded file incorrect. In a PDF, for example, pre-Firefox98 you could right click on one of the thumbnails to copy and share the URL pointing to a particular page within a PDF file. Now, it just points to the particular page in your local file, which is useless for sharing.

If you set PDFs to "Open in Firefox" rather than "Always ask" Firefox should open them from the web content cache instead of downloading to disk and then opening.

To copy a download link for a file, you can try using the following method:

On the downloads list, right-click the file > Copy Download Link

Does that have too much personal information?

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

BobBriscoe — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:06:39 GMT

Yes, "Open in FIrefox" works fine, but that's not the problem being discussed here, which is for those of us who have Firefox configured to "Always Ask" (in my case for PDFs).

Thanks for the tip about "Copy Download Link". That indeed gives the URL as finally resolved, not the one with all the search metadata that the search engine gives out.

However, I'm afraid this still doesn't solve the problem I described when trying to copy the internal URLs within a download (at least not without copy-pasting the ends of the internal URLs onto the copied download link, which is still an unwarranted regression). But thanks for trying.

[In case anyone is wondering why some of us need to use the "Always Ask" setting: The Firefox PDF viewer is OK for some PDFs, but when you're looking at a PDF containing complex vector graphics (e.g. graphs with thousands of plotted points, which is my bread and butter), as you scroll back and forth or zoom in and out, you spend all your time watching the "loading..." wheel for pages you were just looking at a few seconds ago. Whereas my local PDF viewer handles all this like a breeze. Also printing PDFs from the Firefox viewer often produces gobbledygook fonts.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 18:11:15 GMT

@BobBriscoe wrote:
Yes, "Open in FIrefox" works fine, but that's not the problem being discussed here, which is for those of us who have Firefox configured to "Always Ask" (in my case for PDFs).

Always Ask has always downloaded to disk. The change is using a user's default download folder instead of the system Temp folder.

There is a labeling problem because "Open in Firefox" on the settings page uses the web cache and "Open in Firefox" in the Downloads dialog refers to what to do with the file after saving it.

The problem is that "Always ask" doesn't support viewing PDFs from the web content cache because it displays at a point in the download flow where Firefox is already committed to saving the file somewhere on disk.

Thanks for the tip about "Copy Download Link". That indeed gives the URL as finally resolved, not the one with all the search metadata that the search engine gives out.

However, I'm afraid this still doesn't solve the problem I described when trying to copy the internal URLs within a download (at least not without copy-pasting the ends of the internal URLs onto the copied download link, which is still an unwarranted regression). But thanks for trying.
[In case anyone is wondering why some of us need to use the "Always Ask" setting: The Firefox PDF viewer is OK for some PDFs, but when you're looking at a PDF containing complex vector graphics (e.g. graphs with thousands of plotted points, which is my bread and butter), as you scroll back and forth or zoom in and out, you spend all your time watching the "loading..." wheel for pages you were just looking at a few seconds ago. Whereas my local PDF viewer handles all this like a breeze. Also printing PDFs from the Firefox viewer often produces gobbledygook fonts.

Yes, I regularly launch PDFs I initially loaded into the built-in viewer in Acrobat, especially for long manuals. This was only one step before when the Download button triggered the Download dialog. Now that button changed to a Save As... button, so there are multiple steps to launch the PDF in Acrobat.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

BobBriscoe — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 09:38:45 GMT

...built-in viewer in Acrobat... This was only one step before when the Download button triggered the Download dialog. Now that button changed to a Save As... button, so there are multiple steps to launch the PDF in Acrobat.

I think you're talking about the download button of Firefox's internal PDF viewer (not of Firefox itself). If so, indeed, that has also been hobbled by this latest change. Pre-Firefox98, the internal viewer's download button respected the "Always Ask" configuration and gave the option of opening in the local PDF viewer.

I guess this is because a new 'download' of a file in cache has to respect http's cache expiry logic, so it uses the same part of the browser code as any download off the Internet. Whereas a new download of a file stored in the local file-system outside the cache chain is just a local file access.

There is a labeling problem because "Open in Firefox" on the settings page uses the web cache and "Open in Firefox" in the Downloads dialog refers to what to do with the file after saving it.

I don't think most users need to understand that opening in Firefox is actually also a download because it uses the cache (a self-cleaning part of the same file-system). Indeed, the local cache is initially stored in memory, and it buffers up saving to stable storage (disk) until it won't harm interactive performance.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

DS-RLG — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 23:32:58 GMT

This change has caused me so much down time. I have to use Google and I would much prefer to stay with Firefox. All the files open with the same name(1), name(2), etc. Please Fix this back to the previous version soon! Thank you.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 01:09:50 GMT

@DS-RLG wrote:
All the files open with the same name(1), name(2), etc.

That's unfortunate. Firefox should use the name of the file provided by the site and only add the number if another file in the same folder already has that name. If the names are longer/different in Chrome, maybe there is a bug in interpreting the file names provided by the site where you are opening the files. Is this a public site where people could test and see what's going on? If a login is required, maybe that won't be possible.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

DS-RLG — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 01:18:27 GMT

No it is a private site, but basically I would click on the Open and the file automatically opened in excel, no intermediary steps. I set up Ask each time but Excel is not an option in my list. Plus of course it is an extra step.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

CUPONa — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 20:51:47 GMT

I am on the same side with you! Opening a file directly without saving it was the only reason I used Mozilla FIrefox! Now I will have to switch to another browser again ... To bad!

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 21:21:50 GMT

I am a long time Firefox user, but I despise this new "feature" so much, I'm on the brink of ditching Firefox in favor of Chrome. Please, please, please, Firefox, either make this so-called "feature" an option that we can select or de-select, or ditch it altogether!

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

bvd1171 — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 09:25:39 GMT

Same issue. I have used Firefox more or less since it was launched, but this change is causing such inconvenience that it will drive me to another browser.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 15:54:06 GMT

It's gotten to the point of being ridiculous. Every single time I look at a PDF document online, it downloads. Restaurant menus, bank statements, invoices, and on and on and on. Then I have to go to my Downloads folder and delete the unwanted documents. But, of course, they're still in my Recycle Bin, so I have to go into the Recycle Bin and then delete them again.

I have to believe that deleting this so-called feature isn't brain surgery, and that if Mozilla really wanted to fix it, they would have by now. And yet, despite Admin saying FOUR WEEKS AGO that Mozilla was "working on it," this nonsense continues. Perhaps someone from Chrome has infiltrated Mozilla, and implemented this so-called feature to drive more users to Chrome. There's no other rational explanation as to why it's taking so long to fix this problem.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 16:42:12 GMT

@SoCalScott wrote:
It's gotten to the point of being ridiculous. Every single time I look at a PDF document online, it downloads. Restaurant menus, bank statements, invoices, and on and on and on. Then I have to go to my Downloads folder and delete the unwanted documents. But, of course, they're still in my Recycle Bin, so I have to go into the Recycle Bin and then delete them again.

It would be nice if users had a choice about where files download when you choose "Open". I don't know whether that is coming back.

I want to write a brief summary of what Firefox does with the various handling options:

(1) Setting PDFs to "Open in Firefox" on the Settings page

Unless the site does something tricky to work around it, Firefox will open the PDF in a tab in the built-in viewer. The URL in the address bar will be the http or https address of the file online. The file will be stored in the web content cache with web pages and other embedded files.

If you want to open the PDF in an external viewer from the built-in viewer, there are multiple steps because first you need to use the viewer's download/save button to save the file to your computer, and then you can open it: on the Downloads list, right-click > Open in [relevant application].

(2) Setting PDFs to "Always Ask"

Firefox will handle the file as a download. The change comes with "Open in Firefox" or "Open with [relevant application]":

Before Firefox 98: The file was saved in the system Temp folder on Windows and Linux
Starting in Firefox 98: The file is saved in the default downloads folder (the one next to "Save files to:" on the Settings page)

(3) Setting PDFs to "Use [relevant application]"

Firefox will handle the file as a download:

Before Firefox 98: The file was saved in the system Temp folder on Windows and Linux
Starting in Firefox 98: The file is saved in the default downloads folder (the one next to "Save files to:" on the Settings page)

----

Firefox 98 does have a new context menu item to remove downloaded files one by one: right-click > Delete (this is permanent and bypasses the Recycle Bin)

At some point after the deletion, the text on the list will change to indicate that the file was moved or is missing. I'm not aware of any way to do this in bulk.

One Workaround

What I'm doing for now is this pair of settings:

(1) Change the default download folder to a "temp" folder I created
(2) Set Firefox to always ask where I want to save a file so I can choose a real folder when I want to keep the file

On the Settings page, it looks like this:

At some point, I might dump the contents of my TEMP folder, but like the old system, for me it's "out of sight, out of mind."

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

DF — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:53:03 GMT

Temp and Downloads aren't functionally equivalent. Temp is regularly cleaned, Downloads serves a completely different purpose - it's not a temp folder! It's not as simple as redirecting from one folder to an equivalent one, it's redirecting from one folder to a functionally distinct one! That's an insane decision on version 98.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

DF — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:54:07 GMT

Temp is not functionally equivalent to Downloads. They serve different purposes and are used in different ways.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:54:56 GMT

Jscher2000's info is interesting, and may be useful to some, but way too much work for the average user. We shouldn't have to go through all of that just to view a PDF menu from a local restaurant without it downloading to our hard drives.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

RadRhett88_ — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 20:11:07 GMT

Yes, I'm also having the same issue. Extremely frustrating

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 22:04:58 GMT

Since Mozilla doesn't want to seem to fix this issue, here's a simple fix. I've tried it, and it works.

Put "about:config" [without quotes] in your address bar and hit <enter>.

May have a warning that you have to accept ("I promise to be careful" or something)

paste browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel into the search, and double click the word true beside it to change it to false. Close the window, and that should do the trick. Then you may also need to go to your main Firefox settings, search for download and change it to "always ask where to save files" to always get the popup window.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

rylan — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 01:10:37 GMT

I've been using Firefox for many years, and this change has driven me to use other browsers like Chrome and (ugh) Edge. Some sites I can't even open a pdf with Firefox now because its just totally broken. Horrible decision and broken 'feature'

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

nvbeancounter — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 01:42:23 GMT

Worked like a charm! FF is behaving normally again and saving to users\username\temp

Good job!

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 04:05:32 GMT

@rylan wrote:
Some sites I can't even open a pdf with Firefox now because its just totally broken. Horrible decision and broken 'feature'

What settings are you using? I have some comment on that in my earlier reply: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/firefox-now-saves-files-that-i-only-wanted-to-open/m-p/4525/highlight/true#M2011

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 20:26:46 GMT

I can report that this fix seems to be a fix. 😀 I've had it in place for several days, and though I've looked at many documents online, my "Downloads" folder remains empty. What I can't understand is why Mozilla didn't publish the fix weeks ago, when people started complaining. Bad form, Mozilla. Do better next time.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 22:46:58 GMT

@SoCalScott wrote:
I can report that this fix seems to be a fix.

It's not a fix, it's a temporary roll-back preference for use by users who encounter severe issues with the new design. It probably will be removed in a month or two, if the pattern of past temporary roll-back preferences is followed. The problem with publicizing them is people stop discussing desired changes until the developers close the book on the transition, and then it may be too late. So keep giving feedback.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Sun, 01 May 2022 00:01:15 GMT

I suspect that most people complaining here (as I did) don't care about anything other than this so-called "feature" going away. The information I supplied allows people to make that happen.

If Mozilla doesn't "get it" at this point, and realize this "feature" isn't being well-received, then they never will.

Speaking for myself, I'm glad I don't have to go into my Downloads folder on a regular basis and delete unwanted files, and then go to my Recycle Bin and delete them again. If you're OK with that...well, you do you.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Sun, 01 May 2022 00:29:08 GMT

@SoCalScott wrote:
Speaking for myself, I'm glad I don't have to go into my Downloads folder on a regular basis and delete unwanted files, and then go to my Recycle Bin and delete them again. If you're OK with that...well, you do you.

I use the workaround I posted earlier: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/firefox-now-saves-files-that-i-only-wanted-to-open/m-p/4525/highlight/true#M2011

And by the way, if you run Windows, you can use Shift+Delete in File Explorer to permanently delete files bypassing the Recycle Bin.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Sun, 01 May 2022 01:48:17 GMT

<snip> I use the workaround I posted earlier: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/firefox-now-saves-files-that-i-only-wanted-to-open/m-p/45... </snip>

FAR too complicated for the average user. Not everyone has your Mozilla skills.

<snip> And by the way, if you run Windows, you can use Shift+Delete in File Explorer to permanently delete files bypassing the Recycle Bin. </snip>

More needless keystrokes and wasted time. Users should not have to delete junk on their computer because Mozilla botched an update and included this so-called "feature."

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Sun, 01 May 2022 02:13:17 GMT

@SoCalScott wrote:
FAR too complicated for the average user. Not everyone has your Mozilla skills.

Well, you told me to do me, so what do you expect? But this doesn't seem that complicated:

What I'm doing for now is this pair of settings:

(1) Change the default download folder to a "temp" folder I created
(2) Set Firefox to always ask where I want to save a file so I can choose a real folder when I want to keep the file

On the Settings page, it looks like this:

But you do you.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Chocceh — Sun, 01 May 2022 18:19:11 GMT

Undo this change or allow a permanent fix. Are you out of your mind, Mozilla? I don't know which PM is angling for a promotion by championing bold new behavior but smack them down.

This adds so many extra steps to a task that is very common, and until now otherwise very lightweight. Unacceptable.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Slug — Sun, 01 May 2022 18:35:25 GMT

Strong agree. This change is absurd and unnecessary. I *very* frequently just want to open a file without downloading it to my machine, and I can't understand why this feature was removed.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

BobBriscoe — Mon, 02 May 2022 13:52:18 GMT

The reconfig you reported was already given as the fourth response in this thread, with a link acknowledging the original source of the info, and including the warning that it could be removed by Mozilla in future.

I suspect that most people complaining here (as I did) don't care about anything other than this so-called "feature" going away. The information I supplied allows people to make that happen

Then it's also worth being courteous to the people at Mozilla, because you're reliant on them to fix it. Originally, they were trying to fix a problem where local copies of modifications to PDFs (e.g. forms) were being saved in the temp area, then lost. They have admitted that the solution they released caused further problems so they have provided a way to roll back and they're in the process of fixing it, presumably so we have something like the original behaviour but it also fixes the 'PDF forms problem'.

It's also worth taking care to acknowledge the work of others. Stating a fix without first reading the thread to check for repetition merely gives people more to read - they have to read all the crud to check whether they needed to read what turns out to be repetition. It's also important to link to where you got the info from, so that people can find out the full info that you haven't reported, if they want to.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

SoCalScott — Mon, 02 May 2022 14:02:57 GMT

Actually, I got it from another source -- on a listserv wholly unrelated to Firefox or Mozilla. If you deserve the credit for originally posting the fix (or a link to it), then kudos to you. The bottom line is that it solves the problem.

As to being courteous to Mozilla...they broke Firefox, and they need to fix it. If they can't take a bit of heat from their users when they screw-up, then they need to get tougher. Our, we can all just say "pretty please," and wait for them to get around to it. Or switch browsers.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

CharlieMagical — Mon, 02 May 2022 17:39:52 GMT

Just registered to +1 this. Why is this sudden urge to force users into something that is clearly bad for UX? I switched to Firefox in Android because Brave decided to force the grid view instead of cascade view while showing tabs. Now in desktop Firefox is forcing us to download every single file instead of letting us pick if we wanted to download or just open it. Why? Why the need to force anything like that with no reason whatsoever? Just let us decide by ourselves!

My Downloads folder is just full of garbage that I just want to see once and move on. Now I have to delete files every week to keep it clean. Unbelievable.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Deepanshu — Thu, 05 May 2022 17:13:58 GMT

Yup, I had to download some attachments from discord that didn't work well in the browser due to large size! They got deleted automatically when i cleared temp folder!

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Sabrina16500 — Fri, 27 May 2022 19:42:38 GMT

i have Mozilla Firefox Snap for Ubuntu canonical-002 - 1.0 if i want to save a picture from FireFox 100.0.2 with right click> save as> the focus is still on the FF page and not on the new window: save as. i have to click save with the mouse or Alt + Tab ⇆ then Alt + Arrow left or 2x Alt + Tab ⇆ . if not all keystrokes go to the FF page.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

lunjius — Fri, 27 May 2022 23:18:25 GMT

Ohh no, can it be that they disabled the about:config workaround in version 100? I lived so happily with the "unimproved" download panel for the last few weeks after I discovered the solution to this "feature". Does anybody know new solutions?

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Fri, 27 May 2022 23:25:56 GMT

@lunjius wrote:
Ohh no, can it be that they disabled the about:config workaround in version 100? I lived so happily with the "unimproved" download panel for the last few weeks after I discovered the solution to this "feature". Does anybody know new solutions?

Same preference exists in Firefox 98-101. Haven't checked 102.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

lunjius — Fri, 27 May 2022 23:38:46 GMT

You are so right. I got confused somehow.

Anyways, this seems to be a pretty neat workaround for when the time of removal comes: https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/s3syt6/comment/i8er2mk/

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

criscal — Tue, 31 May 2022 05:03:19 GMT

I am using version 100 and this problem still continues, it only allows me to choose between a few file types, but a .data or .doc extension saves them automatically

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

criscal — Tue, 31 May 2022 06:07:10 GMT

You are absolutely right, the download is temporary and it is much more efficient to work. Thanks for your contribution, it was a solution, but we need you to allow us to decide, "what we should do with each type of file", as it happened before

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

TGKS — Tue, 31 May 2022 13:51:12 GMT

Unfortunately it seems you're right, the about:config option does not work for me.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

TGKS — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:03:14 GMT

So, I start thinking that these horrible changes are made just to have more users sign on to the Mozilla community to complain - exactly like I just did, I signed in just to write this. I endured every horrible decision that the FF team made over the years, since the very beginning, I swallowed down Proton, the light theme, and all the rest. But this particular UX decision must be an act of sabotage: I assume some Google money is involved, nobody in their sane mind could possibly think this behavior is good.

However I will try to pretend that the decision was taken in good faith, so here I am trying to explain again why it's such a bad idea, and why responses like https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1370409#answer-1490167 are basically gaslighting. How about, I am browsing the Interwebz, and I want to open a PDF, I preview it with FF, I like it, and I want to share THE LINK TO THE FRICKIN' PDF over chat/email/whatever with some friends. So I copy the URI on the address bar and this looks like:

file:///C:/Users/myuser/AppData/Local/Temp/doc.pdf

Oh, you can't open it? Strange...

So https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1370409#answer-1490167 is proposing to "fix" this behavior by having instead:

file:///C:/Users/myuser/Downloads/doc.pdf

I mean, that shouldn't be too hard to understand that this does not solve the problem.

Please, please, revert this horrible decision.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:40:41 GMT

@TGKS wrote:
How about, I am browsing the Interwebz, and I want to open a PDF, I preview it with FF, I like it, and I want to share THE LINK TO THE FRICKIN' PDF over chat/email/whatever with some friends. So I copy the URI on the address bar and this looks like:
file:///C:/Users/myuser/AppData/Local/Temp/doc.pdf
Oh, you can't open it? Strange...

There is only one setting to open a PDF as web content on its original URL. On the Settings page, in the Application list, set "Portable Document Format (PDF)" to "Open in Firefox" (the default setting). If it is set to any of the other options, Firefox will download and save it before it is opened. In that case, to share the original URL of the PDF, you need to open the Downloads list, right-click the download, and choose "Copy Download Link". Then you can paste that URL to share it.

The above did not change in Firefox 98. The change made in Firefox 98 was the folder where the file was saved for Windows and Linux users when you selected "Open with [relevant application]" in the pop-up download dialog. Previously, it was the system Temp (or /tmp) folder and now it's the folder listed next to "Save files to" on the Settings page. Firefox 102 (scheduled to release on June 28, 2022) will have a new about:config option to switch that back if you preferred the Temp folder.

If "Open in Firefox" is not an Option for PDF files on the Settings page, that is not normal and you should consider opening a support thread to investigate the source of the problem. Here's a link to the new question form (for Windows/Mac/Linux) on the Mozilla Support site: https://mzl.la/3y1vQUQ

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:47:41 GMT

@criscal wrote:
I am using version 100 and this problem still continues, it only allows me to choose between a few file types, but a .data or .doc extension saves them automatically

Firefox will automatically save a file if the content-type indicated for that file by the server doesn't have specific instructions on the Settings page, Applications list. To train Firefox to use a specific program, you can open the Downloads list, right-click the download, and look for "Always Open Similar Files". That adds the content type to the list with the instruction to "Use [relevant application]". If you prefer to be asked what to do with that content type, you can go back to the Settings change and switch the action to "Always ask".

More info: https://support.mozilla.org/kb/change-firefox-behavior-when-open-file

----

Firefox 101 is scheduled to release this week (starting today, but most people do not rush to update at the first opportunity). Firefox 101 will let you switch the unknown content type behavior from "Save file" back to "Always ask". Here's what that looked like in beta:

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Tue, 31 May 2022 15:01:21 GMT

@criscal wrote:
You are absolutely right, the download is temporary and it is much more efficient to work. Thanks for your contribution, it was a solution, but we need you to allow us to decide, "what we should do with each type of file", as it happened before

For two of the changes, there will be new choices soon:

(1) Firefox 98 changed the behavior for unknown content types from "Always ask" to "Save file"

Firefox 101 (releasing this week, starting today) has a new setting to choose which one you prefer. This will be helpful with servers that do not use the proper content-type description and therefore Firefox ignores your assigned action in the Applications list on the Settings page. Look for the new setting below the Applications list.

https://support.mozilla.org/kb/change-firefox-behavior-when-open-file

(2) Firefox 98 changed the starting download folder from the system Temp or /tmp folder to the folder listed next to "Save files to" on the Settings page.

Firefox 102 (scheduled to release June 28, 2022) will have a preference in about:config to roll this back for those who preferred the Temp folder.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

TGKS — Tue, 31 May 2022 15:04:53 GMT

I'm afraid this is not what I experience. Proof:

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Tue, 31 May 2022 15:22:35 GMT

@TGKS wrote:
I'm afraid this is not what I experience. Proof:

Judging from the path to your PDF, it looks like your Firefox reverted to the pre-Firefox 98 handling (browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel => false).

Historically, even if the server sent Content-Type: application/pdf, which would match up with the Portable Document Format (PDF) instructions on the Settings page, if it also sent Content-Disposition: attachment to force downloading, Firefox would always treat the file as a download and would not follow your instructions. No matter how many times you checked the box to do the same thing in the future.

Firefox 98 fixed this (much to the chagrin of website authors) by ignoring Content-Disposition: attachment for PDFs.

The workaround to the Content-Disposition issue before Firefox 98 was to use an add-on like No PDF Download (or one of the options on the drop-down menu in my add-on Content-Type Fixer).

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

criscal — Tue, 31 May 2022 16:20:54 GMT

Yes, that part is already done, but in previous versions it showed , when files with .data, . bd, .doc , img format were downloaded, what you mention is only active for the list of files that is shown there

(https://support.mozilla.org/es/kb/Administrar%20los%20diferentes%20tipos%20de%20archivo#w_cambiar-las-acciones-de-las-descargas)

, we cannot add more formats of files, like the ones I mention.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

TGKS — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 08:15:13 GMT

I reverted the browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel option to true and now it seems to work, thanks a lot for the hint!

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

TGKS — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 08:18:19 GMT

Sorry, right, the option still exists in 101, I was confused because even if it exists it seemed to have no effect, but my issue was actually caused by something else.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 19:14:07 GMT

@criscal wrote:
... we cannot add more formats of files, like the ones I mention.

In the old Firefox, the way you added new content types was, when the Download dialog came up with Open/Save/Cancel, checking a box that said to do this automatically in the future.

In the current Firefox, the way you add new content types is, after the file is saved, open the Downloads list (from the toolbar button or Ctrl+J), right-click the item, and choose "Always Open Similar Files".

See: https://support.mozilla.org/kb/change-firefox-behavior-when-open-file

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Ron69 — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:37:40 GMT

What a brilliant fix that was.Thank you, worked so well,but emphasis on 'was'.I read that when they released 102 this problem would be sorted permanently.

Instead it stopped the fix.Anyone know why?

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:47:55 GMT

@Ron69 wrote:
What a brilliant fix that was.Thank you, worked so well,but emphasis on 'was'. I read that when they released 102 this problem would be sorted permanently.
Instead it stopped the fix.Anyone know why?

I don't think the "browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel" preference has been removed yet in Firefox 102. It was always intended to be temporary while bugs were worked out, so it will be removed eventually.

If you turn that one back on, there are some new preferences to address various complaints related to the change:

Downloads list pops open automatically: browser.download.alwaysOpenPanel (set to false to stop the panel opening)
Firefox saves unknown file types instead of showing the download dialog: there is a control for this on the Settings page below the Applications box, or browser.download.always_ask_before_handling_new_types (set to true to show the dialog)
Firefox uses the "Save files to" folder for files you choose to "Open with [relevant application]" instead of the Windows Temp or Linux /tmp folder: browser.download.start_downloads_in_tmp_dir (set to true to use the Temp folder)

What else is missing at this point?

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Ron69 — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 19:01:34 GMT

Thank you so much for your reply. You are right the browser.download.improvements_to_download_panel hasn't been removed in 102,but since I installed 102 that wonderful fix has been 'unfixed' I've still got it set to false but everytime I open an mp4 for example it opens and saves,when it's set to open.

You know much more about this than I do,but why have Moz. done this?

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 20:34:24 GMT

@Ron69 wrote:
... everytime I open an mp4 for example it opens and saves,when it's set to open.

Firefox needs to save files in order to pass them to other applications. Firefox 102 now has the option to go back to using the Windows Temp (or Linux /tmp) folder for that instead of your "Save files to" folder. This thread is so long, I don't know whether I provided the details in this one yet:

(A) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox. Please keep in mind that changes made through this back door aren't fully supported and aren't guaranteed to continue working in the future.

(B) In the search box in the page, type or paste browser.download.start_downloads_in_tmp_dir and pause while the list is filtered

(C) Double-click the preference to switch the value from false to true

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

lisstem — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 09:24:29 GMT

I had the same issue.
After searching in about:config. I discovered that setting browser.download.start_downloads_in_tmp_dir to true reverts he behaviour to the old one and files i only want to open are downloaded to the tmp directory again.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

tgrassey — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 03:09:46 GMT

I'm running into this issue again on 103.0.1, but it's inconsistent across different websites. I ship using Paypal/Shipstation and it appears to be working correctly. I'll click through to the PDF, it will open it in Firefox and I can print it without issue. I also sell trading cards on TCGPlayer.com and when I open an invoice on that it saves it locally with the following file path:

File:///C:/Users/XXXXXX/AppData/Local/Temp/FILE_NAME.pdf

I've tried all fixes in this thread with no luck, and I can confirm just by looking at my browsing history that this behavior changed on Thursday July 28th when I updated to 103.0.1

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 17:32:24 GMT

@tgrassey wrote:
I'm running into this issue again on 103.0.1, but it's inconsistent across different websites.

Hmm, I don't know what changed between Firefox 102 and 103. This is what has been happening for a while if you have "Open in Firefox" selected as your PDF handling preference (that is the default setting):

(A) If the server accurately identified the PDF using "Content-Type: application/pdf" and did NOT send the "Content-Disposition: attachment" header to force downloading:

Firefox saves the file in the web content cache and opens the PDF with the web address showing in the address bar.

(B) If the server accurately identified the PDF using "Content-Type: application/pdf" and DID send the "Content-Disposition: attachment" header to force downloading:

Firefox saves the file in the folder you selected next to "Save files to:" on the Settings page and opens it in a new tab with the local path (file:/// ) showing in the address bar.

Firefox 102 added a preference that allows switching from the "Save files to:" folder to the Temp folder.

**Firefox 103 Update** There is a new preference to open (B) PDFs like (A) PDFs. Steps below in: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/firefox-now-saves-files-that-i-only-wanted-to-open/m-p/11419/highlight/true#M5202

Firefox sometimes takes the .pdf extension at face value when sites try to sneak it past using inaccurate Content-Type values (such as "Content-Type: application/force-download"). In that case, it may follow behavior (B). Otherwise, it may auto-save the file.

Based on your description, I suspect that your first example site serves PDFs like "(A)" and your second example site serves PDFs like "(B)".

If you did want to make the (B) servers behave more like the (A) servers, you could use an extension that strips off the "Content-Disposition: attachment" header. For example:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/no-pdf-download/

It's also a feature of my add-on to make (B) work like (A), as pictured below. In recent versions of Firefox, the "Force downloading) option does not work for PDFs if "Open in Firefox" is selected. Note: since the add-on changes this for all kinds of files, you may want to turn it off when you aren't trying to load a PDF (on the menu, click "Stop Listening & Clear Log").

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/content-type-fixer/

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

tgrassey — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 03:58:30 GMT

Thanks for the response. I installed your first extension (no-pdf) and enabled it but the behavior is still the same.

The Settings of Firefox still have PDFs set to "Open in Firefox" and it still opens locally. I've contacted TCGPlayer (the site that is causing the files to be saved locally) and they claim it's working as intended. I want to point to this being a Firefox issue but I'm experiencing similar behavior in Chrome, I just noticed it when I upgraded to 103. I wonder if they changed their code around the same time.

The other weird thing with it being saved locally is that it opens the PDF in a new tab instead of a new window despite my having, "Open links in tabs instead of new windows" unchecked.

If I switch the PDF settings to "Always Ask" and then when prompted "Open in Firefox" it will open it in a new window (still saved to my C drive).

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 07:36:47 GMT

@tgrassey wrote:
Thanks for the response. I installed your first extension (no-pdf) and enabled it but the behavior is still the same.

The Settings of Firefox still have PDFs set to "Open in Firefox" and it still opens locally. I've contacted TCGPlayer (the site that is causing the files to be saved locally) and they claim it's working as intended. I want to point to this being a Firefox issue but I'm experiencing similar behavior in Chrome, I just noticed it when I upgraded to 103. I wonder if they changed their code around the same time.

Possibly this is situation (C) where they attempt to disguise the PDF using a non-standard Content-Type (but the file actually has a .pdf extension). My add-on would be better than the other one if that is the situation.

The other weird thing with it being saved locally is that it opens the PDF in a new tab instead of a new window despite my having, "Open links in tabs instead of new windows" unchecked.
If I switch the PDF settings to "Always Ask" and then when prompted "Open in Firefox" it will open it in a new window (still saved to my C drive).

So when Firefox 89 dropped, the PDF in scenario (B) replaced the current page, which was extremely aggravating to many users. The fix for that was to direct it to a new tab. They might not have thought one more step about the new tab/new window preference. So that might need to be filed as a new bug.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

tgrassey — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 11:53:19 GMT

So I'm not sure I'm fully understanding how your plugin is working, but perhaps the log will help tell you what's going on?

C-T: Updated CT header from "Application/pdf" to "application/pdf"
C-D: Changed from attachment to inline

When my Firefox setting is set to "Display in Firefox" it's still downloading it locally in a separate tab (not a new window).

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Luca_Pavan — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:03:06 GMT

Check Applications (on Settings > General) and set actions to files you need as you want.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 17:28:18 GMT

@tgrassey wrote:
So I'm not sure I'm fully understanding how your plugin is working, but perhaps the log will help tell you what's going on?

C-T: Updated CT header from "Application/pdf" to "application/pdf"
C-D: Changed from attachment to inline

When my Firefox setting is set to "Display in Firefox" it's still downloading it locally in a separate tab (not a new window).

Does it download (file:// address) or open as web content (http:// or https:// address)? If it's downloading, this might be hard-coded into the program. A new bug might need to be filed for that. If it's opening as web content, hmm, that really should follow your link preference. It could be that the page uses a download attribute in the link and that triggers the hard-coded behavior, I haven't tested that.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

tgrassey — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 23:17:36 GMT

It is downloading with the file:// address

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 17:30:48 GMT

I just learned some good news: Firefox 103 users can switch the case (B) to case (A) using a setting. Could you make this change, turn off the extension(s), and test again?

Here's how you can check on that:

(A) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(B) In the search box in the page, type or paste browser.download.open_pdf_attachments_inline and pause while the list is filtered

(C) Double-click the preference to switch the value from false (honor server instructions) to true (override server instructions)

Does that help with the problem site?

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

tgrassey — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 17:39:51 GMT

That worked! Much appreciated. I'll actually pass that along to the site tech support as well. I appreciate your diligence here.

Thanks!

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

aquaticexplorer — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 01:25:54 GMT

this is driving me crazy - I end with with 20 pieces of garbage on my desktop. I love Firefox but will leave if this is not reversed. Give us the choice.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 04:46:10 GMT

@aquaticexplorer wrote:
this is driving me crazy - I end with with 20 pieces of garbage on my desktop. I love Firefox but will leave if this is not reversed. Give us the choice.

Are you on Windows? Before Firefox 98, when you selected "Open with [relevant application]" or "Use [relevant application]", the files were stashed in the Windows Temp folder. Firefox 98+ changed to saving them in your designated downloads folder (the one next to "Save Files to" on the Settings page). Firefox 102+ lets you choose between them. Here's how:

(A) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(B) In the search box in the page, type or paste browser.download.start_downloads_in_tmp_dir and pause while the list is filtered

(C) Double-click the preference to switch the value from false (use downloads) to true (use temp)

Does that work for you?

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Ron69 — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 19:11:26 GMT

My apologies for this late response.

I've only just tried your fix and it works! (Until Mozy fix the fix again) So clever,thank you.

I'm trying to learn about this stuff I hope it's O.K. to ask this.

I think mp4 goes to the Temp folder now instead of saving.Where can I find Temp so I can check?

Thank again,interesting stuff,

Ron.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 15:50:59 GMT

@Ron69 wrote:
I think mp4 goes to the Temp folder now instead of saving.Where can I find Temp so I can check?

If you click the Downloads arrow to drop the panel listing recent downloads, there is an icon on the right side of each row to open the folder where the download is saved. When you use this method, the file should be highlighted in Windows File Explorer for easy spotting. You can use the File Explorer address bar to confirm the location.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Ron69 — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 19:09:35 GMT

Thank you so much for that.I love learning about this stuff.

I hope you don't mind one more question.I'm just interested.I assume the 'Temp' file is just that,temporary,if so,when is it emptied.I've got some old stuff in there.

Thank you once again,everything seems to be doing what it's supposed to.

Excellent.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

piterk — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 19:11:34 GMT

You can open pdf without download via new preference:

browser.download.open_pdf_attachments_inline

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 15:34:33 GMT

I agree 100%. Extreme clutter of my download folder makes saving the needed files and getting rid of the garbage a real pain. Switched to Chrome.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 16:45:08 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I agree 100%. Extreme clutter of my download folder makes saving the needed files and getting rid of the garbage a real pain. Switched to Chrome.

A setting to use the Temp folder, instead of the "Save files in" folder, for files you choose to Open was added in Firefox 102. For users who use "Open in Firefox" for PDFs, a setting to handle them as web content (and save in the web content cache instead of a normal disk folder) was added in Firefox 103. So if you decide you don't love Chrome, feel free to use those options:

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

joncek — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 13:26:01 GMT

Amazing, sir! That finally works!

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

prd2002 — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 08:51:04 GMT

You can switch. To Chrome.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

prd2002 — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 08:56:52 GMT

There seems to be a logic to that decision: They want everyone to switch to Chrome.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 23:02:12 GMT

Hi @prd2002, if you didn't find the change in Firefox 102 that lets you choose between your "Save files to" folder and the Windows Temp folder, see: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/firefox-now-saves-files-that-i-only-wanted-to-open/m-p/12878/highlight/true#M5764

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

nosake — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 21:58:29 GMT

Really? Wasn't expecting a snarky response to a legit question.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

Maria_Emme — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 01:58:19 GMT

Thank you so much for this! It worked perfectly. It was driving me insane. I had to keep opening a new browser to get the download link.

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

OyLR — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 09:09:18 GMT

In Windows 11, they completely destroyed this possibility, even through about:config, this cannot be done. This is the moment I'm leaving Firefox. 😢

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jscher2000 — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 21:50:34 GMT

@OyLR wrote:
In Windows 11, they completely destroyed this possibility, even through about:config, this cannot be done. This is the moment I'm leaving Firefox. 😢

Is this a problem with the version of Firefox you can install from the Microsoft/Windows apps store? You don't need to use that one. You can still install Firefox from Mozilla directly and have it install in the normal way.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/#product-desktop-release

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

hifromnz — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 07:39:30 GMT

I see logic. Google's shareholding in Firefox. They want to force us to change to Chrome.

Just look at the logic. They ignore decades of requests to return markup

to PDFs, and then wreck being able to view anything in firefox

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

OyLR — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 12:41:05 GMT

Sorry, what are you trying to say? 😅

Re: Firefox now saves files that I only wanted to open

jack123 — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:55:32 GMT

Ugh, I totally agree! It's so annoying when Firefox automatically saves everything. Makes me wonder how much time I'm wasting on managing files. Speaking of time, have you ever used a Gratis Stundenrechner to track work hours? Might be helpful!