I know it is possible to set files to open in client applications when opening up a file from a SharePoint library, but is it possible to set that as default behavior when opening a file from a shared link? I have set the site collection default to open in client application and library setting to open in client application but when I send a co worker a shareable link out of sharepoint it will only open in the web version.
You can't set Shared Links to open directly in Client Application. You will have to manually create a link in below format and share it to open in client application.
The following will open in the client directly:
https://someurl.sharepoint.com/sites/site1/Shared%20Documents/WordDoc1.docx
This link will prompt user to open in client application
ms-word:ofe|u|https://someurl.sharepoint.com/sites/site1/Shared%20Documents/WordDoc1.docx
Personally I think every possible way to open a document in SharePoint (or other apps like Teams etc) should be default to open in client application - The user experience in the online version is simply too poor to even consider in most cases. I cannot understand why MS has chosen to force users into a bad experience.
However a relatively simple workaround for this is to (from within the Office app) go to "file" and then click "copy path" button. Paste the copied link into your email, Teams chat or wherever you want to share it and then remove the "?web=1" part at the end.
Erik Wettergren I totally agree. Poor experience here. It creates a lot of friction...
Just posted on this same issue at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/office-365/links-to-sharepoint-document-in-excel-opens-in-browser/m-p/183028 "I just shared an excel document stored on SharePoint link in Teams chat and it downloads the file. I added the "?Web=1" after having to go into edit mode and create a link and that works to open in the browser. WHY DOES THE LINK DOWNLOAD AND NOT OPEN IN THE NATIVE APP? This is really getting frustrating. I tried the "ms-excel:ofe|u|" prefix and the link creator said it was not a valid link and would not let me even try it. Any help appreciated. I agree with another poster that having to add extensions and prefixes cannot be sustainable, either. Behavior of the link should not be based on settings in individual systems either for collaboration."
To clarify, the steps are
etc.
AaBlu I have copied the "Direct Link" and although i shared it to ANONYMOUS its still giving "Access Denied" message.
i want to host a PDF file and provide link to public anonymously
You can't set Shared Links to open directly in Client Application. You will have to manually create a link in below format and share it to open in client application.
The following will open in the client directly:
https://someurl.sharepoint.com/sites/site1/Shared%20Documents/WordDoc1.docx
This link will prompt user to open in client application
ms-word:ofe|u|https://someurl.sharepoint.com/sites/site1/Shared%20Documents/WordDoc1.docx
Deleted - How do you create that custom link? Where do you do this at in SharePoint?
Got it, thank you very much for the assistance.
How do you create the link which prompts the user to open in client application?
I tried copying the start of your example but it doesn't work.
Many Thanks
Well, if I (from within an office app) go to "file" and then click "copy path" (circled in blue in the attached pic). Then I can paste this link into e.g. Outlook and remove the trailing "?web=1" then, at least for me, it will open in the client app.
natanz I found the same thing. When deleting the ?web=1 part, Chrome responds with "Save as....", whereas Edge asks if I want to open in Excel (read-only), but with the option to read/write.
Annoying to have to switch to Edge for this. It worked differently in Chrome a few months ago.
Yeah I was looking cause I just encountered this issue. However when I delete web=1 entirely it didn't work for me. But it inspired me 😉
I copy link from SharePoint and paste it with Shift + Ctrl + V (this makes it paste normal link) and change web=1 to 0 and it works.
Our SharePoint unfortunately still defaults to web app instead of desktop.
