file: links seems to be ignored in this version of Edge (like they are in Chrome). In the previous version of Edge however (and all IE versions), clicking on a file: link opens the original document. This is why by the way we are still using IE / Edge at my office. A lot of important intranet applications allow users to upload document and modify them later. Using Chrome, the document has to be downloaded locally before editing, and then re-uploaded after editing. With IE/Edge, the original document opens in Word/Excel/Acrobat in edit mode. The user just have to press CTRL+S to save it. I really hope Edge will keep this behavior.

Kneecht"Use SharePoint or similar products," sounds to me like "spend many $100,000s of dollars on licensing, hardware and administration/support payroll per year in perpetuity" to maybe solve a problem that was previously not a problem, and cost $0. File:\\\ links are plenty good practice when they're used responsibly in a secure, local intranet / web app environment. I need to link to Windows folder paths and files in non-SharePoint apps, period. IE 11 or the EdgeHTML version of Edge should hopefully stick around for legacy support if Edge Chromium can't support file:\\\ links due to inherent Chromium limitations, but it would be fantastic if MS's future flagship browser supported them along with all the latest bells and whistles.

JeffOwens My contact got back to me with an update on the issue by now. They are not going to implement anything that will make file:// links work again besides what already exists - IEMode. But I told them that I'd like them to at least implement something that tells the user why/that file:// links aren't working. Currently Edge simply does nothing when you click a file:// link. They seemed kind of receptive to my idea to at least show an error/warning MsgBox or something along those lines when a user clicks on such a link. No idea when they are going to add that though .. if they are.

I know it may not be what 100% of people want / need, but this helped us since most of the items we were linking to were Office docs (not file folders, etc)... Check out the Office URI scheme, as documented here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/office-uri-schemes When using the Office URI, the file open method uses the Office protocol handlers which support the file:// URI .... so, a HREF on a web page can point to ms-word:ofv|u|file://<server_path_to_doc> and Word will open the file directly from a non-http path... HTH

Just adding that we are also heavy users of the File:// links on our intranet.Not having this feature would limit our switch from the old Edge browser.

Thanks narutards For anyone else interested, we changed all our file:// link references to localfile:// and implemented a new protocol handler in the registry. For example: localfile://open?data=\\NASORL1\EngData\MAVIS\ProjectTickets\13092\Engineering-Data\Prototype\ Since this issue only applies to our intranet web application that we've developed internally, it was an easy thing to deploy (you might be able to do it via group policy if you're running AD or via an easy EXE to make those if not). Also, since this is a registry edit, the protocol will be recognized on any browser. That's our work-around for now.

How the new Edge will handle file:// URI ?

80 Replies

dbeuscher
Copper Contributor
Dec 19, 2022
I have actually started incorporating the addin "ietabhelper" into my browser installations. This has proved to be very effective.
tca09
Copper Contributor
Aug 17, 2021
sylvainrodrigue
I find the following works to open a folder from an Edge favorite
file:///C:/Users/tallen/OneDrive%20-%20Danaher/Documents/ePeak

You can simply drag a folder from File Explorer to the Edge address bar to get this link.

Edge 92.0.902.67

The folder content is displayed as bare HTML links which download the file and provide an Open link. Yeah, not editing the original files. But there is also a well-formatted file path you can copy and paste into File Explorer, so it is still handy as a bookmark to find local folders.
- Eric_Lawrence
  Microsoft
  Aug 18, 2021
  It has always been possible for the user to navigate to a file:// folder using the omnibox/addressbar or a favorite. The topic at hand is the restriction that blocks navigation to a file:// URL from a http/https URL, as discussed in https://textslashplain.com/2019/10/09/navigating-to-file-urls/
JoeyTroy
Copper Contributor
Apr 21, 2021
It's really unfortunate that Chrome or Edge does not offer an ADMX to implement this as Firefox has this added now and it works great for local files with no stupid registry entries or adding extra code to internal websites or using IE Mode.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1264779

Come on Chrome and Edge it's 2021 get it added 😄
Mr_TJ
Copper Contributor
Feb 11, 2020
Nothing new about this?
A GPO would be nice, where file links could be alowed for defindes file Servers.
Like Firefox has it:
Firefox:
Open Firefox.
Enter about:support to the address bar.
Click Open Directory for Profile Directory.
Create or open user.js and add the following lines:
user_pref("capability.policy.policynames", "localfilelinks");
user_pref("capability.policy.localfilelinks.sites", "file:///[[PUT SERVER NAME HERE]]";);
user_pref("capability.policy.localfilelinks.checkloaduri.enabled", "allAccess");
Restart Firefox
- Bartdude
  Copper Contributor
  Mar 03, 2020
  Mr_TJ
  You can do this straight from the about:config dialogue. Open the following page: about:config of Firefox. I am not 100% sure if it works without a restart using this method.
  Right click - New - String.
  Name: "capability.policy.policynames" value: "localfilelinks"
  Name: "capability.policy.localfilelinks.checkloaduri.enabled" value: "allAccess"
  Name: "capability.policy.localfilelinks.sites" value: "http://site1 http://site2:8080 https://site3"
  Note that the sites are a space-separated list. Include protocol. Include port numbers if they are not the default.
  
  And I support an application where linking to files on network drives is still used. Which is why it was convenient that IE supported it. And worthwhile to get Firefox to work as well.
pemathez
Copper Contributor
Oct 08, 2019
sylvainrodrigue
This is also the most important feature for our company's intranet ! In the past, we used IE as our main browser. Now, we use Firefox with an extension, but we still have some issue when the file link is inside an iframe. In the futur, we plan to use the new Edge browser if the file link are supported.
Many users see a security problem with file link, but this can easily mitigate with options like "open only non-applicative files" or "open only files from theses secures servers : ___", etc.
- narutards
  Iron Contributor
  Mar 12, 2020
  pemathez
  We've just started the first round of internal testing and this was one of the first issues pointed out.
  
  We have a lot of file:// links to our central fileserver on our intranet website and not having them work at all is a big problem.
  I've worked around the issue for now by adding our intranet server to the Enterprise Sitelist and having Edge render the website in IE Mode. That way the file:// links are working again. But this should definitely not "become a thing".
  
  A whitelist of sorts would be nice. File:// links to any server/location listed on that whitelist would work, while all other file:// links would behave like usual - not do anything. That would be nice. It would allow us to whitelist our central fileserver while keeping "security high".
  
  I've also opened a case about this, lets see if it leads somewhere.
  - SoumyaRaju
    Copper Contributor
    Mar 01, 2021
    narutards- You have mentioned that you have logged a case for this issue. Have you received any response from Microsoft? If yes, could you please share?
Mike_Pietrorazio
Brass Contributor
Aug 21, 2019
Also a big user of file:// in our organization.
Kneecht
Copper Contributor
Apr 10, 2019
There is an extension for chrome (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/enable-local-file-links/nikfmfgobenbhmocjaaboihbeocackld) which also works for edge.

But it's generally not a good practice to use local file links. Better way for your described usecase would be sharepoint or similair products.
- YoctoYotta
  Copper Contributor
  Apr 10, 2019
  Kneecht"Use SharePoint or similar products," sounds to me like "spend many $100,000s of dollars on licensing, hardware and administration/support payroll per year in perpetuity" to maybe solve a problem that was previously not a problem, and cost $0.
  
  File:\\\ links are plenty good practice when they're used responsibly in a secure, local intranet / web app environment. I need to link to Windows folder paths and files in non-SharePoint apps, period.
  
  IE 11 or the EdgeHTML version of Edge should hopefully stick around for legacy support if Edge Chromium can't support file:\\\ links due to inherent Chromium limitations, but it would be fantastic if MS's future flagship browser supported them along with all the latest bells and whistles.
  - mach1-69
    Copper Contributor
    Aug 20, 2019
    Just adding that we are also heavy users of the File:// links on our intranet.
    Not having this feature would limit our switch from the old Edge browser.
- sylvainrodrigue
  Brass Contributor
  Apr 10, 2019
  Kneecht Sadly, you can download a file with this extension but you cannot open the original.
  
  Thank for the answer.

Forum Discussion

How the new Edge will handle file:// URI ?