Preview Feature in new Library experience

[Heiko Watz]

Hello SharePointer,

we have a problem with the new Library experience and the newly integrated viewer.

In the old experience when you click on a .pdf or a .msg file it opens the pdf with the installed pdf viewer and msg files with outlook.

This was nice because you can work with these files normally – mainly with msg files you can reply or forward the mail. And this is the way our people are working in this case.

Now with the newest version of the new experience library, an internal web viewer opens these files – this is also nice and a good feature - but you get no chance to open it with the installed Software like Outlook.

The only way is to download and store it temporary local. But this is no option for our users, because this is an additional step.

In our case it is not useful to create a group or a site mailbox there.

Also we would like to use the new experience and it where nice when there is an option to open these files not with the integrated viewer rather than in the default client application – or even better an option in the viewer to open it instead to download – or… to open the msg with owa!?

Did everyone experience the same problem and has an good idea for me to solve this problem and help my users.

Thanks

Heiko

[#2]

Hi @Heiko Watz,

Interesting issue. In Chrome I have found a workaround.

1. Download the .msg file.

2. On the downloaded document click in the menu and select always open files of this type.

Done!

If you now click on download when you want to open a .msg file in outlook then it will appear straight away in outlook rather than the intermediate download dialog.

[#3]

Hi Heiko,

There is an alternative but it is not standard SharePoint since it uses a 3rd party tool. The browser-based tool mimics SharePoint as Windows Explorer and automatically extracts email metadata from msg files upon uploading. It allows users to preview msg files in the browser (without opening Outlook) and also allows users to download the msg file. Documents stored in SharePoint can be directly attached to new emails or included as links in a new email. There is a recording online (here).
This functionality may provide you with a different view on managing emails in SharePoint.

Note: I am affiliated with the vendor. 
Paul

[#4]

Hi @Pieter Veenstra,

Thank you for this tip.

But this is not the way we want to work.

In your solution the file is downloaded and stored in the default download folder an has to be deletes there manually L

This is not so nice.

There is also a Problem with PDF Files… they are also visible in this new preview Window and when you want to edit the file you have also download it, make you changes (as example we add a signature it) and then you have to upload it.

This is also very bad and the people has problems to do their work.

[#5]

Not a good solution.

[#6]

Hi Paula, indeed it isn't a good solution, but what is the alternative while it isn't working any better? No solution!

I am hoping for someone to come up with a better idea.

[#7]

@Heiko Watz any solution to this issue? Im having the same problem and Im looking to have the same results that you are looking for. Any help is appreciated. 

[#8]

@lhin75:

Sorry - there is no solution for this Problem Right now :(

With PDFs you can only switch between the SharePoint integrated Viewer or the browser PDF viewer.

It is not possible to open it in a client application like Adobe Acrobat without downloading it.

MSG files are only opened with integrated viewer.

A possible workaround is to sync the library with the new OneDrive-Sync Client and open it with Windows Explorer.

But this is only a good option with libraries you often use.