Hi Jane, Here's how to make it open automatically: 1. Click on the Downloads icon in the toolbar (it should automatically open when you download a file). 2. Right-click on the DOCX file and enable Always Open Similar Files I've attached a screenshot showing what it looks like.

The file will still be downloaded to your Download folder, but this will avoid the extra step of having to manually open the file.

If you need any further questions, we're always here to help.

I did manage to get it to open the next file of this type after making the setting change. But I am really annoyed by this part "The file will still be downloaded to your Download folder, but this will avoid the extra step of having to manually open the file." I did NOT have to put up with it cluttering up my downloads and having to remember to delete these when using version 97.0.2 and earlier!!!! Whoever dreamed up this change is nuts in my opinion. I sure hope they will reverse this change ASAP. For now, has anyone found of way to keep them from being saved in downloads? I think I have seen posts from others also complaining about these saves.

Changing the preference mentioned in this quote from searchfox. org may help.

browser.download.useDownloadDir - bool True - Save files directly to the folder configured via the browser.download.folderList preference. False - Always ask the user where to save a file and default to browser.download.lastDir when displaying a folder picker dialog

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-config-editor-firefox

WARNING: Changing preferences through this interface not officially supported Hidden settings edited using the about:config tool are explicitly not supported, which means that Mozilla makes no guarantees they will be supported in the future, or that Mozilla will fix them if they break. Mozilla does not test these preferences, and will not in the future. That includes security and performance testing which these preferences may affect.

[Warning added by moderator]

I get a couple weekly that I JUST want to open, read and print NOT save ANYWHERE. This looks like it would still result in the file being saved on disk.

I get a couple weekly that I JUST want to open, read and print NOT save ANYWHERE. This looks like it would still result in the file being saved on disk.

Before Firefox 98, "Open with [application]" saved the file in the Windows TEMP folder, and passed that path to the application.

Starting in Firefox 98, "Open with [application]" saves the file in your default download folder, and passes that path to the application.

So connecting those dots, you could change your default Download folder to the system Temp folder, and Firefox should use that for content types you set to Always Ask when you select Open with [application]. In the case that you choose Save File, Firefox would display the folder browser so you could choose a different folder. Do you want to test that? Here's how the configuration looks on the Settings page in my test profile:

I don't know whether Firefox will remove files it downloads to the Temp folder this way.

This still seems to SAVE the file. Which is not what I want to do.

Now I wonder if we are making progress in getting rid of this INSISTENCE on SAVING files? I just noticed that there is an update to version 98.01 available. Anyone know what is in it?

This still seems to SAVE the file. Which is not what I want to do.

Firefox cannot pass content to an external application without saving the file somewhere. Was Firefox removing the "Open with [application]" files from the Temp folder before, after you were done with them? I wonder how that worked.

I haven't the slightest idea. All I know is that in versions before 98 I was NEVER asked anything about saving by Firefox. I just had the program to open with chosen. They opened in those and when I was finished I either saved it where I wanted it or just closed the program it was opened with without saving.

When you set Word documents to "Use Word (default)" in the Applications list --

-- the difference between Firefox 98 and earlier versions is where Firefox saves the file (Downloads now, Temp earlier). You shouldn't be asked about saving the file.

Of course, there are exceptions because servers sometimes misidentify content as another type or a generic type, so in that case, Firefox used to ask you what to do, and now it just saves the file automatically.

I am doing something that is probably different than most people. I am NOT using Microsoft Word at all. I have .docx files set to open in WordPerfect. I have seen NO mention of saving these file attachments received in emails anywhere by Firefox until version 98. I have just clicked on them, they take a varying amount of time because of size to open in the program chosen. And as said earlier I then read or use them in that program. If it is something I want to keep, I save it in the location desired via that program (for .docx files location is chosen using WordPerfect). Other files received as attachments work same way with varying file type and program used to open.

The insistence on SAVING by Firefox just showed up in version 98.

The insistence on SAVING by Firefox just showed up in version 98.

Firefox 98 changed some entries on the Applications List from Always Ask to Save File, so you need to switch them to your preferred action, which might be Always Ask or might be "Use WordPerfect (default)". Does that part work, so the only problem is that instead of saving in the TEMP folder, firefox now saves in the Downloads folder, or do we have multiple problems?

I have lost track of which similar question this was a response to but made note of it and then didn't get back here. Maybe the following applies to what I am trying to do: "open with", the expectation is to pass control of that file to the receiving application that you're opening with; subsequently, control over whether the file is saved to permanent storage is in the control of that receiving application.

The issue I am having is similar except the usual and recommended solution doesn't work as when I go to Applications, Microsoft Word simply isn't listed. Powerpoint and Excel are and those are set to "Always Ask" as are pretty much all other attachments. This seems pretty clearly to be a bug since the actual process works. I am using lastest version 98.0.2.

Oh, and BTW, it works just fine in Chrome.

The issue I am having is similar except the usual and recommended solution doesn't work as when I go to Applications, Microsoft Word simply isn't listed. Powerpoint and Excel are and those are set to "Always Ask" as are pretty much all other attachments. This seems pretty clearly to be a bug since the actual process works. I am using lastest version 98.0.2. Oh, and BTW, it works just fine in Chrome.

That's a different issue but the way to add file types is explained in the link below. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-firefox-behavior-when-open-file#w_changing-download-actions

I have lost track of which similar question this was a response to but made note of it and then didn't get back here. Maybe the following applies to what I am trying to do: "open with", the expectation is to pass control of that file to the receiving application that you're opening with; subsequently, control over whether the file is saved to permanent storage is in the control of that receiving application.

A temporary workaround is posted in the thread linked below.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1370494

The issue I am having is similar except the usual and recommended solution doesn't work as when I go to Applications, Microsoft Word simply isn't listed.

Hi Gary, if you go to the item on the Downloads list and right-click it, does Firefox offer "Always Open Similar Files" for the Word document? If so, great, click that and Word will add a new entry to the Applications list with "Use Microsoft Word" (or similar) as the action. You can change that to "Always ask" if you prefer.

If that menu item is missing, it usually indicates that the server did not inform Firefox the specific content type but instead indicated only that it was a binary file, which is how sites also identify EXE files. Firefox won't be able to act on those files automatically.

There is a workaround, which is an add-on I created, but I'll provide more details if needed.