How to directly download images and .txt files from sharepoint directly via URL? (more context in the description).

Question

What I mean by this is that the "?download=1" trick does not work on image files and .txt files. On image files it just displays the image on browser. On .txt files, it shows nothing. It completely ignores the "?download=1" appended at the end of sharepoint URL. For comparison sake, files like .docx, .csv, and other office files works just fine.

I just want to download the files from sharepoint just by entering the URL in the browser for automation purposes. And its irritating that some filetypes just dont work.

I'm using google chrome as a browser for this.

Answer 1

Hi @Cabillo, Mark Joseph ,

It is common for images and text (.txt) files to be displayed in the browser instead of downloading when accessed through a URL. The "?download=1" trick may not work for these file types. One possible workaround is to add "&web=1" to the URL instead of "?download=1". This should force the file to download instead of being displayed in the browser.

However, it is important to note that this workaround may not work in all cases and it may depend on the browser being used. Additionally, you may need to add the SharePoint URL to the list of trusted sites in your browser settings before the download can proceed.

References:

• Workaround: A SharePoint file is downloaded instead of opening the Office application with a direct connection to it - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/troubleshoot/lists-and-libraries/files-downloaded-instead-of-opening-office-application#workaround

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Answer 2

Found on a reddit forum:

"I have been using this without any problem

https://contoso/teams/site1/_layouts/download.aspx?SourceUrl=https://contoso/teams/site1/lib1/myfile.ext

I tested using appropriate site/folder/filename parameters and that appears to allow direct download.