Microsoft Edge unable to open Infopath 2013 Form filler from a SharePoint Online form library

Question

As a company we have been using InfoPath form libraries, opening the InfoPath form filler to create and edit InfoPath forms. With the end of life of Internet Explorer less than a year away, we need an option on how to open these forms in SPO.

We do not need or want the form to open in the web browser, we simply want the browser to be smart enough to launch the form filler desktop application. This is currently not the behavior of Edge. Will Edge support this before IE EOL? If not what is the way forward with the thousands of forms my company has created over the years?

PowerApps is not a robust enough solution to support the sophistication of the InfoPath forms we have built out. We simply just want to be able to continue to open the InfoPath form filler from our existing InfoPath form libraries in SharePoint Online.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

Answer 1

Hi @Scott Nolan ,

If you want to make the forms in form library opened by client application, we can publish the form to the form library and uncheck the option “enable this form to be filled out by using a browser”. It will make the web browser not able to open the form and set the default open behavior to be open in client application.

First please try to publish your form:

Make sure the option unchecked:

Add your field you want and publish, then go to the form library and create a new form,
at last:

Go to the Library Settings>Advanced Settings, Make sure the option is to open it in client:

After all, just as you know InfoPath will retire by a certain date, you can have a try on Power Apps. We still have time to get used to it and plan shifting to this new powerful business tool at a pace you like.

Best regards,
Elsie Lu

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Answer 2

@Elsie Lu_MSFT

Thank you for posting an answer to my question. I did follow the steps you described in one of our test libraries on SharePoint Online. I have some screenshots to follow along

1. Make sure the 'Enable form to be filled out in the web browser' is unchecked
   
2. Go through the publishing wizard and complete the publishing process
   
3. On the library setting in SharePoint Online set the open in client option

4. Check and see if you can open in EdgeHTML or Chrome

This InfoPath library has been a critical repository for us for quite a few years. we took a hard look at PowerApps when we went to Win10 and Office 2016. PowerApps does not meet our needs. We also just completed an arduous migration of this library from an On-Prem to SharePoint Online. We would really like a way forward so we could use Edge to open forms in this library. An extension in Edge to allow users to open InfoPath forms in the InfoPath Form Filler would be great. Either that or extend the date for IE 11 to access SharePoint Online.

Thanks!
Scott

Answer 3

Hi @Scott Nolan ,

How are things going? Is there any update on your issue?
I am willing to hear from you.
I am checking to see how things are going there on this issue.

If you think my suggestion is helpful, you could mark it as an answer. It will help others who meet the similar question in this forum. Also others will directly see the answer.

Best regards,
Elsie Lu

Answer 4

hi @Scott Nolan - did you ever find a solution to this issue? I'm experiencing the same thing.

Thanks

Answer 5

Hello, this has been quiet for a while. Any resolution?

We are experiencing the same issue. Internet Explorer works fine. Edge, Chrome and Firefox do not.