Qlik issues

[Tool_Tip]

Dear Experts

We have a URL column that contains hyperlinks to a shared network location. After loading the data into the Qlik Sense dashboard, we configured the field in the table object to display as a Link instead of Text.

However, when users click the hyperlink in the dashboard, the shared network location does not open.

If we copy the exact same path from the dashboard and paste it directly into the browser or Windows Explorer, it opens successfully.

We have tested this behavior in both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, with the same result.

We also tried converting the path using the following expression:

='file:///' & Replace(URL,'\','/')

but the issue persists, and the shared location still does not open when the hyperlink is clicked from within Qlik Sense

Kindly advise any solution on it

[N30fyte · Accepted solution]

Same happens for me, and I don't think it's a Qlik issue.

Google 'file path as URL' and you'll find it's almost certainly because web browsers block links to remote files and locations as a basic security precaution.

If you right-click your link in Qlik and choose 'Open in new tab', you'll get a blank page with the address about:blank#blocked

[Lech_Miszkiewicz]

Hi @Tool_Tip 

@N30fyte is absolutely correct. This is not Qlik problem. It is web browser problem. 

cheers

[Tool_Tip]

Hello Dear

First of all, could someone please confirm whether Qlik Sense supports an "Open in new tab" option when clicking a hyperlink inside qlik?

Assuming this is not a Qlik Sense issue, what could be the possible reason the link does not open when clicked within Qlik, even though the exact same link opens successfully when it is copied and pasted directly into the browser?

[N30fyte]

Hi @Tool_Tip

This is what I see when I right-click a link in MS Edge :

And in Chrome for Windows:

You have to hover the mouse pointer directly over the link (so that the underscore appears) if you want to access the browser contextual menu. If you right-click anywhere else in the cell, you'll see the Qlik Sense contextual menu shown in your screen shot.

[Tool_Tip]

Its okay. Its okay. Here we have more important to discuss about issue what I mentioned and its resolution
Playing hover over wont resolve this issue.

Anyone any solution?

[NAM_climber]

This is a browser security issue, not a Qlik issue, and it affects everyone who tries this. Here is what is actually happening and what you can realistically do about it.

Why it does not work

Modern browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) block file:// protocol links when clicked from within a web application. This is an intentional security restriction at the browser level. The path works fine when pasted directly into the browser or Explorer because you are initiating that navigation yourself. When a web app like Qlik Sense tries to trigger it programmatically via a clicked hyperlink, the browser blocks it. This behaviour has been getting stricter with each browser release and there is no Qlik-side fix for it.

What you can actually do

The most practical options, roughly in order of effort:

1. Host the files via a web server or SharePoint
Map the shared network folder through IIS, Apache, or your company's intranet, then use an http:// or https:// URL in Qlik instead of a UNC path. Browsers will follow http links without complaint. This is the cleanest long-term solution and the one most commonly recommended.

2. Use SharePoint or OneDrive links
If the files are or can be moved to SharePoint, each document gets a proper https:// URL that works as a hyperlink anywhere, including Qlik Sense tables.

3. Group Policy override for managed devices (Edge/Chrome)
On corporate-managed machines, IT can push a browser group policy that re-enables file:// link following from web pages. In Edge this is LocalFileLinksEnabled. In Chrome it is done via the URLAllowlist policy. This only works for internally managed devices and requires IT involvement, but it does solve the problem without changing anything in Qlik or moving any files.

4. Qlik Content Library
If the files are Qlik-specific content (images, attachments), you can add the shared folder as a Content Library in the QMC. Files served through a Content Library get an http URL and work correctly as links.

The file:/// with forward-slash conversion you tried is the right formatting approach, but it cannot overcome the browser's security policy. The root fix needs to happen either at the infrastructure level (web server) or via browser policy.