The “Open Online Office Files” extension for Google Chrome browser is a very handy tool to open online files using Google Drive Viewer, Microsoft Office Online Viewer and Zoho Sheet. These three online services enable users to open many file formats online, without requiring any specific application installed on their computers.
How To Use
First of all, install the extension from here. This extension is available for Google Chrome, and should work with other Chromium-based browsers. Once you have installed it, you can use it from its context menu option which appears when you right click on links pointing to supported files. These files should be online and publicly accessible.
The Microsoft Office Online Viewer supports Word (.doc and .docx), Excel (.xls and .xlsx) and PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx, .pps etc.) files. The Zoho Sheet Viewer supports Excel, OpenOffice Spreadsheets, .CSV and .TSV files. On the other hand, the Google Drive Viewer supports various file formats including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, TXT, JavaScript (.js), ZIP, RAR, AutoCad (.DXF), Adobe Illustrator (.AI), Photoshop (.PSD), SVG etc.
Whenever, you have a link pointing to any of the above file formats – right click on it and select extension’s option as shown in the screenshot below. The extension would show only those services which support the linked file format. For example, if link is pointing to an Excel spreadsheet, all the three services (Google Drive Viewer, MS Office Online Viewer and Zoho Sheet) will be shown. But for a link pointing to a .txt file, only Google Drive Viewer will be shown as the other two services don’t support .txt files.
Benefits of Google Drive Viewer
Microsoft’s Office Online Viewer is a great tool for Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, but Google’s Drive Viewer is extremely brilliant as it supports various other file formats as mentioned above. Moreover, users can connect third-party applications to their Google Drive account to open and edit these files.
Open and Edit
These three online services don’t just offer you to open online files. You can even edit the opened files. For example, once you open a Word file using the Microsoft Office Online Viewer – you can edit it using Word Online and save the edited file to your OneDrive account. Similarly, files opened using Google Drive Viewer can be saved to Google Drive in just one click!
Why Use The Extension?
The “Open Online Office Files” extension is a small and light-weight utility. It doesn’t ask for any permission like access to browsing history etc. It directly connects users to the above three services, without any intermediate site or authorization.
You can open online files without installing any special application on your computer. It also saves you from any possible malware or other security threat as you don’t have to download the files.
To test working of this extension, visit this test page.
If you like this extension, please rate it 5-stars on Chrome Web Store. For any feedback or suggestion, leave a comment below or email us at browsernative.apps@gmail.com.
Good job. Thanks for creating this extension.
Zoho Viewer is too a very good document viewer.
Do you think you could make an extension to use it? I tried to found one in chrome store but i couldn’t found it.
it does not work. I tried for my college courses. nothing, brings me to an error. On my laptop it works. This is my netbook it will not
I had to use this for a science class and it wasn’t working on the link my teacher gave us. It might jsut be the link but I found it useless to upload
very good
@Allison: it works only on the webpages for the public files.
I want to set it default to webapps. Is this possible?
By the way: when you use ctrl button on an google search page link, it works.
I Like Microsoft Office Online more than Google Docs. Works brilliantly.
Whenever I try to open my Open office files it asks me to sign in. Where and how do I do this?
I have my most-frequented files in Google Drive, and downloaded Office for the Desktop (I’m on an iMac, btw) and added the Office Online extension to my Chrome browser. How can I open the documents in my Drive in the Office Online program? I right-click on them but “Office Online” isn’t an option. What am I missing?
thanks for your extension. I just discovered that the Microsoft Online Office Viewer is way better than the Google Docs. Thanks again.
I am starting college and we will be using microsoft office programs. Is word online and powerpoint online about the same thing? Im worried that I need a different laptop to follow directions on the school book…..help!!!
gud
It’d be really nice if it would allow me to open documents that I have downloaded. Or is there a way to do that that I’m missing?
@Ashit: Thanks for installing this extension. Now that you’ve installed it, right click on any link pointing to Word, PowerPoint or Excel file. You should notice extension’s option in the context menu like in the above screenshot. Click on it to open that file with Microsoft’s Office Online Viewer;
For you help, here is a test page having links to few office files: http://browsernativeapps.wpcomstaging.com/test/live.php
Just installed your this extension in Chrome. How can I start using it now?
Very useful extension. Thanks for your work.
@Lenny: I hope you should be able to install extensions from the Chrome Web Store on your Chromebook.
do you know how I would use this extension on a chromebook ?