Opening and downloading a company file
How to open a company file, when it downloads to your device and when it opens in a preview, and how the built-in PDF and image preview works.
Company files are the documents your HR team shares with everyone at your company, like policies, handbooks, and forms. You reach them from Company Files in the webapp. What happens when you open a file depends on its type: spreadsheets and documents download straight to your device, while PDFs and images open in a built-in preview first. This article walks through both.
Open a file
In Company Files, files show as cards in grid view or as rows in list view. There are two ways to open one:
Select the file (it highlights), then click it again, or double-click the card or row.
If you are using the keyboard, press Enter or Space to do the same thing.
A single click only selects the file; you need the second click or a double-click to open it.
What happens for each file type
- Spreadsheets and documents (Excel
.xlsxand.xls, CSV, Word.docand.docx, and Apple iWork.pages,.numbers,.keynote): opening the file downloads it straight to your device. Your browser saves it the same way it saves any other download. - PDFs and images (
.png,.jpg,.jpeg): opening the file shows it in a preview window inside the webapp so you can read it without leaving the page. To keep a copy, use your browser's own save or download control inside the preview (for a PDF, the built-in viewer controls; for an image, right-click and save).
The file downloads with its original file name (for example, Q3-report.xlsx), not the display name shown on the card. So if your HR team renamed a file to something friendlier on screen, the saved file may have a different name.
Preview a PDF or image
If the file is a PDF or an image (PNG, JPG, or JPEG), the preview window opens straight away. While the file loads you see a brief Loading preview... message, then the document or image appears.
- PDFs open in an embedded viewer inside the window, so you can scroll through every page.
- Images are shown at full size inside the window.
The preview window shows the file's display name as its title, which is the name your HR team gave the file, not the original file name it was uploaded under.
Nothing is saved to your device when you simply preview a file. To return to the file list, select the close button in the top corner of the preview window, or click outside the window.
Why a saved link stops working
Each download uses a secure link that CLVR creates just for you at the moment you open the file, and that link is only valid for a short time. This keeps company files private. Because of that:
- The link is time-limited and works for only a brief window after you open the file.
- It is created fresh each time, so the link from yesterday is not the same as the one you would get today.
- Do not bookmark, copy, or share a download link to reuse later. By the time you or a colleague clicks it, it will almost certainly have expired.
- Always open the file again from Company Files when you need it. A fresh link is created each time.
These links are also tied to your company. You can only open and download files that belong to the company you work at, so a link to another company's file will never work for you, even before it expires. If a colleague at a different employer sends you one, ask them to share the actual file another way instead. If a link looks broken, the most common reason is simply that it has expired.
Why some files preview and others download
The split between previewing and downloading is by design, not an error. CLVR shows a preview only for the file types a browser can display safely on its own:
- PDF documents, shown in the preview window.
- Images: PNG, JPG, and JPEG.
Spreadsheets, documents, and presentations cannot be shown in the in-app viewer, so opening one downloads it to your device instead. That covers Excel (.xlsx, .xls), CSV, Word (.doc, .docx), and Apple Pages, Numbers, and Keynote files. Once the file has downloaded, open it in the matching app on your device (Excel, Word, Numbers, and so on) to view it.
The download is silent: no preview window appears. Check your browser's downloads bar or your Downloads folder, and the file will be there.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing happened when I clicked once. A single click only selects the file. Click it again, or double-click, to open it.
- My download link stopped working. The link is time-limited on purpose. Go back to Company Files and open the file again to get a fresh one.
- A link someone shared with me does not work. Open the file yourself from Company Files instead of using a copied link. If it belongs to a different company, you will not be able to open it at all.
- A PDF or image opened in a preview instead of downloading. That is expected. Use your browser's save control inside the preview window to keep a copy.
- A spreadsheet or document did not preview. That is expected: only PDFs and images preview, everything else downloads. Look in your browser's downloads for the file.
- The window opened but stays on "Loading preview...". Close it and open the file again. A slow connection can leave a large PDF or image part-loaded.
- The file still will not open. Try a different browser, and if it continues to fail, let your HR team know which file it is so they can check it.
- The saved file has a different name than I saw on screen. Downloads use the file's original name, not the display name. You can rename it on your device after saving.
- I cannot find the file. Use the search box on the Company Files page, or check with your HR team in case it was removed.