The Open File dialog enables you to choose a file to open in an application. The right-hand pane of the dialog lists files and folders in the current location. This section describes actions you can perform in the File dialog.
You can use the mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard to select a file. Once a file is selected, perform one of the following actions to open it:
Click Open
Press Return
Press Spacebar
Double-click the file
If you open a folder or a location instead of a file, the Open File dialog updates the view to show the contents of that folder or location.
To change the location shown in the right-hand pane, perform one of the following actions:
Open a folder that is listed in the current location.
Open an item in the left-hand pane. This pane lists places such as the Documents folder, Home folder, media such as CDs and flash drives, places on the network, and bookmarks.
Click one of the buttons in the path bar above the File List pane. The File List shows the hierarchy of folders that contain your current location. Use the arrow buttons on either side of the button bar if the list of folders is long.
The lower part of the Open File dialog might contain further options specific to the current application.
You can restrict the File List to show only certain file types. To do this, choose a file type from the drop-down list below the File List pane. The list of file types depends on the application you are currently using. For example, a graphics application will list different image file formats, and a text editor will list different text file types.
You might sometimes need to choose a folder to work with rather than opening a file. For example, if you use Archive Manager to extract files from an archive, you need to choose a folder in which to place the files. In this case, the files in the current location are greyed out, and clicking Open when a folder is selected chooses that folder.
You can type a full or relative path to the file you want to open. Press Ctrl+L or click the button at the top left of the window to show (or hide) the Location field. Alternatively, begin typing a full path starting with / to show the Location field.
Type a path from the current location, or an absolute path beginning with / or ~/. The Location field has the following features to simplify the typing of a full filename:
A drop-down list of possible file and folder names is displayed once you begin typing. Use the down arrow or the up arrow and Return to choose from the list.
If part of the name typed identifies a file or folder, the name is auto-completed. Press Tab to accept the suggested text. For example, if you type Do and the only object in the folder beginning with "Do is "Documents, then the entire name appears in the field.
You can open files in remote locations by choosing the location from the left panel, or by typing a path to a remote location in the Location field.
If you require a password to access the remote location, you will be asked for it when you open the file or the location.
To add the current location to the bookmarks list, right-click a folder in the File List and choose Add to Bookmarks. You can add any folder listed in the current location by dragging it to the bookmarks list.
To remove a bookmark from the list, select the bookmark and click Remove.
To show hidden files in the list, right-click in the File List and choose Show Hidden Files. For more information about hidden files, see Hiding a File or Folder.