Downloading and Opening Files in Desktop VMs – Rainforest Support

Each section below outlines basic steps to take when downloading certain file types. Additionally we show how to open and verify these files, as well as how to move forward if the VM does not have a default app for the specific file you’ve downloaded.

Basic Download Process

For images, you’ll typically right click and a new menu will appear.

Within that menu will be a Save or Download Image option.

You may also see a specific “Download” button depending on how the web page or app was designed.

For documents, there will typically be a specific download option such as a button you’ll need to click.

How to open a file

Windows

Open your Files Explorer (icon shown below)
Locate the file you’d like to open
Double-click the file you’d like to open, it should open in the default app

mac OS

There are two options to locate files:

For all files:

Open the “Finder” app (it’s icon is shown below)
Locate the file you’d like to open
Double-click the file you’d like to open, it should open in the default app

For recently downloaded files:

In the dock at the bottom of the page, to the right side and immediate left of the Trash icon, you can find Downloads folder. Click the Downloads icon to see a list of all of the items you've recently downloaded. The list may fan out or appear as a grid.

PNG

Windows:

Windows Photo Viewer is best for looking at a picture or printing a copy.

To edit an image or save it in another image format, use Paint.

mac OS:

iOS includes a program called Preview. When you double click the file it should open using the Preview app by default. In case it does not right click on the image, select Open With > Preview.

CSV

Windows:

CSV files can be viewed in Microsoft Excel, or LibreOffice Calc programs

mac OS:

CSV files can be viewed in the Numbers app.

JPEG

Windows:

Windows Photo Viewer is best for looking at a picture or printing a copy.

To edit an image or save it in another image format, use Paint.

mac OS:

mac OS includes a program called Preview. When you double click the file it should open using the Preview app.

PDF

Windows:

PDF files can be opened using Adobe (if available) or the internet browser.

mac OS

PDF files can be opened using the preview app on Mac/Apple VMs

Excel/Spreadsheet

Windows:

can be viewed in Microsoft Excel (if available in the specific VM) or LibreOffice Calc

iOS:

can be viewed in the Numbers app

Word/regular documents

Windows:

Docs can be viewed in Microsoft Word (if available in the specific VM), or LibreOffice

iOS:

The Pages app can be used to view regular “word” type documents.

What to do in case there’s no default app on the VM to allow you to open a file

If there is no default app set to open a file:

Right click on the file you’d like to open
Find “Open With” in the menu and move your mouse to highlight that option
An additional menu should pop out with the different program choices

Windows:

Mac iOS:

File types and extensions

Media files

.aif - AIF audio file

.cda - CD audio track file

.mid or .midi - MIDI audio file.

.mp3 - MP3 audio file

.mpa - MPEG-2 audio file

.ogg - Ogg Vorbis audio file

.wav - WAV file

.wma - WMA audio file

.wpl - Windows Media Player playlist

Photo and image editing:

AI – Adobe Illustrator Artwork files

BMP – Windows Bitmap files

CR2 – RAW Image file used by Canon Cameras

DAE – Collada 3D files

DNG – Digital Negative files

EPS – Encapsulated PostScript files (after an automatic conversion to PDF)

FAX – faxes

FPX – FlashPix files

GIF – Graphics Interchange Format files

HDR – High Dynamic Range Image files

ICNS – Apple Icon Image files

ICO – Windows icon files

JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group files

JPEG 2000 – JPEG 2000 files

OBJ – Wavefront file

OpenEXR – OpenEXR files

PDF – Portable Document Format

PICT – QuickDraw image files

PNG – Portable Network Graphics files

PNTG – MacPaint Bitmap Graphic files

PPT – PowerPoint files

PS – Adobe PostScript files (after an automatic conversion to PDF)

PSD – Adobe Photoshop files

QTIF – QuickTime image files

RAD – Radiance Scene Description files

RAW – Raw image files

SGI – Silicon Graphics Image files

STL – STereoLithography 3D format

TGA – TARGA image files

TIF (TIFF) – Tagged Image File Format files

XBM – X BitMap files

Articles in this section

Basic Download Process

How to open a file

PNG

CSV

JPEG

PDF

Excel/Spreadsheet

Word/regular documents

What to do in case there’s no default app on the VM to allow you to open a file

File types and extensions

Related articles