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Chris Hill
Chris Hill

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File System access through Web Browsers

Web browsers (with the exception of Internet Explorer) can access a computer's file system. By typing "c:/" or File:///C:/ in a browser's search bar, the browser will start searching through an OS's file system.

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This is a faster way to explore the (C:/) drive for example compared to using the traditional file explorer in Windows 10.

By typing in the browser address bar file:///C:/ and pressing "enter", all files and folders on the C:/ drive will be displayed with file sizes, modified dates and time in the browser window, including files set to hidden.

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However, many features in the default file explorer can’t be done with the web browser. Web browsers can’t access the file system without direct user permission. Consequently, web apps that use browser-side JavaScript don’t have permission to write to the client SSD without a lot of security options having to be disabled.

Furthermore, web browsers do not have the ability to manipulate the data on the file system, they can only display the content.

resources: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/05/23/14/40/binders-4224085_1280.jpg

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