The Open File dialog allows 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. You can use the mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard to select a file.
Once a file is selected in the list, perform one of the following actions to open it:
If you open a folder or a location instead of a file, the Open File dialog updates to show the contents of that folder or location.
To change the location shown in the right-hand pane, do one of the following:
The lower part of the Open File dialog may contain further options specific to the current application.
You can restrict the file list to show only files of certain types. To do this, choose a file type from the drop-down list beneath 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 types of text file.
If you know the name of the file you want to open, begin typing it: the file list will jump to show you files whose names begin with the characters you type. Arrow keys will now select from only these files. The characters you have typed appear in a pop-up window at the base of the file list.
To cancel find-as-you-type, press Esc.
You might sometimes need to choose a folder to work with rather than open a file. For example, if you use Archive Manager to extract files from an archive, you need to choose a folder to place the files into. In this case, the files in the current location are greyed out, and pressing Open when a folder is selected will choose 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:
You can open files in remote locations by choosing the location from the left panel, or by typing a path to a remote location into the Location field.
If you require a password to access the remote location, you will be asked for it when you open it.
To add the current location to the bookmarks list, press Add, or right-click a folder in the file list and choose Add to Bookmarks. You can add any folder that is listed in the current location by dragging it to the bookmarks list.
To remove a bookmark from the list, select it and press Remove.
Changes you make to the bookmarks list also affect the Places menu. For more on bookmarks, see Section 6.6.18 ― Using Bookmarks For Your Favorite Locations.
To show hidden files in the file list, right-click in the file list and choose Show Hidden Files. For more on hidden files, see Section 6.6.20.1 ― Hiding a File or Folder.