How to open local files from Notion on Mac and Windows

By Files to Notion. Updated 2026-10-28.

Install Files to Notion on the computer containing your files, connect your Notion workspace, and synchronize a folder. The app creates database links that open a file or reveal its folder in Finder on macOS or File Explorer on Windows. The file contents are not uploaded.

Before you start

• A Mac or Windows PC with the app installed and running.
• Files available on that computer, plus permission to open them.
• A connected Notion page. Follow the integration setup instructions.

Create your first local file link

1. Download the free app and connect your integration.
2. Select a directory and synchronize its file details to Notion.
3. Open the resulting database and click a generated Open file link.

Basic supports one directory and 100 files. This is a local-file catalog, not a way to upload documents into Notion or open desktop files from a phone. Compare alternatives in the Notion file-management guide.

Choose whether a link opens the file or its folder

By default, Files to Notion creates an Open file database column with a direct link that triggers file opening (for example - http://localhost:3069/open?file=/User/me/myfile.txt)

In app Settings , You can adjust file opening behavior (globally) in two way:

• Open file directly - (best for opening apps, media files, etc.),
• Open enclosing directory - Opens folder in Finder (for Mac) or File Explorer (for Windows), where a file is stored.

With Extended Plan, you can define file opening strategy per specific file, through extending Open File column URL with openStrategy URL query parameter:

http://localhost:3069/open?file=/User/me/myfile.txt&openStrategy=file
http://localhost:3069/open?file=/User/me/myfile.txt&openStrategy=directory

Simply copy below Notion formula:

link(
  "Open dir", 
  prop("Open Link") + "&openStrategy=directory"
) + "\n" +
link(
  "Open", 
  prop("Open Link") + "&openStrategy=file"
)

Insert it into a new Notion database column, formatted as a formula, as illustrated below:

If a local file link does not open

• Check that Files to Notion is running on the computer where you clicked the link.
• Confirm that the file still exists at the generated path. If it moved, synchronize the directory again and check the new entry.
• For cloud folders, download the file locally first; an online-only placeholder is not the same as an available local file.
• Check browser permission prompts and your operating system's file permissions. Do not disable your firewall or security tools to troubleshoot.
• For another teammate's files, use Shared Team Directories rather than assuming both computers have identical paths.

For a directory of assets, see organizing local folders in Notion. For unresolved problems, contact support.