Preview Open Document files in mobile or online
The ability to preview files created with Open Document format in the Proton Drive App on Android or web based app.
Open Document formats usually end in .odt (Documents), .ods (Spreadsheets), .odp (Presentations). These documents can be created by LibreOffice, Microsoft Office, and other open source Office alternatives.
Part of the target market for Proton products includes people who actively avoid products like Microsoft Office or Google Docs (which produces Microsoft office formats) in favor of Open Source alternatives like LibreOffice which produce an open source standard format.
Proton should support these formats natively for previews of such documents in email and proton drive.
Here is the desired user experience:
Files are created on workstation (could be windows or Mac or GNU/Linux.)
Files are created with LibreOffice or suite that supports open source document format.
Files are copied to Proton drive in native open format for a variety of reasons.
When file needs to be referenced by the owner on the mobile or web in Proton Drive, the user attempts to open the file.
The file should open and preview the contents of the file in the app or on the website.
The current behavior when attempting to preview the file is a message that states:
"Preview for this file type is not supported. (Option to download) "
I don't want to download the file for yet another unsecured copy of the file. I just want to preview it in the app.
There is no desire to edit it in the app. Just preview like a text files or a PDF.
Thank you.
Greg Smart
shared this idea
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Javier
commented
I don't really understand why is this kind of feature so unusual. Is not ODF open and resembling Microsoft OOXML (i.e. docx)? In truth it's also barely used by anyone as well... Anyway, I wish someone at Proton could tell the reason.
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slot1318
commented
The current behavior of automatically converting existing files into a new format with the .protondoc extension upon opening creates some annoyances. Specifically, when opening existing markdown (.md) or text (.txt) files, a duplicate file in the .protondoc format is generated even when no modification are made. This conversion generates duplicated files that cannot be opened or edited with other standard text editors or markdown viewers, creating confusion.
Other platforms (eg. Google docs/drive) allow users to view existing files in their original format, with the option to convert them only if and when editing is necessary. This helps maintain compatibility with external tools while still enabling in-app editing.
It would be nice an option to disable the automatic conversion and at least allow viewing the file in its original format (really useful for quickly referencing documents on mobile without having to hope my viewer app actually integrates with Proton Drive).
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Cecil Donaldson
commented
I’d like to add that extending Proton Drive to support direct in-app viewing for common Office Suite file formats—such as .xlsx, .docx, and .pptx—would significantly enhance both Android and iOS mobile file viewer functionality. Right now, having to download files and then navigate to the downloads folder is inconvenient, hampers mobile productivity, and disrupts on-the-go access to essential information. Integrating a built-in document viewer directly in the mobile file viewer will streamline file management and improve overall cloud storage user experience. Even if the preview isn’t perfectly formatted, providing a simple file preview for these Office file formats would offer users a faster, more efficient way to manage their documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. This enhancement would boost file integration and mobile productivity, making Proton Drive a more versatile and user-friendly tool for quick document access without the extra download step. Additionally, I completely agree that offering an option to open these files directly in a third-party app, as mentioned, would be very nice—giving users even more flexibility in handling their documents.
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André
commented
It is of course 'do-able', to download docs first, but practical is it not.
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Emanuel Saramago commented
Many file formats are not supported by Proton Drive, like ods, docx, etc.
Currently, the only way to open them is by downloading them first.
There should be a way to open those files directly in an external app. -
Julian
commented
Seems related to https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/932839-proton-drive/suggestions/46913596-open-documents-support-https-opendocumentformat
But this is just for the preview, not edit.
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Diane Franzen
commented
I use LibreOffice. I would like to be able to upload these documents to Protonmail Docs and be able to edit them.