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SystemOpen["target"]

opens the specified file, URL, or other target with the associated program on your computer system.

Details and Options
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Properties & Relations  
See Also
Related Guides
History
Cite this Page

SystemOpen

SystemOpen["target"]

opens the specified file, URL, or other target with the associated program on your computer system.

Details and Options

  • SystemOpen sends its target to the operating system, which then opens it using its default application for the target type given.
  • URLs and URIs must include explicit http:, mailto:, ftp:, etc. prefixes.
  • SystemOpen[File["file"]] and SystemOpen[URL["url"]] are also supported.
  • SystemOpen["file"] is essentially equivalent to double-clicking the file icon in your operating system.
  • SystemOpen["file"] searches for the specified file in the directories given in $Path.
  • SystemOpen["file"] returns $Failed if the specified file does not exist.

Examples

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Basic Examples  (1)

Open the Wolfram Research home page in a web browser:

Scope  (1)

Open an image file in the default system image viewer:

Properties & Relations  (1)

SystemOpen returns $Failed if the operating system cannot open the resource:

Wolfram Research (2008), SystemOpen, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemOpen.html (updated 2016).

Text

Wolfram Research (2008), SystemOpen, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemOpen.html (updated 2016).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2008. "SystemOpen." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2016. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemOpen.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2008). SystemOpen. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemOpen.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_systemopen, author="Wolfram Research", title="{SystemOpen}", year="2016", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemOpen.html}", note=[Accessed: 08-August-2025]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2025_systemopen, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={SystemOpen}, year={2016}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/SystemOpen.html}, note=[Accessed: 08-August-2025]}