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Version: 7.3

contentACCESS File Handler for Windows

Introduction​

This section describes how to open modern shortcut files (.alink) using Windows File Explorer, and how to install the required tool that enables this functionality on your local machine.
.alink files are contentACCESS shortcuts used in Microsoft 365 SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams when rarely used documents are offloaded from Microsoft 365 to contentACCESS Archive. the original document is replaced by a small shortcut file (the .alink).
In Microsoft 365, your organization registers a contentACCESS file handler in the tenant so that opening an .alink directly in SharePoint/Teams/OneDrive correctly redirects you to the contentACCESS Shortcut Handler web service.
However, if you download an .alink file to your PC, or if you use OneDrive to synchronize libraries locally, Windows does not know what to do with .alink files by default. The tenant-side handler only works inside Microsoft 365.
The contentACCESS File Handler for Windows solves this by registering a Windows file association for .alink. When you open an .alink on your PC, it mimics the Microsoft 365 behaviour and redirects you to the contentACCESS Shortcut Handler service. That service then provides:

  • Document preview
  • Document restore
  • Document download

The handler can be installed in two ways:

  • Manual deployment – the user downloads and installs the application directly on their own machine. This is suitable for individual users or small-scale rollouts.
  • GPO Deployment – an administrator deploys the handler centrally across multiple machines using GPO, Intune, SCCM, or a similar management tool. This is the recommended approach for organizational deployments.

Manual deployment​

This section describes how to manually download, install, and configure the contentACCESS File Handler for Windows on your local machine. You will download the application, run the installer, and configure the server URL and email address for your environment.

How to download and install the file handler​

1. Download contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe application from the Download Center -> Tools.

2. Start the application, and on the first screen, select Install and press Enter. This application installs the handler for the current Windows user.

info

Note: The application is copied into your user profile under: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\TECH-ARROW\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win

3. After installation, the app asks you to configure two values: server URL and email address. For each value you can choose: [C]orrect (keep the value) or [M]odify (enter a new value).
First, you need to configure the server URL. By default, you will see the current server URL (it is typically https://client.contentaccess.cloud). If you wish to keep it, choose [C]orrect.

If you would like to use a different URL, choose [M]odify, then enter the desired address and press Enter. If it is valid, a "Value updated" message appears, and the new value is applied.

Press [C]orrect, and you will be moved to the next step to configure the email address. Here, you can again choose to keep the displayed email address by selecting [C]orrect or change it by selecting [M]odify.

4. When finished, a success message will appear, showing where the application is installed so you can run it again later.

How to use the contentACCESS File Handler for Windows​

Once you installed and configured the requested values, locate an .alink file on your local machine (for example, on a OneDrive-synchronized folder), and double-click the selected file. Your default browser would open and redirect you to the contentACCESS Shortcut Handler service. You can find detailed information about the contentACCESS Shortcut Handler service and its functions in the contentACCESS Portal manual, with separate chapters for SharePoint and OneDrive shortcuts.

Change configuration later or uninstall the application​

If you need to change the configuration later, simply start the application again. It is typically copied into your user profile under: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\TECH-ARROW\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe.

From the menu, choose Advanced first, then select Configure.

The Configuration page appears again, where you can confirm or modify the server URL and Email address.

You can also uninstall the application by selecting the Uninstall option from the menu.

This removes the Windows registration for .alink for your current user, but it will keep the installed and config files in their installation location.

Group Policy Objects (GPO) deployment​

This section describes how to deploy the contentACCESS File Handler for Windows across multiple machines using GPO, Intune, SCCM, or a similar management tool. Instead of installing the handler manually on each machine, you copy the application files to a defined location and create the required Windows registry entries centrally. The deployment can be scoped per user (HKCU) or machine-wide for all users (HKLM).

The deployment registers the Windows file association for .alink files, so that double-clicking an .alink file launches contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe. The following identifiers are used:

  • Extension: .alink
  • ProgId: contentACCESS.alink

The application reads its configuration from contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.config.json, which must be placed next to contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe.

It can be deployed per user (recommended) or for the whole machine (all users).

A) Per-user deployment (HKCU) – recommended​

1) Copy files (per user)​

Copy contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe to the following location on the user's machine:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\TECH-ARROW\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe

It is also recommended to place the config JSON file next to the EXE so the application can read its settings on startup:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\TECH-ARROW\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.config.json

2) Registry (per user)​

To register the .alink file association for the current user, create the following values under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; .alink -> ProgId
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.alink]
@="contentACCESS.alink"
"Content Type"="application/x-contentaccess-alink"

; ProgId
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\contentACCESS.alink]
@="contentACCESS Shortcut"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\contentACCESS.alink\DefaultIcon]
@="\"C:\\Users\\<USER>\\AppData\\Local\\TECH-ARROW\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe\",0"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\contentACCESS.alink\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\<USER>\\AppData\\Local\\TECH-ARROW\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe\" \"%1\""
info

.reg files require a concrete path. Replace <USER> with the actual username, or generate per-user values via a user logon script.

B) All-users deployment (HKLM)​

Use this only if you want a machine-wide association. The contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe must be in a shared location readable by all users.

1) Copy files (machine)​

Copy contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe to a shared location that is readable by all users, for example:

C:\Program Files\TECH-ARROW\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe

It is also recommended to place the config JSON file next to the EXE so the application can read its settings on startup:

C:\Program Files\TECH-ARROW\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.config.json
tip

For all-users deployment, leave userEmail empty in the config file so the application resolves it automatically for each user.

2) Registry (machine)​

To register the .alink file association machine-wide for all users, create the following values under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\.alink]
@="contentACCESS.alink"
"Content Type"="application/x-contentaccess-alink"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\contentACCESS.alink]
@="contentACCESS Shortcut"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\contentACCESS.alink\DefaultIcon]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\TECH-ARROW\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe\",0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\contentACCESS.alink\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\TECH-ARROW\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe\" \"%1\""

Configuration file​

Place contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.config.json next to contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe. The file uses the following JSON structure:

{
  "defaultAction": "preview",
  "archiveServerUrl": "https://client.contentaccess.cloud",
  "userEmail": ""
}

The fields are:

  • defaultAction: defines the action triggered when opening an .alink file; set to preview by default.
  • archiveServerUrl: the base URL of the contentACCESS server (default: https://client.contentaccess.cloud).
  • userEmail: optional; if left empty, the application resolves the email address automatically through the default Active Directory.

Uninstall / rollback​

To remove the handler, delete the following registry keys depending on the deployment mode you used:

  • ...\Software\Classes\contentACCESS.alink
  • ...\Software\Classes\.alink (only if its default value is contentACCESS.alink)
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If icons or file associations do not update immediately after removal, sign out and back in, or restart Windows Explorer.

Troubleshooting​

Here are some common issues you might encounter when using .alink files, along with suggested steps to resolve them:

  • Nothing happens when I open an .alink file – if you encounter this issue, run the application to verify the status (it should be Installed. If it shows Not installed, you need to run Install.
  • I get redirected to the wrong server – in this case, you need to reconfigure the server URL. Use the Advanced option to set the proper server URL.
  • Windows does not update the icon immediately – it may take time to display the icon or you need to restart the Windows Explorer / sign out and in again.
  • .alink files are opening with the wrong application (e.g. PDF viewer) – this can happen if a different default app was selected by mistake. To fix this, go to Default apps in Windows, search for .alink, and select the contentACCESS File Handler application. If needed, you can manually locate it at: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\TECH-ARROW\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win\contentACCESS.FileHandler.Win.exe