AWS Cloud9 is no longer available to new customers. Existing customers of AWS Cloud9 can continue to use the service as normal. [Learn more](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/devops/how-to-migrate-from-aws-cloud9-to-aws-ide-toolkits-or-aws-cloudshell/)

# Previewing files in the AWS Cloud9 IDE
<a name="file-preview"></a>

You can use the AWS Cloud9 IDE to preview the files in a AWS Cloud9 development environment from within the IDE.
+  [Open a file for preview](#file-preview-file-open) 
+  [Reload a file preview](#file-preview-file-reload) 
+  [Change the file preview type](#file-preview-file-preview-type) 
+  [Open a file preview in a separate web browser tab](#file-preview-file-open-tab) 
+  [Switch to a different file preview](#file-preview-file-switch) 

## Open a file for preview
<a name="file-preview-file-open"></a>

Choose one of the following options in the AWS Cloud9 IDE to open a file preview tab within the environment:
+ In the **Environment** window, open the context (right-click) menu for the file you want to preview, and then choose **Preview**.
**Note**  
Although you can use this approach to preview any file, preview works best with files that have the following file extensions:  
 `.htm` 
 `.html` 
 `.pdf` 
 `.svg` 
 `.xhtml` 
Any file containing content in Markdown format.
+ Open a file with one of the following file extensions:
  +  `.pdf` 
  +  `.svg` 
+ With the file you want to preview already open and active, on the menu bar, choose **Preview, Preview File FILE\$1NAME**. Or choose **Tools, Preview, Preview File FILE\$1NAME**, where **FILE\$1NAME** is the name of the file you want to preview.
**Note**  
These commands only work with the following file types:  
 `.htm` 
 `.html` 
 `.markdown` 
 `.md` 
 `.pdf` 
 `.svg` 
 `.txt`: Preview works best if the file's content is in Markdown format.
 `.xhtml`: Preview works best if the file contains or references content presentation information.

**Note**  
The **Preview Settings** menu in the file preview tab is currently not functional and choosing any of its menu commands will have no effect.

## Reload a file preview
<a name="file-preview-file-reload"></a>

On the file preview tab, choose the **Refresh** button (the circular arrow).

## Change the file preview type
<a name="file-preview-file-preview-type"></a>

On the file preview tab, choose one of the following from the preview type list:
+  **Browser**: Previews the file in a web browser format, for the following file types only:
  +  `.htm` 
  +  `.html` 
  +  `.pdf` 
  +  `.svg` 
  +  `.xhtml`: Preview works best if the file contains or references content presentation information.
+  **Raw Content (UTF-8)**: Previews the file's original contents in Unicode Transformation Format 8-bit (UTF-8) format. This might display unexpected content for some file types.
+  **Markdown**: Previews any file containing Markdown format. Attempts to preview any other file type, but might display unexpected content.

## Open a file preview in a separate web browser tab
<a name="file-preview-file-open-tab"></a>

On the file preview tab, choose **Pop Out Into New Window**.

## Switch to a different file preview
<a name="file-preview-file-switch"></a>

On the file preview tab, type the path to a different file path in the address bar. The address bar is located between the **Refresh** button and the preview type list.