How can I open a file in its default application from the command line in OS X? [duplicate]

Question

How can I open a file in its default application from the command line?

For example if I have a file foo.doc, can I type command ./foo.doc into the CLI and have that file open in Word?

Note: on my linux machine, I would use xdg-open but that doesn't work on my Mac.

jaume · Accepted Answer · 2018-09-06 15:37:59Z

20

Use:

open foo.doc

or, alternatively:

open -n foo.doc

to force it to open a new instance if one is already open for that app.

jaume

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answered Aug 15, 2012 at 16:04

Jason

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4

open -n opens a new instance, not a window.
– Lri
Commented Aug 15, 2012 at 16:37
4

Also nice is open . (or any directory name in place of .), which opens Finder (the default application for a directory).
– Nathan Long
Commented Aug 15, 2012 at 17:03

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