Open stuff like URLs, files, executables. Cross-platform. 

sindresorhus

open

const childProcess = require('child_process');

const {promises: fs, constants: fsConstants} = require('fs');

const defineLazyProperty = require('define-lazy-prop');

const localXdgOpenPath = path.join(__dirname, 'xdg-open');

Get the mount point for fixed drives in WSL.

	// according to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-config

		const configFilePath = '/etc/wsl.conf';

			await fs.access(configFilePath, fsConstants.F_OK);

		const configContent = await fs.readFile(configFilePath, {encoding: 'utf8'});

		const configMountPoint = /(?<!#.*)root\s*=\s*(?<mountPoint>.*)/g.exec(configContent);

		mountPoint = configMountPoint.groups.mountPoint.trim();

		mountPoint = mountPoint.endsWith('/') ? mountPoint : `${mountPoint}/`;

const pTryEach = async (array, mapper) => {

			return await mapper(item); // eslint-disable-line no-await-in-loop

		return pTryEach(options.app, singleApp => baseOpen({

	let {name: app, arguments: appArguments = []} = options.app || {};

		return pTryEach(app, appName => baseOpen({

	} else if (platform === 'win32' || (isWsl && !isDocker())) {

	} else if (platform === 'win32' || (isWsl && !isDocker() && !app)) {

		const mountPoint = await getWslDrivesMountPoint();

			`${mountPoint}c/Windows/System32/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell.exe` :

			`${process.env.SYSTEMROOT}\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell`;

			childProcessOptions.windowsVerbatimArguments = true;

			// Double quote with double quotes to ensure the inner quotes are passed through.

			// Inner quotes are delimited for PowerShell interpretation with backticks.

			encodedArguments.push(`"\`"${app}\`""`, '-ArgumentList');

				appArguments.unshift(options.target);

			encodedArguments.push(`"${options.target}"`);

			appArguments = appArguments.map(arg => `"\`"${arg}\`""`);

			encodedArguments.push(appArguments.join(','));

		// Using Base64-encoded command, accepted by PowerShell, to allow special characters.

		options.target = Buffer.from(encodedArguments.join(' '), 'utf16le').toString('base64');

			// When bundled by Webpack, there's no actual package file path and no local `xdg-open`.

			const isBundled = !__dirname || __dirname === '/';

			// Check if local `xdg-open` exists and is executable.

				await fs.access(localXdgOpenPath, fsConstants.X_OK);

			const useSystemXdgOpen = process.versions.electron ||

				platform === 'android' || isBundled || !exeLocalXdgOpen;

			command = useSystemXdgOpen ? 'xdg-open' : localXdgOpenPath;

			// `xdg-open` will block the process unless stdio is ignored

			// and it's detached from the parent even if it's unref'd.

	if (platform === 'darwin' && appArguments.length > 0) {

		cliArguments.push('--args', ...appArguments);

	const subprocess = childProcess.spawn(command, cliArguments, childProcessOptions);

		return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {

			subprocess.once('close', exitCode => {

				if (options.allowNonzeroExitCode && exitCode > 0) {

				if (!options.allowNonzeroExitCode && exitCode > 0) {

					reject(new Error(`Exited with code ${exitCode}`));

		throw new TypeError('Expected a `target`');

		throw new TypeError('Expected a `name`');

	const {arguments: appArguments = []} = options || {};

	if (appArguments !== undefined && appArguments !== null && !Array.isArray(appArguments)) {

		throw new TypeError('Expected `appArguments` as Array type');

	if (typeof binary === 'string' || Array.isArray(binary)) {

		throw new Error(`${arch} is not supported`);

function detectPlatformBinary({[platform]: platformBinary}, {wsl}) {

		throw new Error(`${platform} is not supported`);

	return detectArchBinary(platformBinary);

defineLazyProperty(apps, 'chrome', () => detectPlatformBinary({

	linux: ['google-chrome', 'google-chrome-stable', 'chromium']

		ia32: '/mnt/c/Program Files (x86)/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe',

		x64: ['/mnt/c/Program Files/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe', '/mnt/c/Program Files (x86)/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe']

defineLazyProperty(apps, 'firefox', () => detectPlatformBinary({

	win32: 'C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox\\firefox.exe',

	wsl: '/mnt/c/Program Files/Mozilla Firefox/firefox.exe'

defineLazyProperty(apps, 'edge', () => detectPlatformBinary({

	linux: ['microsoft-edge', 'microsoft-edge-dev']

	wsl: '/mnt/c/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft/Edge/Application/msedge.exe'

	"description": "Open stuff like URLs, files, executables. Cross-platform.",

	"funding": "https://github.com/sponsors/sindresorhus",

> Open stuff like URLs, files, executables. Cross-platform.

This is meant to be used in command-line tools and scripts, not in the browser.

If you need this for Electron, use [`shell.openPath()`](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/api/shell#shellopenpathpath) instead.

This package does not make any security guarantees. If you pass in untrusted input, it's up to you to properly sanitize it.

- Safer as it uses `spawn` instead of `exec`.

- Fixes most of the original `node-open` issues.

- Includes the latest [`xdg-open` script](https://cgit.freedesktop.org/xdg/xdg-utils/commit/?id=c55122295c2a480fa721a9614f0e2d42b2949c18) for Linux.

- Includes the latest [`xdg-open` script](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xdg/xdg-utils/-/blob/master/scripts/xdg-open.in) for Linux.

// Opens the image in the default image viewer and waits for the opened app to quit.

console.log('The image viewer app quit');

await open('https://sindresorhus.com', {app: {name: 'firefox'}});

await open('https://sindresorhus.com', {app: {name: 'google chrome', arguments: ['--incognito']}});

await open.openApp(open.apps.chrome, {arguments: ['--incognito']});

It uses the command `open` on macOS, `start` on Windows and `xdg-open` on other platforms.

Returns a promise for the [spawned child process](https://nodejs.org/api/child_process.html#child_process_class_childprocess). You would normally not need to use this for anything, but it can be useful if you'd like to attach custom event listeners or perform other operations directly on the spawned process.

The thing you want to open. Can be a URL, file, or executable.

Opens in the default app for the file type. For example, URLs opens in your default browser.

Wait for the opened app to exit before fulfilling the promise. If `false` it's fulfilled immediately when opening the app.

Note that it waits for the app to exit, not just for the window to close.

On Windows, you have to explicitly specify an app for it to be able to wait.

##### newInstance <sup>(macOS only)</sup>

Open a new instance of the app even it's already running.

A new instance is always opened on other platforms.

Type: `{name: string | string[], arguments?: string[]} | Array<{name: string | string[], arguments: string[]}>`

Specify the `name` of the app to open the `target` with, and optionally, app `arguments`. `app` can be an array of apps to try to open and `name` can be an array of app names to try. If each app fails, the last error will be thrown.

The app name is platform dependent. Don't hard code it in reusable modules. For example, Chrome is `google chrome` on macOS, `google-chrome` on Linux and `chrome` on Windows. If possible, use [`open.apps`](#openapps) which auto-detects the correct binary to use.

You may also pass in the app's full path. For example on WSL, this can be `/mnt/c/Program Files (x86)/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe` for the Windows installation of Chrome.

The app `arguments` are app dependent. Check the app's documentation for what arguments it accepts.

Allow the opened app to exit with nonzero exit code when the `wait` option is `true`.

We do not recommend setting this option. The convention for success is exit code zero.

An object containing auto-detected binary names for common apps. Useful to work around [cross-platform differences](#app).

- [open-editor](https://github.com/sindresorhus/open-editor) - Open files in your editor at a specific line and column

		<a href="https://tidelift.com/subscription/pkg/npm-opn?utm_source=npm-opn&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=readme">Get professional support for this package with a Tidelift subscription</a>

		Tidelift helps make open source sustainable for maintainers while giving companies<br>assurances about security, maintenance, and licensing for their dependencies.

		{
		"name": "open",
		"version": "8.4.0",
		"version": "8.4.1",
		"description": "Open stuff like URLs, files, executables. Cross-platform.",
		@@ -5,0 +5,0 @@ "license": "MIT",

		@@ -17,3 +17,3 @@ # open
		- Fixes most of the original `node-open` issues.
		- Includes the latest [`xdg-open` script](https://cgit.freedesktop.org/xdg/xdg-utils/commit/?id=c55122295c2a480fa721a9614f0e2d42b2949c18) for Linux.
		- Includes the latest [`xdg-open` script](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xdg/xdg-utils/-/blob/master/scripts/xdg-open.in) for Linux.
		- Supports WSL paths to Windows apps.
		@@ -23,5 +23,5 @@

		```sh
		npm install open
		```
		$ npm install open
		```

		@@ -174,13 +174,1 @@ ## Usage
		- [open-editor](https://github.com/sindresorhus/open-editor) - Open files in your editor at a specific line and column

		---

		<div align="center">
		<b>
		<a href="https://tidelift.com/subscription/pkg/npm-opn?utm_source=npm-opn&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=readme">Get professional support for this package with a Tidelift subscription</a>
		</b>
		<br>
		<sub>
		Tidelift helps make open source sustainable for maintainers while giving companies<br>assurances about security, maintenance, and licensing for their dependencies.
		</sub>
		</div>

		@@ -123,3 +123,3 @@ const path = require('path');
		}
		} else if (platform === 'win32' \|\| (isWsl && !isDocker())) {
		} else if (platform === 'win32' \|\| (isWsl && !isDocker() && !app)) {
		const mountPoint = await getWslDrivesMountPoint();
		@@ -213,3 +213,3 @@
		subprocess.once('close', exitCode => {
		if (options.allowNonzeroExitCode && exitCode > 0) {
		if (!options.allowNonzeroExitCode && exitCode > 0) {
		reject(new Error(`Exited with code ${exitCode}`));
		@@ -216,0 +216,0 @@ return;

Worsened metrics