Files with .ica extension not opening after download – fix
Today we will talk about a very common Citrix problem on Windows operating system. Sometimes, if you try to launch an app from Citrix URL, it downloads a file with ICA extension but when you click on it to launch, nothing appears on the screen. Even you do not get any error. So in that case it becomes difficult to figure out the cause of this issue. There could be multiple reasons for this issue of Citrix ICA files not launching, for example:
Problem Causes For Citrix ICA Files Not Opening:
- Citrix Not Installed.
- Citrix installed but not the correct one.
- Default programs not set correctly in Windows.
- Citrix URL is valid but not added to trusted sites.
Lets dig out in each of these causes and look for respective solutions:
Problem Cause 1: Citrix Not Installed
This is a very common cause of this problem that windows OS is not able to open ICA files as they don’t have the program installed to open the file.
Solution:
You need to install the latest version of Citrix Receiver from the official site. After August 2018, Citrix receiver has been replaced by Citrix Workspace app which you can get from here. Once installed, try to open the ICA file again and this time it should work.
Problem Cause 2: Incorrect Citrix Installed
If you have not installed the Citrix previously and try to open the Citrix URL, then the browser will prompt you to download the Citrix first. Please do not install Citrix from there. It can also cause a problem if Citrix ICA files not opening. It is my personal experience that the Citrix you install from browser popup is not the full version of Citrix. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In my case, it was the root cause that I was not able to open ICA files to launch applications.
Solution:
Whenever you get the popup to install the Citrix from the browser, just cancel it and install Citrix, by the way, explained in the first solution above. or if you have already installed it through browser popup, then just uninstall it from control panel and download from the official site and install it as explained it the previous solution. After installation, your ICA files will start working again.
Problem Cause 3: Default Programs Not Set Correctly
One of the causes of ICA files not being not launched is these files are not tagged to the correct default program in windows. It will also not allow the ICA files to open.
Solution:
To fix this, just go to the folder where the ICA file has been downloaded. Right-click on the file with .ica extension and select open with. Select Citrix Connection Manager from the list and select Always use this option. Now try to open the ICA file, it should work now.
You can also manually associate .ica files with the Citrix Connection Manager.
This file by default is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\ICA Client\wfcrun32.exe.
Once set, ICA files will mysteriously start to launch!!
Problem Cause 4: Citrix URL is valid but not added to trusted sites
This could also be the reason for the problem. If Citrix URL is not added to trusted sites, then this problem can occur.
Solution:
To add the Citrix in trusted sites, follow the below steps:
1. Click on Start.
2. Search for Internet Options
3. Click on Security Tab.
4. Select Trusted Sites and click on Add.
5. Type the Citrix URL you use to access applications.
6. Click on OK.
Now just re-browse the URL and try to launch the application.