PreVeil Drive Share Links Opening in PreVeil Express for desktop PreVeil users
Summary
A recent Chrome update changed how local network access is handled in the browser. Because of this update, PreVeil Drive share links may incorrectly open the PreVeil Express login page for desktop/full-client users.
This is due to Chrome requiring sites to request explicit permission to access “local network devices” or loopback addresses (e.g., localhost or 127.0.0.1). PreVeil’s redirection mechanism relies on this permission.
Why this is happening (technical background)
The Chromium team introduced the new Local Network Access (LNA) permission prompt to improve privacy and security, and it affects how web pages can connect to software running locally or devices on the user’s private network. Chrome for Developers
Key points:
A “local network request” is defined as any request from the public network to a private-address space (e.g., 192.168.x.x / 127.0.0.1 / localhost). Chrome for Developers+1
Chrome now requires secure contexts (HTTPS) and user permission before such requests can be made. Chrome for Developers
Starting in Chrome version 138 (and higher) the permission prompt is either opt-in or rolling out; eventually LNA will be enforced by default. Chrome for Developers
For corporate/managed devices, Chrome will provide enterprise policies to pre-grant or deny this permission globally. Chrome for Developers
In effect, when a PreVeil Drive share link triggers a redirection to localhost (i.e., the full PreVeil client installed on the user’s machine), Chrome may block or fail the redirect unless the site (in this case web.preveil.com) has been granted the Local Network Access permission. Without this permission, the link may open the web-login version (PreVeil Express) rather than the desktop client.
Impact
Users who click a PreVeil Drive share link in Chrome may be taken to the web login page (PreVeil Express) instead of being redirected to the full PreVeil desktop client.
The behavior affects full-client users (desktop application installed) when using Chrome.
Links may appear to behave correctly but fail to hand off to the local app because of the missing permission.
Resolution
Please follow these steps to grant the required permission in Chrome so that PreVeil links correctly redirect to the local full-client.
Steps to Enable Local Network Device Access
In Google Chrome, navigate to:
https://web.preveil.comClick the adjustments icon in the address bar.
Click Site Settings.
In the “Permissions” list, locate Local Network Devices (or similar wording in your version of Chrome).
Change the setting to Allow.
Close the settings tab and then retry clicking the PreVeil Drive share link.
After these changes, the browser should allow web.preveil.com to make local-network or loopback requests — enabling the correct behavior of launching the desktop client.
Video Demonstration
Additional Notes & Admin / Enterprise Considerations
This issue is specific to Google Chrome’s new permission model. Other browsers (Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari) may not be impacted in the same way.
For managed/enterprise Chrome environments:
Chrome provides enterprise policies that allow admins to pre-grant or block Local Network Access for specified origins. Chrome for Developers
If the end-user cannot change the permission, the admin may need to modify policy settings to allow web.preveil.com the LNA permission.
If you already granted the permission and still face redirection issues:
Clear browser cache or try a “hard reload”.
Ensure the full PreVeil desktop application is installed and updated.
Verify that your link uses the correct format (i.e., a share link generated by PreVeil Drive).
If you are using a version of Chrome earlier than 138, the changes may not yet fully apply, but updating to the latest Chrome version is still recommended.
Chrome’s LNA rollout means in some versions you might see a prompt like “Allow this site to look for and connect to any device on your local network.” — this is exactly the prompt for LNA. Chrome for Developers
When to Contact Support
If you have followed all the steps above and you are still:
being directed to PreVeil Express instead of the desktop client; or
not able to locate the “Local Network Devices” permission setting in Chrome;
then please contact support with the following information:Chrome version (Help → About Google Chrome)
Screenshot of the browser’s site permissions for web.preveil.com
A sample share link (if possible)
Whether you are on a managed device (corporate-managed) or personal machine
If you continue to experience issues after enabling the permission, please file a ticket.