Abstract: A protocol handler that is registered to handle URLs that follow a protocol that is associated with a client application initiates content downloads from a network location. When a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is selected from a browser, the protocol handler passes the URL to the client application registered to handle the protocol. The client application parses the URL and determines the actions to perform based on the content identified in the URL. A client application may perform many different actions, such as: downloading the identified content; downloading any additional content (e.g. related files) associated with the identified content; place the downloaded content on a clipboard; automatically display downloaded content within a display; and the like. When the application is not installed on the client machine, information may be provided to the user to assist in interacting with the content identified by the URL.