diff --git a/app/cmdLine.js b/app/cmdLine.js
index 57232b82031..aaa6df11b51 100644
--- a/app/cmdLine.js
+++ b/app/cmdLine.js
@@ -11,9 +11,12 @@ const messages = require('../js/constants/messages')
 const BrowserWindow = electron.BrowserWindow
 const appActions = require('../js/actions/appActions')
 const urlParse = require('url').parse
-const {navigatableTypes} = require('../js/lib/appUrlUtil')
+const {fileUrl} = require('../js/lib/appUrlUtil')
+const sessionStore = require('./sessionStore')
 const isDarwin = process.platform === 'darwin'
+const fs = require('fs')
 let appInitialized = false
+let newWindowURL
 
 const focusOrOpenWindow = function (url) {
   // don't try to do anything if the app hasn't been initialized
@@ -43,43 +46,32 @@ const focusOrOpenWindow = function (url) {
   return true
 }
 
-const isProtocolHandled = (protocol) => {
-  protocol = (protocol || '').split(':')[0]
-  return navigatableTypes.includes(`${protocol}:`) ||
-      electron.session.defaultSession.protocol.isNavigatorProtocolHandled(protocol)
-}
-
 // Checks an array of arguments if it can find a url
 const getUrlFromCommandLine = (argv) => {
   if (argv) {
     if (argv.length === 2 && !argv[1].startsWith('-')) {
       const parsedUrl = urlParse(argv[1])
-      if (isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
+      if (sessionStore.isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
         return argv[1]
       }
+      if (fs.existsSync(argv[1])) {
+        return fileUrl(argv[1])
+      }
     }
     const index = argv.indexOf('--')
     if (index !== -1 && index + 1 < argv.length && !argv[index + 1].startsWith('-')) {
       const parsedUrl = urlParse(argv[index + 1])
-      if (isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
+      if (sessionStore.isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
         return argv[index + 1]
       }
+      if (fs.existsSync(argv[index + 1])) {
+        return argv(index + 1)
+      }
     }
   }
   return undefined
 }
 
-// For macOS, there are events like open-url instead
-if (!isDarwin) {
-  const openUrl = getUrlFromCommandLine(process.argv)
-  if (openUrl) {
-    const parsedUrl = urlParse(openUrl)
-    if (isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
-      module.exports.newWindowURL = openUrl
-    }
-  }
-}
-
 app.on('ready', () => {
   if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'development' && process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test') {
     const appAlreadyStartedShouldQuit = app.makeSingleInstance((argv, workingDirectory) => {
@@ -106,10 +98,12 @@ app.on('will-finish-launching', () => {
   // open -a Brave http://www.brave.com
   app.on('open-url', (event, path) => {
     event.preventDefault()
-    const parsedUrl = urlParse(path)
-    if (isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
-      if (!focusOrOpenWindow(path)) {
-        module.exports.newWindowURL = path
+    if (!appInitialized) {
+      newWindowURL = path
+    } else {
+      const parsedUrl = urlParse(path)
+      if (sessionStore.isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
+        focusOrOpenWindow(path)
       }
     }
   })
@@ -117,11 +111,21 @@ app.on('will-finish-launching', () => {
   // User clicked on a file or dragged a file to the dock on macOS
   app.on('open-file', (event, path) => {
     event.preventDefault()
-
     if (!focusOrOpenWindow(path)) {
-      module.exports.newWindowURL = path
+      newWindowURL = path
     }
   })
 })
 
 process.on(messages.APP_INITIALIZED, () => { appInitialized = true })
+
+module.exports.newWindowURL = () => {
+  const openUrl = newWindowURL || getUrlFromCommandLine(process.argv)
+  if (openUrl) {
+    const parsedUrl = urlParse(openUrl)
+    if (sessionStore.isProtocolHandled(parsedUrl.protocol)) {
+      newWindowURL = openUrl
+    }
+  }
+  return newWindowURL
+}
diff --git a/app/index.js b/app/index.js
index cd851ce369e..919b3a7c4fe 100644
--- a/app/index.js
+++ b/app/index.js
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ app.on('ready', () => {
     AdInsertion.init()
 
     if (!loadedPerWindowState || loadedPerWindowState.length === 0) {
-      if (!CmdLine.newWindowURL) {
+      if (!CmdLine.newWindowURL()) {
         appActions.newWindow()
       }
     } else {
@@ -457,9 +457,9 @@ app.on('ready', () => {
       appActions.changeSetting(settings.IS_DEFAULT_BROWSER, isDefaultBrowser)
     }
 
-    if (CmdLine.newWindowURL) {
+    if (CmdLine.newWindowURL()) {
       appActions.newWindow(Immutable.fromJS({
-        location: CmdLine.newWindowURL
+        location: CmdLine.newWindowURL()
       }))
     }
 
diff --git a/app/sessionStore.js b/app/sessionStore.js
index 7cebbf0591c..d236a242ea8 100644
--- a/app/sessionStore.js
+++ b/app/sessionStore.js
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ const siteUtil = require('../js/state/siteUtil')
 const sessionStorageVersion = 1
 const filtering = require('./filtering')
 const autofill = require('./autofill')
+const {navigatableTypes} = require('../js/lib/appUrlUtil')
 // const tabState = require('./common/state/tabState')
 
 const getSetting = require('../js/settings').getSetting
@@ -479,3 +480,13 @@ module.exports.defaultAppState = () => {
     defaultWindowParams: {}
   }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Determines if a protocol is handled.
+ * app.on('ready') must have been fired before this is called.
+ */
+module.exports.isProtocolHandled = (protocol) => {
+  protocol = (protocol || '').split(':')[0]
+  return navigatableTypes.includes(`${protocol}:`) ||
+      electron.session.defaultSession.protocol.isNavigatorProtocolHandled(protocol)
+}