diff --git a/Store/HydrusNetwork.py b/Store/HydrusNetwork.py
index 076f76c..701737b 100644
--- a/Store/HydrusNetwork.py
+++ b/Store/HydrusNetwork.py
@@ -1253,10 +1253,12 @@ class HydrusNetwork(Store):
             debug(f"{self._log_prefix()} get_file: could not resolve path from API: {e}")
 
         # If we found a path on the server but it's not locally accessible,
-        # return it as a string so it can be displayed in metadata panels.
+        # keep it for logging but continue to the browser URL fallback so the UI
+        # can still open the file via the Hydrus web UI.
         if server_path:
-            debug(f"{self._log_prefix()} get_file: returning server path (not local): {server_path}")
-            return server_path
+            debug(
+                f"{self._log_prefix()} get_file: server path not locally accessible, falling back to HTTP: {server_path}"
+            )
 
         # Fallback to browser URL with access key
         base_url = str(self.URL).rstrip("/")