Hello @ezettner 
Welcome to the Canvas Community. Thank you for posting your question. It might depend on the type of file being linked in your course. What kind of file are you linking to/downloading? Here is a document that describes the DocViewer file types in much more detail: What types of files can be previewed in Canvas?
This discussion post is outdated and has been archived. Please use the Community question forums and official documentation for the most current and accurate information.