diff --git a/src/gui/mrview/qthelpers.cpp b/src/gui/mrview/qthelpers.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..aa4627e82c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/mrview/qthelpers.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/* Copyright (c) 2008-2024 the MRtrix3 contributors.
+ *
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ *
+ * Covered Software is provided under this License on an "as is"
+ * basis, without warranty of any kind, either expressed, implied, or
+ * statutory, including, without limitation, warranties that the
+ * Covered Software is free of defects, merchantable, fit for a
+ * particular purpose or non-infringing.
+ * See the Mozilla Public License v. 2.0 for more details.
+ *
+ * For more details, see http://www.mrtrix.org/.
+ */
+
+#include "gui/mrview/qthelpers.h"
+
+#include <QString>
+#include <QUrl>
+
+#include <string>
+
+namespace MR::GUI::MRView::QtHelpers {
+
+std::string url_to_std_string(const QUrl &url) {
+  const bool isLocal = url.isLocalFile();
+  const std::string str = isLocal ? url.toLocalFile().toStdString() : url.toString().toStdString();
+
+  return str;
+}
+
+} // namespace MR::GUI::MRView::QtHelpers
diff --git a/src/gui/mrview/qthelpers.h b/src/gui/mrview/qthelpers.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b5b8136290
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/mrview/qthelpers.h
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/* Copyright (c) 2008-2024 the MRtrix3 contributors.
+ *
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ *
+ * Covered Software is provided under this License on an "as is"
+ * basis, without warranty of any kind, either expressed, implied, or
+ * statutory, including, without limitation, warranties that the
+ * Covered Software is free of defects, merchantable, fit for a
+ * particular purpose or non-infringing.
+ * See the Mozilla Public License v. 2.0 for more details.
+ *
+ * For more details, see http://www.mrtrix.org/.
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+#include <string>
+
+class QUrl;
+
+namespace MR::GUI::MRView::QtHelpers {
+
+std::string url_to_std_string(const QUrl &url);
+
+} // namespace MR::GUI::MRView::QtHelpers
diff --git a/src/gui/mrview/tool/fixel/fixel.cpp b/src/gui/mrview/tool/fixel/fixel.cpp
index aed8a5b189..d8a749a253 100644
--- a/src/gui/mrview/tool/fixel/fixel.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/mrview/tool/fixel/fixel.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/fixel/fixel.h"
 
 #include "gui/dialog/file.h"
+#include "gui/mrview/qthelpers.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/fixel/base_fixel.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/fixel/directory.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/fixel/image4D.h"
@@ -337,7 +338,7 @@ void Fixel::dropEvent(QDropEvent *event) {
     std::vector<std::string> list;
     QList<QUrl> urlList = mimeData->urls();
     for (int i = 0; i < urlList.size() && i < max_files; ++i) {
-      list.push_back(urlList.at(i).path().toUtf8().constData());
+      list.push_back(QtHelpers::url_to_std_string(urlList.at(i)));
     }
     try {
       add_images(list);
diff --git a/src/gui/mrview/tool/overlay.cpp b/src/gui/mrview/tool/overlay.cpp
index a7e71e1221..c9613cd12e 100644
--- a/src/gui/mrview/tool/overlay.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/mrview/tool/overlay.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "gui/dialog/file.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/gui_image.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/mode/slice.h"
+#include "gui/mrview/qthelpers.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/list_model_base.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/window.h"
 #include "mrtrix.h"
@@ -204,7 +205,7 @@ void Overlay::dropEvent(QDropEvent *event) {
     QList<QUrl> urlList = mimeData->urls();
     for (int i = 0; i < urlList.size() && i < max_files; ++i) {
       try {
-        list.push_back(std::make_unique<MR::Header>(MR::Header::open(urlList.at(i).path().toUtf8().constData())));
+        list.push_back(std::make_unique<MR::Header>(MR::Header::open(QtHelpers::url_to_std_string(urlList.at(i)))));
       } catch (Exception &e) {
         e.display();
       }
@@ -775,5 +776,4 @@ bool Overlay::process_commandline_option(const MR::App::ParsedOption &opt) {
 
   return false;
 }
-
 } // namespace MR::GUI::MRView::Tool
diff --git a/src/gui/mrview/tool/roi_editor/roi.cpp b/src/gui/mrview/tool/roi_editor/roi.cpp
index 9c160e2a03..df5adfb7ea 100644
--- a/src/gui/mrview/tool/roi_editor/roi.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/mrview/tool/roi_editor/roi.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 #include <string>
 
+#include "gui/mrview/qthelpers.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/roi_editor/roi.h"
 
 #include "gui/cursor.h"
@@ -289,7 +290,7 @@ void ROI::dropEvent(QDropEvent *event) {
     QList<QUrl> urlList = mimeData->urls();
     for (int i = 0; i < urlList.size() && i < max_files; ++i) {
       try {
-        list.push_back(std::make_unique<MR::Header>(MR::Header::open(urlList.at(i).path().toUtf8().constData())));
+        list.push_back(std::make_unique<MR::Header>(MR::Header::open(QtHelpers::url_to_std_string(urlList.at(i)))));
       } catch (Exception &e) {
         e.display();
       }
diff --git a/src/gui/mrview/tool/tractography/tractography.cpp b/src/gui/mrview/tool/tractography/tractography.cpp
index 2db3b73cff..fb9e3aa7f0 100644
--- a/src/gui/mrview/tool/tractography/tractography.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/mrview/tool/tractography/tractography.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/tractography/tractography.h"
 #include "gui/dialog/file.h"
 #include "gui/lighting_dock.h"
+#include "gui/mrview/qthelpers.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/list_model_base.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/tractography/track_scalar_file.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/tractography/tractogram.h"
@@ -369,7 +370,7 @@ void Tractography::dropEvent(QDropEvent *event) {
     std::vector<std::string> list;
     QList<QUrl> urlList = mimeData->urls();
     for (int i = 0; i < urlList.size() && i < max_files; ++i) {
-      list.push_back(urlList.at(i).path().toUtf8().constData());
+      list.push_back(QtHelpers::url_to_std_string(urlList.at(i)));
     }
     try {
       tractogram_list_model->add_items(list, *this);
diff --git a/src/gui/mrview/window.cpp b/src/gui/mrview/window.cpp
index 115e4f0ee0..d0e9ccdcbf 100644
--- a/src/gui/mrview/window.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/mrview/window.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "gui/dialog/progress.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/mode/base.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/mode/list.h"
+#include "gui/mrview/qthelpers.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/base.h"
 #include "gui/mrview/tool/list.h"
 #include "gui/opengl/gl.h"
@@ -154,7 +155,9 @@ void Window::GLArea::dropEvent(QDropEvent *event) {
     QList<QUrl> urlList = mimeData->urls();
     for (int i = 0; i < urlList.size() && i < 32; ++i) {
       try {
-        list.push_back(std::make_unique<MR::Header>(MR::Header::open(urlList.at(i).path().toUtf8().constData())));
+        const auto &url = urlList.at(i);
+        const auto filePath = QtHelpers::url_to_std_string(url);
+        list.push_back(std::make_unique<MR::Header>(MR::Header::open(filePath)));
       } catch (Exception &e) {
         e.display();
       }