diff --git a/aio/src/app/app.component.ts b/aio/src/app/app.component.ts
index 76c1bb2f52..b49f4d431b 100644
--- a/aio/src/app/app.component.ts
+++ b/aio/src/app/app.component.ts
@@ -188,8 +188,8 @@ export class AppComponent implements OnInit {
     while (target && !(target instanceof HTMLAnchorElement)) {
       target = target.parentElement;
     }
-    if (target) {
-      return this.locationService.handleAnchorClick(target as HTMLAnchorElement, button, ctrlKey, metaKey);
+    if (target instanceof HTMLAnchorElement) {
+      return this.locationService.handleAnchorClick(target, button, ctrlKey, metaKey);
     }
     return true;
   }
diff --git a/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.spec.ts b/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.spec.ts
index c48f7eab63..a17921250a 100644
--- a/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.spec.ts
+++ b/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.spec.ts
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ describe('LocationService', () => {
       service.go('https://some/far/away/land');
       expect(localUrl).toBeFalsy('should not set local url');
     });
+
   });
 
   describe('search', () => {
@@ -378,118 +379,156 @@ describe('LocationService', () => {
 
     beforeEach(() => {
       anchor = document.createElement('a');
+      spyOn(service, 'go');
     });
 
-    describe('intercepting', () => {
-      it('should intercept clicks on anchors for relative local urls', () => {
+    describe('should try to navigate with go() when anchor clicked for', () => {
+      it('relative local url', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
-        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/some/local/url');
         expect(result).toBe(false);
       });
 
-      it('should intercept clicks on anchors for absolute local urls', () => {
+      it('absolute local url', () => {
         anchor.href = '/some/local/url';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
-        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/some/local/url');
         expect(result).toBe(false);
       });
 
-      it('should intercept clicks on anchors for local urls, with query params', () => {
+      it('local url with query params', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url?query=xxx&other=yyy';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
-        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/some/local/url?query=xxx&other=yyy');
         expect(result).toBe(false);
       });
 
-      it('should intercept clicks on anchors for local urls, with hash fragment', () => {
+      it('local url with hash fragment', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url#somefragment';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
-        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/some/local/url#somefragment');
         expect(result).toBe(false);
       });
 
-      it('should intercept clicks on anchors for local urls, with query params and hash fragment', () => {
+      it('local url with query params and hash fragment', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url?query=xxx&other=yyy#somefragment';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
-        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/some/local/url?query=xxx&other=yyy#somefragment');
         expect(result).toBe(false);
       });
+
+      it('local url with period in a path segment but no extension', () => {
+        anchor.href = 'tut.or.ial/toh-p2';
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(false);
+      });
     });
 
-    describe('not intercepting', () => {
-      it('should not intercept clicks on anchors for external urls', () => {
+    describe('should let browser handle anchor click when', () => {
+      it('url is external to the site', () => {
         anchor.href = 'http://other.com/some/local/url?query=xxx&other=yyy#somefragment';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
-        let result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        let result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
 
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url.pdf';
         anchor.protocol = 'ftp';
-        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
       });
 
-      it('should not intercept clicks on anchors if button is not zero', () => {
+      it('mouse button is not zero (middle or right)', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
         const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 1, false, false);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
       });
 
-      it('should not intercept clicks on anchors if ctrl key is pressed', () => {
+      it('ctrl key is pressed', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
         const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, true, false);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
       });
 
-      it('should not intercept clicks on anchors if meta key is pressed', () => {
+      it('meta key is pressed', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
         const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, true);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
       });
 
-      it('should not intercept clicks on links with (non-_self) targets', () => {
+      it('anchor has (non-_self) target', () => {
         anchor.href = 'some/local/url';
-        spyOn(service, 'go');
-
         anchor.target = '_blank';
-        let result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        let result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
 
         anchor.target = '_parent';
-        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
 
         anchor.target = '_top';
-        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
 
         anchor.target = 'other-frame';
-        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(result).toBe(true);
 
         anchor.target = '_self';
-        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor, 0, false, false);
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
         expect(service.go).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/some/local/url');
         expect(result).toBe(false);
       });
+
+      it('zip url', () => {
+        anchor.href = 'tutorial/toh-p2.zip';
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(true);
+      });
+
+      it('image or media url', () => {
+        anchor.href = 'cat-photo.png';
+        let result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(true, 'png');
+
+        anchor.href = 'cat-photo.gif';
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(true, 'gif');
+
+        anchor.href = 'cat-photo.jpg';
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(true, 'jpg');
+
+        anchor.href = 'dog-bark.mp3';
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(true, 'mp3');
+
+        anchor.href = 'pet-tricks.mp4';
+        result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(true, 'mp4');
+      });
+
+      it('url has any extension', () => {
+        anchor.href = 'tutorial/toh-p2.html';
+        const result = service.handleAnchorClick(anchor);
+        expect(service.go).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(result).toBe(true);
+      });
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.ts b/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.ts
index 2b7e755285..e88bc2cc57 100644
--- a/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.ts
+++ b/aio/src/app/shared/location.service.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,14 @@ export class LocationService {
   }
 
   /**
+   * Handle user's anchor click
+   *
+   * @param anchor {HTMLAnchorElement} - the anchor element clicked
+   * @param button Number of the mouse button held down. 0 means left or none
+   * @param ctrlKey True if control key held down
+   * @param metaKey True if command or window key held down
+   * @return false if service navigated with `go()`; true if browser should handle it.
+   *
    * Since we are using `LocationService` to navigate between docs, without the browser
    * reloading the page, we must intercept clicks on links.
    * If the link is to a document that we will render, then we navigate using `Location.go()`
@@ -99,9 +107,10 @@ export class LocationService {
    * `AppComponent`, whose element contains all the of the application and so captures all
    * link clicks both inside and outside the `DocViewerComponent`.
    */
-  handleAnchorClick(anchor: HTMLAnchorElement, button: number, ctrlKey: boolean, metaKey: boolean) {
 
-    // Check for modifier keys, which indicate the user wants to control navigation
+  handleAnchorClick(anchor: HTMLAnchorElement, button = 0, ctrlKey = false, metaKey = false) {
+
+    // Check for modifier keys and non-left-button, which indicate the user wants to control navigation
     if (button !== 0 || ctrlKey || metaKey) {
       return true;
     }
@@ -114,19 +123,21 @@ export class LocationService {
       return true;
     }
 
-    // don't navigate if external link or zip
-    const { pathname, search, hash } = anchor;
-
     if (anchor.getAttribute('download') != null) {
       return true; // let the download happen
     }
 
+    const { pathname, search, hash } = anchor;
     const relativeUrl = pathname + search + hash;
     this.urlParser.href = relativeUrl;
-    if (anchor.href !== this.urlParser.href) {
+
+    // don't navigate if external link or has extension
+    if ( anchor.href !== this.urlParser.href ||
+         !/\/[^/.]*$/.test(pathname) ) {
       return true;
     }
 
+    // approved for navigation
     this.go(relativeUrl);
     return false;
   }