diff --git a/src/gui/kernel/qevent.cpp b/src/gui/kernel/qevent.cpp
index 9792490257e..8e871d76942 100644
--- a/src/gui/kernel/qevent.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/kernel/qevent.cpp
@@ -3625,19 +3625,23 @@ Q_IMPL_EVENT_COMMON(QFileOpenEvent)
 /*!
     \fn QString QFileOpenEvent::file() const
 
-    Returns the file that is being opened.
+    Returns the name of the file that the application should open.
+
+    This is not guaranteed to be the path to a local file.
 */
 
 /*!
     \fn QUrl QFileOpenEvent::url() const
 
-    Returns the url that is being opened.
+    Returns the url that the application should open.
 
     \since 4.6
 */
 
+#if QT_DEPRECATED_SINCE(6, 6)
 /*!
     \fn bool QFileOpenEvent::openFile(QFile &file, QIODevice::OpenMode flags) const
+    \deprecated [6.6] interpret the string returned by file()
 
     Opens a QFile on the \a file referenced by this event in the mode specified
     by \a flags. Returns \c true if successful; otherwise returns \c false.
@@ -3652,6 +3656,7 @@ bool QFileOpenEvent::openFile(QFile &file, QIODevice::OpenMode flags) const
     file.setFileName(m_file);
     return file.open(flags);
 }
+#endif
 
 #ifndef QT_NO_TOOLBAR
 /*!
diff --git a/src/gui/kernel/qevent.h b/src/gui/kernel/qevent.h
index a3fd09d9a4c..900524d2188 100644
--- a/src/gui/kernel/qevent.h
+++ b/src/gui/kernel/qevent.h
@@ -852,7 +852,10 @@ public:
 
     inline QString file() const { return m_file; }
     QUrl url() const { return m_url; }
+#if QT_DEPRECATED_SINCE(6, 6)
+    QT_DEPRECATED_VERSION_X_6_6("Interpret the string returned by file()")
     bool openFile(QFile &file, QIODevice::OpenMode flags) const;
+#endif
 private:
     QString m_file;
     QUrl m_url;
diff --git a/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm b/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm
index b13ec3bee88..f2b7bde8f0d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm
+++ b/src/plugins/platforms/cocoa/qcocoaapplicationdelegate.mm
@@ -318,7 +318,16 @@ QT_USE_NAMESPACE
 {
     Q_UNUSED(replyEvent);
     NSString *urlString = [[event paramDescriptorForKeyword:keyDirectObject] stringValue];
-    QWindowSystemInterface::handleFileOpenEvent(QUrl(QString::fromNSString(urlString)));
+    // The string we get from the requesting application might not necessarily meet
+    // QUrl's requirement for a IDN-compliant host. So if we can't parse into a QUrl,
+    // then we pass the string on to the application as the name of a file (and
+    // QFileOpenEvent::file is not guaranteed to be the path to a local, open'able
+    // file anyway).
+    const QString qurlString = QString::fromNSString(urlString);
+    if (const QUrl url(qurlString); url.isValid())
+        QWindowSystemInterface::handleFileOpenEvent(url);
+    else
+        QWindowSystemInterface::handleFileOpenEvent(qurlString);
 }
 @end