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How to Open SharePoint PDFs in a Desktop PDF Application
Question details
The user wants to open PDF files hosted on SharePoint directly in a desktop PDF application rather than the web browser.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Clicking a SharePoint link to access a PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- The PDF file launches in the web browser instead of the default desktop PDF reader, even when the 'Open in the client application' setting is enabled.
Ensure you have a default desktop PDF reader installed on your computer, such as WPS PDF or Adobe Acrobat, before attempting to download and open SharePoint files locally.
Manually Download and Open the PDF
Since SharePoint forces PDF web links to open in the browser, the most reliable workaround is to download the file to your computer first.
The 'Open in the client application' setting in SharePoint applies exclusively to supported Microsoft Office file types (like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Because PDFs are not native Microsoft files, SharePoint does not pass them to your desktop PDF reader automatically.
Navigate to your SharePoint document library and click the checkmark next to the PDF file you want to open.
Click the 'Download' button located in the top command bar of the SharePoint interface.
Open your computer's 'Downloads' folder or the location where your browser saves downloaded files.
Double-click the downloaded PDF file to open it in your system's default desktop PDF application.
Sync the SharePoint Library to File Explorer
By syncing your SharePoint document library to your local machine, you can bypass the browser entirely and open PDFs directly from File Explorer or Finder.
View and Edit PDFs Locally with WPS Office
If you are looking for a fast, reliable desktop application to handle your downloaded SharePoint PDFs, WPS Office is an excellent free alternative to Microsoft Office. It features a built-in, lightweight PDF reader and editor that makes managing your local documents seamless.
- 1. Download and install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and complete the quick installation process.
- 2. Set as default PDF reader: Right-click any PDF file on your computer, select 'Open with', choose WPS Office, and check the box to always use this app.
- 3. Open your SharePoint files: Double-click any PDF downloaded or synced from SharePoint to instantly view and edit it in WPS Office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the 'Open in client application' setting not work for PDFs in SharePoint?
The 'Open in client application' setting is designed specifically for supported Microsoft Office file types, such as .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. Since PDFs are not native Microsoft client files, SharePoint defaults to opening them in its built-in web browser viewer regardless of this setting.
Can I force SharePoint web links to open PDFs in a desktop app by default?
Currently, SharePoint does not support automatically launching PDF files in a desktop reader when you click a standard web link. To view a PDF in a desktop application, you must either download the file manually or sync the SharePoint folder to your local device using OneDrive.
How do I make my downloaded SharePoint PDFs open in my preferred desktop app?
After downloading the PDF from SharePoint, you need to change your operating system's default app settings. On Windows, right-click the downloaded PDF, select 'Open with' > 'Choose another app', select your preferred PDF reader (like WPS Office), and check the box that says 'Always use this app to open .pdf files'.
