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How to Open PDF Files in a Desktop App from SharePoint Online
Question details
The user wants to open PDF files stored in SharePoint Online directly in a local desktop PDF application rather than viewing them in the web browser.
- Product
- SharePoint Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Accessing and managing PDF documents stored within a SharePoint Online document library.
- Observed behavior
- SharePoint's native 'Open in client application' setting defaults to opening PDF files in the web browser, as the client application setting primarily applies only to Microsoft Office documents.
Ensure you have a default desktop PDF application installed on your computer, and verify if you have Microsoft 365 administrator privileges if you plan to install third-party tenant integrations.
Install Microsoft 365 PDF Integration (Admin Required)
Tenant administrators can integrate third-party apps like Adobe Acrobat for Microsoft 365 to enable the 'Open in Desktop App' functionality for PDFs.
Since SharePoint natively restricts the 'Open in client app' behavior to Office files, a dedicated PDF integration bridges this gap, allowing users to transition seamlessly from the browser to their desktop PDF software.
Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center using your administrator credentials.
Navigate to Settings > Integrated apps and deploy Adobe Acrobat for Microsoft 365 (or a similar supported PDF tool) to your tenant.
Once deployed, navigate to your SharePoint document library and click on a PDF file to open its preview in the browser.
Click the newly available 'Open in Desktop App' button located in the top menu bar to launch the file locally.
Sync SharePoint Library via OneDrive
Use the OneDrive sync client to mirror your SharePoint document library locally, allowing you to open PDFs directly from File Explorer.
Download the PDF and Open Locally
If syncing or tenant integration is not an option, manually downloading the file is a quick workaround for opening it in a desktop app.
Use WPS Office as Your Default PDF Desktop Application
Once you sync or download your PDF files from SharePoint, WPS Office provides a fast, comprehensive PDF editor and viewer to handle all your document reading, annotating, and editing needs on your desktop.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office on your computer for free.
- 2. Set as Default: Set WPS Office as your default PDF application in your operating system settings.
- 3. Sync or Download from SharePoint: Use the OneDrive sync button in SharePoint or manually download your PDF file.
- 4. Open and Edit natively: Double-click the local PDF file to automatically open and edit it using the robust tools in WPS PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't SharePoint open PDFs in the desktop app by default?
SharePoint's 'Open in client application' feature is natively designed for Microsoft Office documents (like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). For PDFs and other file types, it defaults to browser viewing unless specific third-party integrations are configured.
Can I change my browser settings to force PDFs to open in a desktop app?
Yes. You can configure most modern browsers (like Edge or Chrome) to download PDF files instead of opening them in a new tab. Once downloaded, you can set your operating system to automatically open the file with your default desktop PDF viewer.
How do I change my default PDF application on Windows?
Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Default apps. Search for '.pdf' in the file type list, click on the current default application, and select your preferred desktop software (such as WPS Office) from the list.
