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How to Set Adobe Acrobat Pro as Default PDF Viewer in Chrome
Question details
The user wants to configure Google Chrome to open PDF files using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC instead of the browser's built-in PDF viewer.
- Product
- Google Chrome
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Viewing or downloading PDF files from the web via Google Chrome.
- Observed behavior
- Chrome automatically opens PDF links in its built-in browser viewer instead of launching the dedicated Adobe Acrobat Pro desktop application.
Ensure that Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is fully installed on your computer and set as your system's default PDF application before modifying browser settings.
Configure Chrome to Download PDFs Automatically
Change Chrome's site settings to download PDFs so they can be opened by your system's default viewer instead of the browser.
Google Chrome uses its own built-in PDF viewer by default. Even if you have the Adobe Acrobat extension installed, it does not automatically replace the browser's native viewer. To force PDFs to open in your desktop Acrobat application, you must configure Chrome to download the files instead of rendering them in new tabs.
Click the three-dot Menu icon in the top right corner of Google Chrome and select 'Settings'.
Select 'Privacy and security' from the left sidebar menu, then click on 'Site settings'.
Scroll down and expand the 'Additional content settings' menu, then click on 'PDF documents'.
Select the option to 'Download PDFs' (or toggle on 'Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome').
Click on any PDF link. It will now download to your computer. Open the downloaded file, and it will launch in Adobe Acrobat Pro (or your default system PDF reader).
Edit and Read PDFs Seamlessly with WPS PDF
If you are looking for a fast, lightweight, and feature-rich application to view, annotate, and edit the PDFs you download from Chrome, WPS Office provides a powerful built-in PDF editor. You can easily set it as your default desktop PDF viewer.
- 1. Install WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office free from the official website.
- 2. Locate a Downloaded PDF: Right-click any PDF file downloaded from Chrome and select 'Properties' (Windows) or 'Get Info' (Mac).
- 3. Change the Default App: Click 'Change' next to the 'Opens with' option and select WPS Office from the list of applications.
- 4. Apply and Open: Click 'Apply' and then 'OK'. Now, double-clicking any downloaded PDF will open it directly in WPS PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Adobe Acrobat Chrome extension not open PDFs automatically?
The Chrome extension adds tools to convert web pages to PDF or open the current browser PDF in the desktop app, but it does not override Chrome's built-in PDF rendering engine automatically. You must change Chrome's site settings to stop the browser from handling PDFs.
Can I stop PDFs from downloading and just view them in Chrome again?
Yes. You can revert this setting by going to Chrome Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Additional content settings > PDF documents, and selecting the option to 'Open PDFs in Chrome'.
What if the downloaded PDF opens in Edge or Preview instead of Adobe Acrobat?
This means your operating system's default PDF viewer is not set to Adobe Acrobat. You need to right-click a downloaded PDF on your computer, select 'Open with' > 'Choose another app', select Adobe Acrobat, and check the box that says 'Always use this app to open .pdf files'.
