Change the Default PDF Viewer in Chrome

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There are a few software conflicts that can exist with PDF software. The PDFs are not populated by default because Adobe implemented a new security feature to prevent certain PDF properties from displaying, as they could contain malicious content.

This article will show you how to stop the Google Chrome web browser from automatically opening PDF documents.

Instructions

  1. Open the Google Chrome browser A Google Chrome browser desktop shortcut.

  2. Click the More menu (three vertical dots icon) next to the user icon The More menu icon in the top-right corner of the Chrome browser.

  3. Select the Settings option The Settings option within the More menu.

  4. Select the Privacy and Security option in the left-hand navigation menu The Privacy and Security option in the menu below the Google Chrome logo and Settings header.

  5. Click the Site Settings option The Site Settings option.

  6. Scroll down to the Content section and click the Additional content settings dropdown The Content section with the Additional content settings option highlighted.

  7. Click the PDF documents dropdown The PDF documents dropdown.

  8. Click the Download PDFs radio button The Download PDFs radio button.

  9. PDFs will now be downloaded instead of automatically opening in the Google Chrome browser