How to Disable Chrome PDF Viewer
Google Chrome uses a built-in tool called PDF.js to show PDF files. While this is easy, you might want to use Adobe Acrobat Reader for better tools. This guide helps you disable Chrome PDF viewer settings to use your preferred app.
Why change this setting?
Some users need advanced features like digital signatures or complex form filling found in Adobe Acrobat. Using an external app also helps if the Chrome PDF viewer is not working or if you need to use the FileOpen plugin for secure documents.
What happens when done?
When you disable the viewer, Chrome stops showing PDFs in a tab. Instead, it will force a PDF download or trigger your default system PDF reader. Warning: Disabling the built-in viewer removes the sandboxed security layer Chrome provides, which may expose your system to malicious PDF content if your external reader is not updated.
Method 1: Using Chrome Settings
You can change this via the Chrome PDF settings page directly.
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click the three dots in the top-right corner and select Settings. %%LNK0%%
- Click on Privacy and security on the left, then select Site Settings.
- Scroll down and click on Additional content settings.
- Select PDF documents.
- Choose Download PDFs to force Chrome to stop opening them.
Method 2: Using the Windows Registry (Admin Required)
Note: This method requires administrator privileges. It is best for IT teams managing many computers.
- Press Windows Key + R, type
regedit, and press Enter.
- Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Policies\\Google\\Chrome.
- Right-click Chrome, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name it
AlwaysOpenPdfExternally. - Set the value to
1.
Troubleshooting PDF Issues
If you experience a PDF download loop, clear your browser cache. If PDFs stop opening entirely, return to the settings menu and toggle the setting back to ‘Open PDFs in Chrome’. This resets the MIME types for your browser.
Summary
You can disable the Chrome PDF viewer through the standard settings menu or via the Windows Registry for enterprise control. This allows you to use external tools like Adobe Acrobat. Always ensure your external reader is updated to maintain security after disabling the built-in sandboxed viewer.
Does disabling the PDF viewer affect Chrome performance?
Disabling the built-in PDF viewer has a negligible impact on overall browser performance. However, it may slightly improve memory usage by preventing Chrome from loading its internal PDF rendering engine for every document, shifting that resource load to your external PDF application instead.
Can I disable the PDF viewer for specific websites only?
Chrome does not currently offer a native feature to disable the PDF viewer for specific websites only. The setting is a global browser configuration. To achieve site-specific behavior, you would need to use a third-party browser extension that manages MIME types or handles PDF redirection based on URL patterns.
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