Microsoft Edge is your new default web browsing experience on Windows 10, which offers a new streamlined interface, speed improvements, and a lot of new features, including the ability to open PDF files.
If you’re like me and you’re attached to the sensory experience of using paper, and you don’t like having ever-increasing numbers of gadgets around, then you might not have considered using any kind of e-reader. You might have sniffed at the idea of abandoning the pleasures of books and papers in order to squint at a wee screen. Oct 18, 2019 BONUS TIP: If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Pro, there are some websites that will add your PDF pages together for you online. These are two that I have used before when I did not have access to my Adobe. This is if you want to add something to the top or bottom of the file.
While the PDF reader is a convenient feature, it currently only offers some basic functionalities, and out-of-the-box, Windows 10 makes it your default system PDF reader whether you like it or not. If you prefer to use a more advanced application, such as SumatraPDF, Xodo, or Adobe Acrobat Reader, or after a Windows 10 upgrade your settings aren't preserved, you may want to change your settings to disable Microsoft Edge as your default PDF reader every time you open a file.
In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to change your system settings to stop opening PDF files in the web browser by default.
How to disable Microsoft Edge as default PDF reader
In order to disable Microsoft Edge's PDF feature, you need to change the file association, which you can do with the following steps:
Using the Settings app
- Open Settings.
- Click on Apps.
- Click on Default apps.
- Note: If you're still running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, the path is Settings > System > Default apps.
- Click the Choose default apps by file type link.
- Scroll down and find .pdf (PDF File), and click the button on the right side, which is likely to read 'Microsoft Edge.'
- Select your app from the list to set it as the new default.
- Click the Switch anyway link to confirm the change.
Once you completed the steps, Microsoft Edge will no longer open PDF files by default in the web browser.
Using the file context menu
Alternatively, you can quickly make another app as your default PDF reader, using the following steps:
- Right-click a PDF file.
- Select Open With.
- Click on Choose another app.
- Select the PDF application you want to use.
- Check the Always use this app to open .pdf files option.
- Click OK.
If you don't see the app you want to use in the list, click the More apps link at the bottom of the list. You can also click the Look for another app on this PC to find the PDF application you want to set as default.
More Windows 10 resources
For more help articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
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