what to know
- In Chrome, select the three vertical dots (more icon) in the upper right corner.
- Select Settings > Privacy & Security > Site Settings > Additional Content Settings > PDF Document > Download PDF File .
This article explains how to enable or disable the Chrome PDF viewer. It includes reasons why you might want to turn the feature on or off.
Chrome users on all major operating systems, including macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux, can follow the instructions below.
Google Chrome's built-in PDF file viewer is turned on by default. This is convenient if you want to view the PDF as quickly as possible, but if you prefer to download a copy of the PDF file, you can turn off the Chrome PDF viewer to automatically download it.
Open the Chrome web browser and select the three vertical dots (more icon) in the upper right corner.
You can do this in an open Chrome window. Don't worry, you won't lose the page you're on - everything will open in a new tab.
Select a setting from the drop-down list.
Select Privacy & Security from the submenu that opens.
Select site settings .
Scroll down to the Content section > Select additional content settings > PDF documents .
Select the radio button next to "Download PDF file" to turn off the feature.
To reopen it, select the radio button next to "Open PDF in Chrome."
To test the setting changes, select a PDF document file in Chrome. If you turn that setting on, you should see the file download to your computer. If you turn this setting off, the PDF should open in a new tab in Chrome.
There's no need to close and reopen Chrome for setting changes to take effect, but if you're having trouble, please restart the browser. If you're still having issues, make sure you've updated to the latest version of Chrome.
If you turn off this setting so that you download a PDF file instead of opening it in Chrome, the file will open in your default PDF program.
If you want to change your default PDF program, check out the best free PDF readers for Windows and Mac.
- You want fast, instant access to PDF files.
- You don't always need to download every PDF file you click to view.
- You are not going to edit any of the open PDF files, you just need access to the basic options (download, print, zoom in, zoom out, etc.)
- You don't like any other PDF program instead of Chrome's PDF Viewer.
- A saved copy of the PDF file you want to open in Chrome.
- You often open PDF files in Chrome, forget to download them, and then find yourself having to relocate the PDF file link later.
- You want to eliminate the step of having to view the PDF file in Chrome first.
- You want to automate the download process.
- You prefer to use a different PDF program to view your files and/or edit them.
If the PDF viewer is open and you still can't view the PDF, delete the temporary Internet files in Chrome. Clearing cache, cookies, and other browser data may resolve the issue.
Open the PDF and activate full screen mode in Chrome. On PC, press Fn+F11 , or select the three dots in the upper right corner and select Present . On a Mac, select the green circle in the upper left corner of Chrome, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Command + F.
Select the three dots in the upper right corner of the PDF viewer and select two-page view . Select the Fit to Width icon at the top to view both pages side by side.
You cannot open PDF files in the Chrome mobile app. When you select a link to a PDF, the file will automatically download and you can view it in the mobile PDF viewer application.
