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If PDFs from websites open in Adobe Acrobat instead of a Chrome tab, open chrome://settings/content/pdfDocuments in Chrome and select Open PDFs in Chrome. If a PDF you already downloaded opens in Acrobat, change your computer’s default app for PDF files instead. And if Acrobat launches automatically immediately after a download on Windows, turn off Acrobat’s separate auto-open preference. These are three different settings.
First, identify which Adobe behavior you want to change
- A PDF from a website opens in Acrobat or downloads instead of appearing in Chrome: Change Chrome’s PDF documents setting.
- A downloaded PDF opens in Acrobat when you open the file: Change the operating system’s default app for PDF files.
- Acrobat launches as soon as a PDF download finishes: On Windows, clear Acrobat’s auto-open preference.
- You want to remove Adobe PDF tools from Chrome: Disable or remove the Acrobat extension. This does not replace the other settings.
Open PDFs from websites in Chrome
- In Chrome’s address bar, enter
chrome://settings/content/pdfDocumentsand press Enter. - Under the PDF documents default behavior control, choose Open PDFs in Chrome.
- Reload the PDF page and check whether the document now opens in a Chrome tab.
Google describes the choice as whether PDFs “download to your device or open in Chrome when you go to a site.” The alternative setting is Download PDFs: Chrome saves the file, and your computer’s settings determine which app opens it when you later open the download. The direct settings address is useful if menus move, but Chrome’s interface can vary by release, platform, or device-management policy. Google’s cited steps are for Chrome on computers.
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Change the default app for downloaded PDFs
These steps change the computer’s file association for .pdf files, not Chrome’s handling of PDFs on websites. Use the instructions for your operating system.
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Windows
- Right-click a PDF file and select Properties.
- On the General tab, select Change next to “Opens with.”
- Choose the app you want to use, then select Set default and confirm with OK.
Adobe’s instructions describe selecting Acrobat or Reader to make an Adobe app the default. To remove Adobe as the default, choose the non-Adobe PDF app you want to use instead. If Windows says the choice is managed or the control is unavailable, an administrator may have restricted the setting; contact that administrator.
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macOS
- Right-click a PDF and choose Open With > Other.
- Select the app you want to use for PDFs.
- Enable Always Open With, then open the file.
This changes the macOS default app for PDF files; it does not change Chrome’s website-PDF setting.
Stop Acrobat opening downloaded PDFs automatically on Windows
If Acrobat starts immediately after you download a PDF in Chrome, change Acrobat’s auto-open preference. Adobe documents this behavior for PDFs downloaded through Chrome and Edge on Windows.
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- Open the Acrobat desktop app.
- Press Ctrl+K to open Preferences.
- Select General.
- Clear Always open PDFs downloaded from the web, then confirm the change.
This is separate from both Chrome’s PDF setting and Windows’ default PDF app. Changing the default app alone, or disabling the Acrobat extension, may not stop Acrobat’s automatic launch.
Disable or remove the Acrobat Chrome extension
The extension adds Acrobat tools in Chrome, including options to view, fill, comment on, sign, or compress PDFs; some actions connect to Acrobat online or the desktop app. If you do not want those browser features, open Chrome’s Extensions management page, find Adobe Acrobat, and choose to disable or remove it.
Removing the extension is an optional choice about those tools. It is not the control for choosing Chrome’s built-in PDF viewer, changing your operating system’s default PDF app, or clearing Acrobat’s Windows auto-open preference. Adobe also documents enabling file URL access when using the extension to open local PDFs in the browser, so that permission may matter if you keep using that workflow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Chrome’s PDF viewer can do
Chrome’s built-in viewer is not limited to displaying a PDF. Google lists annotation, drawing, signing, adding notes, and on-device OCR for scanned PDFs. Google says the OCR conversion happens on the device without sending the document to Google or third parties. If you rely on a particular Acrobat feature, check whether Chrome’s tools meet that need before switching your everyday viewing workflow.
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