How to Update Browser Settings to Open PDFs in Your Browser

When you click on PDF files on websites, do they always go to your downloads folder instead of opening? Here's how to change that!

Most modern web browsers default to downloading PDF files when you click on a link or open them from a website. However, you can change your browser settings to open PDFs directly in your browser window instead. Here's how to do it for the most common browsers:

Google Chrome

1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of your browser window.
2. Select Settings.
3. Scroll down and click on Privacy and Security.
4. Click on Site Settings.
5. Scroll down and click on Additional content settings.
6. Click on PDF documents.
7. Make sure to choose Open PDFs in Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Click on the three lines in the top right corner of your browser window.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click on General in the left-hand menu.
4. Scroll down to the Applications section.
5. Find Portable Document Format (PDF) in the list.
6. In the drop-down menu next to it, select Preview in Firefox.

Microsoft Edge

1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of your browser window.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click on Cookies and site permissions in the left-hand menu.
4. Scroll down and click on PDF documents.
5. Toggle the switch next to Always open PDF files externally to the off position.

Apple Safari

1. Click on Safari in the top menu bar.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Click on the General tab.
4. At the bottom, next to Open “safe” files after downloading, uncheck the box next to Portable Document Format (PDF).

Important Notes:

• These instructions may vary slightly depending on the version of your browser.
• If you are still having trouble, try clearing your browser's cache and cookies or restarting your browser.
• Sometimes websites may force PDFs to download regardless of your browser settings.
• If you need to download a PDF instead of opening it, you can usually right-click on the link and select "Save link as."