Microsoft Edge keeps making itself the default PDF viewer instead of acrobat

How do I get my computer to open in pdf instead of windows photo viewer?

Having this issue now also. Even though I set default apps via GPO, Edge constantly steals the PDF association. Sounds like Microsoft is due for another Antitrust Case.

Temporary Solution for Adobe PDF Default Issue on PC:

EDGE high-jacking PDFs upon Reboot

Currently, there's an unresolved issue where Adobe PDF defaults are not persisting on our company PCs.

To temporarily resolve this, I performed a factory reset on the affected PC and reinstalled all necessary applications, including setting Adobe as the default for PDFs. After rebooting the PC multiple times (approximately 10-20 times), Adobe PDFs remained defaulted as expected. Additionally, the PC is running the latest updates.

Please note that while this method has proven effective for now, it's highly important to recognize that it is NOT a permanent fix. There appears to be a persistent bug either within the file path or the operating system causing the default settings issue.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME on the following:

• Rolling back Webview2/3
• Editing the REGISTRY
• PowerShell Commands
• CMD Commands
• Rebooting PC
• Setting up Task Schedular
• Installing Adobe Extension
• Defaulting application, the reboot will just REVERT it back to EDGE
• Installing 3rd party apps
• DO NOT GIVE UP!!!
• DO NOT STRESS!!!
• Apologies, but MS reps are not helpful at all, but they are doing their job
• Be UPSET with the engineers of Quality Assurance - you let the BUG pass by
• It has NOTHING to do with EDGE Experience
• It's an update that broke the setting and can't say which one it is

Steps Taken:

1. Factory reset the PC.
2. Reinstall all required applications.
3. Set Adobe as the default application for PDFs.
4. Reboot the PC multiple times to ensure settings persist.
5. Confirm PC is up to date with the latest software updates.

If you encounter similar issues or have found an alternative solution, please share your experience. We are awaiting a permanent fix from Microsoft engineers to address this ongoing issue.

**Work Email - ****@falveyins.com

Job Title - Infrastructure Services - Team Lead

I solved it on my computer. I read somewhere that WinZip somehow triggers Windows 10 & 11 to keep switching the default PDF viewer back to Edge. I uninstalled WinZip and replaced it with a different zip freeware called Zip Extractor Pro. That solved the problem for good, it seems. (It's been about a week.)

Do you happen to remember where you saw this? I wouldn't put it past an additional third party application causing the interaction problem between Edge and Adobe.

I solved it on my computer. I read somewhere that WinZip somehow triggers Windows 10 & 11 to keep switching the default PDF viewer back to Edge. I uninstalled WinZip and replaced it with a different zip freeware called Zip Extractor Pro. That solved the problem for good, it seems. (It's been about a week.)