How do I stop Edge from opening PDF files?

Asking the user to set it as the default does not work.  I, The User, have set Adobe as the default pdf editor.  Windows fails to honor that assignment.  It does not matter if I set an older version of Acrobat as the default program, or the latest version of Acrobat Reader as the default, program, Edge still steals the extension.  Sometimes Edge steals back the extension 5 minutes after I set it, and sometimes I get 3 or 4 days of uninterrupted use of Acrobat before Edge steals back the extension.

To force my company to buy 100 copies of the latest Acrobat at $400/seat because Windows wants to steal extensions and redirect them to their own programs, is unacceptable.  Why should my company spend $40,000 to work around Windows bugs, when 1, I see no indication that it will work, since it does not work for the latest version of Acrobat Reader, and 2, Microsoft should be able to fix their own bugs.

I totally agree.

Surely, it is entirely up to me what software I use to open PDFs, not Microsoft.

If MS says it is doing it for my safety, then just ask me of I want to change if you feel there is a security issue.

It is this type of arrogance that drives people to your competitors and gives a bad reputation.

We are using Adobe Acrobat Pro XI with a copyright date of 2012.  We have tried later versions and everybody still thinks that this was the best version.  Unfortunately, subsequent versions of Acrobat have emphasized cuteness rather than functionality of their GUI.  Many people have contacted Adobe in numerous forums and their response is that this is all Microsoft's problem and they say they can do nothing about it.

It doesn't seem like Acrobat that is incorrectly setting the association.  I can manually change the association to Acrobat, and without ever running Acrobat, can sometimes within minutes see Edge change the association back, by watching the file icons change.

We run a LOT of different software packages in our company and this is the only program that consistently has its file association changed.  The best solution would be to delete Edge rather than buying 100 new copies of Acrobat Pro at $500/seat for the office.  Especially when that version is not a good as the one we are presently using.

How can we delete edge from windows?  In settings, the "Programs and Features" group will let you think that you have deleted edge, but it is actually still there on your computer stealing the PDF association.

This isn't that difficult.  Edge Chromium is including lots of new great PDF editing features so you don't need Adobe Reader for most people.

However, you can easily find how to change settings in Windows.  Is it that hard to use the search bar?

You haven't read the previous posts.  The problem is that when you change the settings in Windows, after a period of time, sometimes 15 minutes, sometimes 2 days, Windows changes them back to Edge.  No matter how many times you change the settings in Windows, they get changed back over and over and over and over again.  Sometimes I have to change the setting back 8 or 9 times a day.  Sometimes I can go a day or two with Windows allowing me to use my copy of Acrobat Pro.  I edit and compile large technical documents with information from lots of other programs that create PDF pages.  Edge does not even come close to providing that type of functionality.  To know what the problem is, you need to read the previous posts, and the many other boards where people have been reporting the same problem for the last several years.