How do I stop Edge from opening PDF files?

Anonymous

How do I stop Microsoft edge from opening? everytime I do the system performance check from dell it sets up Microsoft edge to open PDF files and I have my own program I use, however I cant set it as my default program....

* Original title: Microsoft Edge

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

We understand your concern as you would like to change the default app for PDF file from Edge to Adobe.

In this scenario, we would suggest you to perform these methods and check.

Method 1: Change the setting for Apps

Press Windows + I key to launch Windows Settings.
Click on Apps and select Default apps from the left pane.
Now scroll down and click on Choose default apps by file type.
Scroll and look for .pdf, .pdxml, and .pdx file type, then click on the + sign to change it to Adobe Reader.

Method 2: Stop opening PDF file if you are using New Edge Chromium.

Open Microsoft Edge
Click on the three dots (…) from the right top corner.
Select Settings from the drop down and click on Site permissions from the left pane.
Scroll down and click on PDF documents, Toggle the switch to On for Always open PDF files externally.

Notes: If the Always open PDF files externally is on then if you try to open any online PDF document, it will prompt you to download and later you can use Adobe Reader to view.

Regards,

Aditya Roy

Microsoft Community – Moderator

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Anonymous

Adobe Acrobat professional is not changing the default app.

It was in 2018 that Windows tightened up the file association protection measures that you seem to be running into. I can't find documentation for this, but versions newer than Acrobat Pro DC 18 shouldn't be doing this. It's likely that Acrobat Pro 2017 writes to registry keys that only users are allowed to change (by using the default apps settings available).

Could it be that you're using an older version of Acrobat?

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161 additional answers

Anonymous

2020-11-20T02:11:01+00:00

Acrobat reader will not do what we need to do with Acrobat Pro. We edit and compile large technical documents from multiple sources and production streams. We add TOC's, hyperlinks, bookmarks and attachments along with the individual pdf sections that all get compiled into a single document. Acrobat Reader will not do that. We don't need another browser, very little of our work is on the internet, and Chrome works just fine for our needs. We just need for Edge to get out of our face and stop screwing with our work. Microsoft Please, just let me do my job.
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Anonymous

2020-11-20T03:29:56+00:00

Hi

Download Acrobat Reader DC and your PDF files wont be showing up with Microsoft Edge

Also download BlueSky browser which is free.

Regards

Don Henry

Acrobat Reader doesn't work either, Edge will sooner or later steal the default back.
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Anonymous

2020-11-30T16:12:11+00:00

How do I stop Microsoft edge from opening? everytime I do the system performance check from dell it sets up Microsoft edge to open PDF files and I have my own program I use, however I cant set it as my default program....

* Original title: Microsoft Edge

The only way to fix this problem is to have Microsoft remove the hard-coded calls for MS Edge to be the default PDF reader in the OEMDefaultAssociations.DLL and XML files.

This is what it should show (my default PDF app is Foxit PhantomPDF):

<Association Identifier=".pdf" ProgId="FoxitPhantomPDF.Document" ApplicationName="Foxit PhantomPDF 9.7" />

However, this is Microsoft's default code that is used to continuously overwrite the XML file(s), forcing the end user to either give in and accept Microsoft's default PDF app, or to also continuously change the default PDF BACK to their choice of default PDF app:

<Association Identifier=".pdf" ProgId="AppXd4nrz8ff68srnhf9t5a8sbjyar1cr723" NewBrowserProgId="MSEdgePDF" ApplicationName="Microsoft Edge" ApplyOnUpgrade="true" OverwriteIfProgIdIs="AppXk660crfh0gw7gd9swc1nws708mn7qjr1;AppX86746z2101ayy2ygv3g96e4eqdf8r99j" />

The issue has been reported to Microsoft many many times, using the Feedback hub and more - to no avail. MS continues to push its browser onto end users, forcing them to deal with MS Edge and its promotion to PDF app by Microsoft. And now, with latest updates, you can't uninstall MS Edge.

Does this sound like something Microsoft did to all Windows users in the past? Say, 'United States v. Microsoft Corporation, 234 F.3d 34 (D.C. Cir. 2001),[1] was a noted American antitrust law case in which the U.S. government accused Microsoft of illegally maintaining its monopoly position in the PC market primarily through the legal and technical restrictions it put on the abilities of PC manufacturers (OEMs) and users to uninstall Internet Explorer and use other programs such as Netscape and Java...The plaintiffs alleged that Microsoft had abused monopoly power on Intel-based personal computers in its handling of operating system and web browser integration. ' Courtesy Wikipedia

Nineteen years later, and Microsoft is again interfering with end user's ability to use the programs they want to use.

Microsoft folks - please change or remove the corrupted DLL that you've installed on our computers, which forces the default apps for PDF and Photos to use Microsoft-inspired and promoted apps instead.
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