How do I stop Edge from opening PDF files?

Anonymous
2020-04-16T12:40:17+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

Microsoft Edge | Read PDFs | Windows 10

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Anonymous
2020-04-17T08:41:58+00:00

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

  1. Press Windows + I key to launch Windows Settings.
  2. Click on Apps and select Default apps from the left pane.
  3. Now scroll down and click on Choose default apps by file type.
  4. 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.

  1. Open Microsoft Edge
  2. Click on the three dots (…) from the right top corner.
  3. Select Settings from the drop down and click on Site permissions from the left pane.
  4. 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
2020-08-14T08:06:25+00:00

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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  1. Anonymous
    2020-07-27T16:50:14+00:00

    I have the same problem.  Edge has been doing this for years and neither Microsoft or Adobe are doing anything about it.  I use the full Acrobat Pro to put together and edit large documents.  I have tried a dozen or so different so-called solutions over the years and all seem to work for an hour or a day, then Edge hijacks the pdf's back.  I have to reset the default program for PDF's sometimes 2 or 3 times a week, and sometimes 5 or 6 times a day just so that I can keep using Acrobat to get my work done.  It is unbelievably frustrating.  Both Microsoft and Adobe are blowing off users complaints and posting fake solutions to pretend that they are actually doing something.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-07-27T16:55:26+00:00

    Do a Google search.  There are thousands of posts of people with this problem.  This problem goes back years with no solution that works permanently.  If you don't have this problem, you are very lucky.  I have to compile and edit 10 to 20 large Acrobat files every day, and no solution has ever worked for very long for me.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-07-27T17:41:09+00:00

    I want Edge to "stop trying to open them" ... I "ONLY" want edge to "download" them.

    Just to be certain, at ⋯ (Settings and more) > Settings > Downloads, you're sure that pdf isn't in the list of File types which are opened automatically after downloading?

    I've even gone as far as creating the strings "NoOpenWith" and "NoSStaticDefaultVerb" in "Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\AppXd4nrz8ff68srnhf9t5a8sbjyar1cr723".

    I don't know where you got the idea, but that registry key applies to the old Edge Legacy.  New Edge's settings are in a different part of the registry.

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