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

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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

2021-04-30T04:18:21+00:00

Edge hijacks default application assignment ...

...no company takes any responsibility for their bugs.

What you see is not a bug. It's a security mechanism that prevents (potentially malicious) applications from changing the user's choice of default browser, and generally preventing applications from overriding user choice. This is explained in an MSFT blog post from a few years ago: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20170517-00/?p=96175

In short, if a program tries to change the user choice, Windows (not Edge) may block the attempt and re-assert its own (safe) defaults, which happen to be Edge for both browser and PDF.

I don't think that Adobe Acrobat is a malicious application! What is the point of being able to set the default to your preferred program if Microsoft is going to change it back if they don't approve of your choice. That defeats the whole purpose of being able to change the default.
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Anonymous

2021-04-30T04:32:19+00:00

OK. Just to underline the fundamental cause of what you're seeing: Acrobat (released 2018 or earlier) writes to a protected registry key that only users have permission to change. Windows detects this and discards the change, reverting to the Windows default for the PDF file association, which is Edge.



I'm not in a position to test any of this, but a bit of study indicates that system administrators have the ability to change this Windows default through Group Policy. If I read this correctly, if Acrobat persists in writing to the registry, the reversion will be to the default imposed by GP - which could be Acrobat again, so no change. The user will, I think, be able to override this by exercising user choice through the Default apps control panel or Always use this app in a PDF file's properties dialogue. This choice should however be reset at each log-on.



So it may be worth trying the GP route to prevent the annoyance you're being subjected to. There's a good write-up at the Adobe site; see Solution 2 on this page:
https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/AdminGuide/pdfviewer.html



Sorry if you've already tried this unsuccessfully.

I just bought a copy of Acrobat Pro 2020 for Windows. Within an hour of starting to use it, Edge has stolen the default for PDF's. Acrobat is not writing to the registry to change the default, I am changing the default application for PDF's manually through Windows Settings. Within 5 to 30 minutes, Edge just keeps stealing it back. It is doing this in the same session, without logging out and back in again. This does not look like a GP problem.
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Anonymous

2021-04-30T08:02:22+00:00

Edge has stolen the default for PDF's.

Again, I'll emphasize that Edge has no say in this. It's Windows that won't allow programs to change user-configured defaults. If the default is changing, it's because a program* has tried to alter the user choice. There is a fundamental conflict between the Adobe approach (give admins the ability to force users to use the Adobe application) and that of Windows (give users alone the power to apply defaults).

I haven't been able to find a resolution for this conflict. If it exists, it may lie buried deep within the Adobe preferences, and it may involve using specific commands when installing the Adobe product.

* It's worth checking that the culprit isn't a non-Adobe application. At least one user found that an image editor was trying to assume the PDF handler default.
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