Stop Edge from taking control of PDF's permanently!!!

Anonymous
2021-01-20T05:56:56+00:00

I am very frustrated with Microsoft Edge continuously hijacking PDFs.  I run Adobe Acrobat and need to have the tools.  I have tried the standard ways of setting Adobe as the default program for PDFs - through Control Panel, through Properties of the file, through Open with.  None of these work for even an hour.

I have also tried a couple of hacks through Regedit that seem to work for others but not for me.

I am at the stage that if i could I would uninstall Edge.

So, how can I permanently set Adobe as the default program for PDFs?

Microsoft Edge | Read PDFs | Windows 10

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-01-21T01:53:20+00:00

    I am very frustrated with Microsoft Edge continuously hijacking PDFs.

    Just to set the record straight, Edge isn't hijacking anything. Windows 10 has a number of default apps for a few things so the user is never left high and dry. Since XP days, there has been a default browser, a default media player, a default mail client (except for in Windows 7, and that caused untold angst for hordes of users), and later, after Adobe released the PDF standard to open-source, a default PDF reader. Following all the expensive hullabaloo about browser choice, the concept of user choice was introduced. 

    When a user changes a default app - using the Default appssettings page, or by selecting Always use this app ... in a file-open dialogue - the association is registered in key called UserChoice. Now, if an app comes along and tries to register itself as the default for a file type, Windows will reject this attempt to interfere with the inviolate User Choice and restore the Windows default. For PDF files, that is Edge. This mechanism also prevents malicious, accidentally-downloaded apps from making changes like this.

    Older versions of Adobe Acrobat regularly try to reassert the program as the PDF default, causing the change you observe. This was corrected in later versions (released 2018 onwards), so the solution is to upgrade Acrobat to the latest version.

    I have the latest version of Adobe (that is when the problems started) and have done the standard way of changing the association (through Control Panel | Default Programs).  I have also done so through right clicking on the PDF and changing the association that way.

    Whatever I do I am in the same frustrating situation - I have been working on this desktop for just over two hours now and three times have had to reset the association back to Adobe.

    I just want Edge to back off and let me use the product that I have paid good money for.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-01-21T03:23:27+00:00

    Hi Greg.

    It has always been listed there.  I keep changing it and it keeps changing back - four times so far this morning!

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-01-21T03:28:24+00:00

    Hi Shawn.

    I have already tried all of the ways listed in the second link - multiple times.  

    With respect to the first link, thank I had not tried that. 

    Option 1: It was already disabled, so this didn't work.  Edge obviously ignored that.

    Option2:  I tried this, but it is still defaulting to Edge again.  It worked for maybe an hour with Adobe, then went back to Edge.

    I am at the stage that if I could I would delete Edge.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-11-04T04:00:25+00:00

    'The complaints on this have gradually tapered off over the past five years'

    Because nothing ever gets done. People give up. FIVE YEARS this issue has been going on, and still no resolution. This particular thread is coming to 11 months on it's own. What happens to cause this has been identified, how about providing a solution where this specific process can be disabled? How about when you manually set a program as default, that becomes the default in the process instead of it being Edge? I'm not a programmer so I don't know how much work would be involved in this, but it seems like it would be an actual solution instead of ignoring a FIVE YEAR PROBLEM that has existed since Win 10 / Edge was released.

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-01-20T06:36:37+00:00

    Hi Lester. I'm Greg, awarded MVP for eleven years, Volunteer Moderator, and Independent Advisor here to help you until this is resolved.

    The complaints on this have gradually tapered off over the past five years to where I rarely see them any longer. What's worked most is to NOT set Adobe Reader as default in its own Settings, only in Windows Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Choose Default by File type > PDF. For some reason it's own Settings are ignored, but Windows are not.

    You may need to reinstall Adobe Reader from a fresh download to get it to show up:

    https://get.adobe.com/reader/

    If you want to report this to Edge Developers you can choose the Edge Hub (three dots to right of URL address bar) then Help & Feedback, then Feedback form to fill out. They will not even see it here, as this is a tech forums where mostly volunteers try to help others with their problems.

    I hope this helps. Based on what you report back I can answer any questions and may have other steps to perform.

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