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L
LTek
Participant
July 5, 2016
Answered

Embed setting to prevent browser opening forms

  • July 5, 2016
  • 3 replies
  • 2624 views

Ok, so I know you can set your browser not to open PDF forms, so this is not a question about how an individual can prevent all PDFs from opening in a browser.

We use a lot of PDF forms which our users download from our website and email back to us. However, when they open their download the form inevitably opens in a browser and they fill it in and can't save their answers. There is no way to train them to only open forms in the proper Acrobat program because they are all over the country and do not read instructions on the website. They are using all sorts of different operating systems and devices.

Is there a way to embed a setting in each file that will prevent it from being able to open in a browser? I see you can embed settings to open at a particular view, with particular panels open or closed, but can't find a setting for "prevent opening in browser".

As long as our users are able to open a form in their browser, they will continue to email us wondering why their form didn't save their entires. There is no way to get them all to change their browser settings to stop opening pdf files.

Can I configure a specific PDF form to disable opening in a browser preview, just for that file?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Test Screen Name

No you cannot. You MUST either train your users, or give up PDF forms.

3 replies

M
MF2019
Participating Frequently
August 11, 2020

I think you should be able to do so.  I receive emails with acrobat form attachements, which refuse to open in a browser and force to open in acrobat. I just don't know how those forms are created. 

Here is what happens when you try to open in the brower: 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please wait...
If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF
viewer may not be able to display this type of document.
You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows®, Mac, or Linux® by
visiting http://www.adobe.com/go/reader_download.
For more assistance with Adobe Reader visit http://www.adobe.com/go/acrreader.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dov Isaacs
Dov Isaacs
Legend
August 11, 2020

There is absolutely nothing in the PDF format itself that provides for that type of message nor is there anything that any Adobe software puts into its generated PDF files to display that message. It would almost seem like a message from the e-mail client itself.

 

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
johng92565666
johng92565666
Participant
June 22, 2017

One workaround - zip your PDF form: most users will be prompted to save the zip file, and when they double-click to open the PDF, their device should (unless they have modified default settings) open it in Acrobat Reader rather than a browser.

T
Test Screen NameCorrect answer
Legend
July 5, 2016

No you cannot. You MUST either train your users, or give up PDF forms.

L
LTekAuthor
Participant
July 5, 2016

Bummer! Surely this inability to save form data when opening in a browser is a very common problem.

What about some way to embed a message or similar that only displays when a form is opened in the browser? For example, the user opens their downloaded file, it comes up in a browser, they click on a form field and get a message that it won't be able to save unless they open in Acrobat.

Or is there a setting which makes the fields unable to look like they're being edited when done in a browser? So they can't be tricked into writing into the fields and thinking it's working?

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