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New Participant
June 7, 2024
Answered

PDFs are opening too small

  • June 7, 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 4438 views

I am using Adobe Acrobat PDF extension in chrome. Today when I opened a PDF, the view was too small. It was fine before. There is no option menu to change a setting so the PDFs open bigger. I have to zoom in every time I open a PDF and there is no way to change the default size. This is on my work computer - I cannot download anything or get into any computer settings.  The extension worked fine until today. I tried uninstalling the extension and reinstalling but the PDFs are openining too small and I cannot read them unless I zoom in.

Correct answer Tariq Ahmad

Hello @Kristin37908878era9 @Margaret380025401cg0 

Sorry for the delayed response. I hope you guys already have found a workable solution.
Just in case, when the file opens in Chrome using the Acrobat Extension. You can try a couple of options to enhance the text-visual experience.  

  • Page display setting. 
    • You can choose Single page view, fit width, etc.
  • Zoom 
    • You can use + zoom in to set the zoom level. 

Page initial view settings can be set on a file level using Acrobat Pro. Those settings define how the file will be viewed once it is opened. For more information on the initial view, helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/setting-pdfs-presentation.html. Those initial view settings may or may not work if you open the file in non-Adobe Applications.


Let us know how it works at your end.

~Tariq

4 replies

New Participant
August 17, 2025

The whole "page" is small including the menu, preferences, ... 
The extension ignores national keyboads so on my Norwegian keyboard CTRL + is taken as CTRL - (has to use CTRL \ to increase the content). CTRL + doesn't increase the menus etc. which are just as small. This is how preferences are shown:

 

Community Manager
August 18, 2025

Hi @Ragnar_Sturtzel3988

 

Thanks for reaching out. 

When a file is opened in the Acrobat Reader Chrome extension, you can check options in the lower right corner, such as Page view options, like single-page view, fit to width, etc. And you can also use the Chrome extension control for Zoom in and out


What happens if you try zooming in using the Google Chrome zoom option? 

 

Let us know how it works, and please share full screenshot while a sample PDF(without any sensitive data) is opened on your screen.


Best regards,
Tariq | Adobe Community Team

New Participant
August 21, 2025

Screen shot (with reduced browser window)

It's hard to use the lower right menu as the text hight is max 2 mm (from top of upper case till bottom of e.g. a g) compared to at least 5 for the text I'm writing now. Show full page gives readable size. I can increase the size using either the lower right buttons or ctrl +, but these won't increase icons and commands (see the picture and compare the url text with the commands and buttons in the Acrobat extension in the window). 

New Participant
May 2, 2025
Skærmbillede_2025-05-02_105003.png
Tariq AhmadCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
Community Manager
July 26, 2024

Hello @Kristin37908878era9 @Margaret380025401cg0 

Sorry for the delayed response. I hope you guys already have found a workable solution.
Just in case, when the file opens in Chrome using the Acrobat Extension. You can try a couple of options to enhance the text-visual experience.  

  • Page display setting. 
    • You can choose Single page view, fit width, etc.
  • Zoom 
    • You can use + zoom in to set the zoom level. 

Page initial view settings can be set on a file level using Acrobat Pro. Those settings define how the file will be viewed once it is opened. For more information on the initial view, helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/setting-pdfs-presentation.html. Those initial view settings may or may not work if you open the file in non-Adobe Applications.


Let us know how it works at your end.

~Tariq

New Participant
February 28, 2025

I have the same problem using Acrobat reader offline, opening pdf's already stored on my system that used to open full size. Why doesn't acrobat change the default opening to 100% & let us change it if it's not what we want?

Community Manager
March 7, 2025

Hi @CuriousBobT

 

PDF view can be influenced by two ways:

  1. App preference, Cmd/Ctrl + K > Preferences > Page Display. 
  2. It can be influenced by the initial View property of a file set by the author: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/viewing-pdfs-viewing-preferences.html 
    An initial view preference influence over the app preference, if set by the author. 

    Let us know if you have any questions.

 

~Tariq

 

New Participant
June 12, 2024

Same - following to read solution.  I am on a Mac.