File Links in pdf

Report · Mar 29, 2017

I use various Microsoft Office programs to create documents, then save as a pdf. These documents often contain file links to folders or directories on our office network. In Office, the link opens in Windows Explorer. However, once I save it as a pdf, the link in the pdf opens in a web browser. How can I make it so the link continues to open in Windows Explorer from the pdf?

Report · Mar 29, 2017

You can't. Links in a PDF can't point to a folder, only to files.

It used to be possible to do it when converting an Office file to a PDF, but that was a bug, I believe.

Report · Mar 30, 2017

Thanks for the reply, but what you are saying "can't" happen - is happening.

The link I create in the original Word or Excel or Visio document points to a folder - not a file. The link opens in Windows Explorer. Now, save the document as a pdf, the link is unchaged - it still points to a folder. However, now the link opens in my web browser instead of Windows Explorer.

A little more information... on other people's computer, the link still opens in Windows Explorer - NOT their web browser.

Since the link opens correctly in the original, and in the web browser from the pdf, it has to be a setting in Adobe on my computer - right? I have tested on several other's computers with different web browsers, AND have set different browsers as default on my computer and it alwasy opens in the default browser for me, so I am confident it is not a web browser issue, it is something with Adobe.

Report · Mar 30, 2017

This is the by-product of an undocumented (and unsupported) feature. It can work one way on one computer and another on a different one, or not at all.

Report · Mar 30, 2017

I guess I can buy undocumented and unsupported. It is just frustrating because it worked perfectly for the past 2+ years, then suddenly changed a few weeks ago - and no one else is experiencing this problem. That would tend to point to some setting that changed on my machine that could be undone...

Report · Mar 30, 2017

OK - further testing revealed more information...

I changed the link in the original document to point to a pdf file, not the folder containing the file. In original document, link opens the file in Adobe Acrobat X Pro.

Now, I save the original as a pdf and open. Now the link opens the target file in my web browser, not in Adobe. This says to me that Adobe is choosing to open link in a browser instead of the default program for that file type.

I tried again with the target file being an Excel spreadsheet instead of a pdf. From the original file, the target link opens in Excel. Save the original as a pdf, and now the link from the pdf tries to open the Excel file with a web browser. So, again, Adobe is choosing to open a link in a browser instead of the default program for that file type.

Does this help in finding the problem?

Report · Mar 30, 2017

Does your browser have plugins to handle said file types? Using a new browser? Updated browser? I know if I click a link to an Office document and it opens in Firefox, Firefox will open LibreOffice and all is good. Same for PDF. As for a folder, never tried or seen that done.