HELP Stop PDF auto opening after downloading in Chrome

[haley_4806]

PDFs keep automatically opening after I download them. I changed settings in Chrome already. But when I tried to unclick the "Open PDFs automatically in Reader when they are downloaded in Chrome browser" in Adobe, it will not save!! I'm at a loss for what to do. I've uninstalled Adobe and reinstalled it already. 

[AnandSri]

Hello Haley!

I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out.

Could you please share more details about the issue? Are you on a Windows machine or a Mac, and what is the version?

Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat Reader installed on the machine: 25.001.20474 (Win) | 25.001.20476 (Mac), Apr 28, 2025. Check for any pending updates from the Menu > help > check for updates, install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again. For more information, see this: https://adobe.ly/4jKDOXm

Make sure Chrome and the operating system are updated to the latest version. 

Make sure Chrome is set to download PDFs instead of opening them:

• Go to chrome://settings/content/pdfDocuments
• Enable “Download PDFs” instead of opening them in Chrome.

If the setting “Open PDFs automatically in Reader when downloaded in Chrome browser” is not saving or missing, try this workaround:

1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Internet.
3. Uncheck: “Open PDFs using a different application” (or similar wording depending on version).
4. Then go to Edit > Preferences > General.
5. If available, uncheck: “Open PDFs automatically when downloaded from Chrome browser”.
6. Restart Chrome after making these changes.
7. Important Tip: If the setting doesn’t save, try toggling it:

• First, select “Download PDFs” in Chrome.
• Then re-select “Open PDFs in Chrome” and restart the browser. This has resolved the issue for many users

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.