Mac: Get PDF to download to desktop (not download file folder)

[KarenJK]

Hi,

Driving me nuts:

My current Version of Adobe attached

1. I have a Mac

2. Using Mojave 10.14

3. Using Gmail, Chrome

What I want: open my email and when I hit download my finder window pops up and I can decide where to save the file

This what happens

1. Open Gmail

2. When I hover over the attached PDF file, two options show, download or save to google drive

3. Then I click and it goes to my Apple downloads file which I hate -

Can't figure out if it's an Adobe setting, gmail setting, Chrome setting.

Argh.

Thanks,

Karen

[Test Screen Name]

What it definitely isn't is a setting in Acrobat Reader. It doesn't get involved with downloading from the web at all. Browsers just run it (sometimes) when a file finishes downloading.

In Gmail at the moment (Google can change what it does), I too see an icon with a download button or save to google drive button. The download button triggers the browser's default download, which for most browsers these days sends it to the Download folder (but Gmail doesn't decide). You could, in Chrome, choose "Always open in system viewer", and it would open in Reader but still be in Downloads. I suspect going to Downloads might even be a security thing.

You may not know that there is a third choice: if you click on the attachment icon, but NOT on either button, it immediately shows the PDF in the browser. In Chrome, this doesn't involve Reader, but it does show the file. I don't think it uses the Chrome PDF viewer because you can't do a right click - save as. Pity.

[KarenJK]

Thank you, Tariq. That's helpful. Is there anyway I can stop a PDF file from opening automatically? I just want to download it without it popping open. is there a setting for that?

[Test Screen Name]

There might be. It's going to depend on your browser.

[Hovawart]

And here I am, trying to figure out how to get downloads to save to my download folder on Mojave.