Set Adobe Pro XI as default when Reader DC is installed

Report · Aug 30, 2017

User has Adobe Pro XI, when we install Reader DC, the default file association is set to Reader DC. When the default file association is changed to open .pdf to Adobe Pro XI, files opened within IE are still opening in IE with Reader DC. Files on a network or local share do open in Adobe Pro.

I have uninstalled Reader DC, then when opening a pdf from IE, the pdf opens in the application Pro XI (not IE) -this is what we want but also need to have Reader DC installed.

OS is Win7

IE11

So what needs to be modified so all PDFs open with Adobe Pro XI (the application), not Reader DC?

We have gold support for Adobe Pro but every time I call in, I get re-routed to some other team who says they can't find our contract and to go to forums. So hopefully someone can answer my question here.

Report · Aug 31, 2017

Hi Crystal,

As explained above, that the pdfs on IE opens up in Adobe Reader not in Acrobat XI.

Might be the web browser is forcing the extension to open pdfs with Reader.

Wonder if simple right click a pdf and choose open with (always) Acrobat would help.

You may also try the step-5 and disable the Reader Add-on to see if that helps- Display PDF in browser Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat Reader

Or try-

Choose Edit—>Preferences
Select the Internet category from the list on the left
To display the PDF in the browser, check "Display in browser"
To open PDFs from the web directly in Acrobat, uncheck "Display in browser:

Let us know if the workaround doesn't help.

Regards,

Akanchha

Report · Sep 01, 2017

Adobe removed the feature that allows a user to choose how they want to open the PDF in the Preferences/Internet section starting in version 11. We've asked for them to return it but they have not. You can disable the IE Plugin for Reader and that will force it to open in the application, however we lock that down via a security GPO. I've also seen if you do this, that some 3rd party websites only open the PDF in IE and if you disable it the PDF will not open.

What I found odd was that with only Adobe Pro XI installed, opening a PDF from IE will actually open it in the application. I need to have both Adobe Pro XI & Reader DC installed. When we do this and set the file association to open .pdf in Pro, it still opens the PDF in IE/Reader DC.