Explore different methods of fixing PDF not opening in Google Chrome Browser issue through this tutorial and enjoy accessing PDF documents:
In a brief span, PDFs have turned out to become an integral part of our lives. For documents, PDF is one of the most popular formats, and we cannot imagine how these files have made our life easier to an extent.
In this tutorial, we will discuss the reason behind not being able to access PDF documents in Google Chrome. Further, we will also see different methods to fix this issue.
Let’s get started with the question: Why PDF won’t open in Chrome?
Chrome is a widely used browser, and PDFs are the most basic form of sharing secure data. Therefore, it is essential to fix the error of PDF documents not opening in the Google Chrome browser.
Table of Contents:
- Fix PDF Not Opening In Chrome Error
- Methods To Fix Pdf Won’t Open In Chrome Error
- #1) PDFs Not Opening In Chrome, Try Relaunching
- #2) Try To View In Incognito Mode
- #3) Reset Chrome Browser
- #4) Update Your Chrome Browser
- #5) Clear Cookies In Chrome
- #6) Hardware Acceleration In Chrome
- #7) Clean Up Computer From Chrome Browser
- #8) Disable PDF Downloads In Chrome Browser
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Fix PDF Not Opening In Chrome Error
There can be multiple reasons behind Chrome PDF’s viewer not working error. Few reasons being like excess cookies, because of an extension, bug in the new update, etc.
There are various ways of fixing chrome pdf viewer not working browser error.
Methods To Fix Pdf Won’t Open In Chrome Error
#1) PDFs Not Opening In Chrome, Try Relaunching
When the PDF not opening in Chrome error occurs, it is best suited to relaunch the Chrome browser.
Follow the steps mentioned below to restart the Chrome browser:
#1) Click on the “X” icon as shown in the image below or press ‘’Alt+F4’’ from the keyboard.
#2) Now, double click on the ‘’Google Chrome’’ icon.
#3) The Chrome window will open, as shown below.
#2) Try To View In Incognito Mode
Chrome offers its users an excellent feature termed Incognito mode, which allows users to use the browser with all the extensions and cookies disabled.
Follow the steps mentioned below to use Incognito mode:
#1) Open Chrome browser and click on the settings menu option (three dots on the top right corner), a drop-down list will be visible.
#2) Now, click on the “New incognito window” option, as shown in the image below.
#3) The Incognito window will appear as shown in the image below.
#3) Reset Chrome Browser
Follow the steps mentioned below:
#1) Open your Chrome browser and click on the settings menu option (three dots) and then click on the “Settings” option. The settings dialog box will open, as shown in the image below.
#2) From the list of settings, click on “On startup,” as shown in the image below.
#3) A screen will be visible, as shown in the image below. Now click on “Advanced.”
#4) Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on “Restore settings to their original defaults,” as shown in the image below.
#5) A dialog box will prompt. Then, click on “Reset settings,”.
#4) Update Your Chrome Browser
Chrome provides its users with bug fixes and new features. Therefore, updating your Chrome to the latest version is one solution to this error.
Follow the steps mentioned below to update the Chrome browser:
#1) Open the Chrome browser and click on the settings menu option (three dots). Now click on “Settings” from the drop-down list, as shown in the image below.
#2) Click on the “About Chrome” option.
#3) The About Chrome screen will appear and check if the update is available.
#4) Click on “Update” to update Chrome, and when the update is completed, it will display a screen as shown in the image below.
#5) Clear Cookies In Chrome
Whenever a user visits any website or searches for anything in the search bar, its memory is stored in the browser called cache memory or cookies. Cleaning these cookies frees up space for the PDF to easily open in Chrome.
Follow the steps mentioned below:
#1) Open the Chrome browser and click on the settings menu option (three dots). Click on “Settings” from the drop-down list. The settings window will open, as shown in the image below.
#2) Click on the “Clear browsing data” option, as shown in the image below.
#3) A window will appear. Make sure that you mark all the check boxes and click on “Clear Data,” as shown below.
#6) Hardware Acceleration In Chrome
Hardware acceleration allows the system to work in the best condition and provide high-performance outputs.
Follow the steps mentioned below to enable hardware acceleration in the Chrome browser:
#1) Open the Chrome browser and click on the settings menu option (three dots).
#2) Click on “Settings” from the drop-down list. Now, scroll down to the bottom in the settings menu and click on “Advanced,” as shown in the image below.
#3) Click on “Use hardware acceleration when available” and toggle the button on as shown in the image below.
#7) Clean Up Computer From Chrome Browser
Chrome provides its users with the feature to detect any harmful files present in the browser, and it is termed as a clean-up computer.
Follow the steps mentioned below to clean up the computer and fix the Chrome PDF viewer not working:
#1) Open the Chrome browser and click on the settings menu option (three dots). Click on “Settings” from the drop-down list.
#2) The settings window will open, as shown in the image below.
#3) From the menu, click on ‘’Advanced’’ as shown in the image below.
#4) Locate “Reset and clean up” from the menu options and click on “Clean up the computer,” as shown below.
#5) Click on the “Find” button present on the “Find harmful software” heading shown in the image below.
#6) The browser will check for harmful files, as shown in the image below.
#8) Disable PDF Downloads In Chrome Browser
PDF downloads in Chrome browser are also a primary reason that causes PDF not opening in Chrome error.
To disable PDF downloads in Chrome, follow the steps mentioned below:
#1) Open the Chrome browser and click on the settings menu option (three dots).
#2) Click on “Settings” from the drop-down list, and in the menu options, click on “Privacy and security,” as shown in the image below.
#3) Click on “Site Settings,”.
#4) Scroll down and click on “Additional content settings,” as shown in the image below.
#5) Click on “PDF documents,” as shown in the image below.
#6) Click on the toggle switch of the heading “Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome,” as shown in the image below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q #1) How do I enable PDF viewer in Chrome?
Answer: Chrome allows its users to view PDF in the browser without downloading them to the system. PDF viewer can be enabled in the system using the steps mentioned below:
- Open Chrome Settings.
- Click on ‘’Site settings’’.
- Click on the ”Advanced” button at the bottom.
- Click on the toggle switch of the heading ”Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them”.
Q #2) How do I add Adobe Reader to Chrome?
Answer: Chrome offers its users a feature to merge Adobe Reader with the browser with extensions. Follow the steps mentioned below to add Adobe Reader extension to Chrome:
- Open Chrome, click on the menu option.
- Click on the ‘’More Tools’’ option available.
- From the drop-down list, click on the ”Extensions” option available.
- The Extensions window will open.
- Search for ‘’Adobe Reader’’ in the search bar and add it to Chrome.
Q #3) Why are my PDF downloads failing?
Answer: There may be various reasons for PDF download failing, such as network connectivity, low disk space, auto-enabled Chrome PDF viewer, or some extension.
Q #4) How do I stop opening PDFs in the browser?
Answer: Follow the steps mentioned below to stop PDFs from being opened in the browser:
- Right-click on the PDF file from the drop-down list, click on the ”Open With” option.
- Click on choose another app, a dialog box will appear.
- Choose desired PDF viewer software and select the checkbox titles always use this app to open PDF files.
Conclusion
This tutorial discussed various ways to help a user fix PDF not opening in Chrome browser error. Some methods in the tutorial are focused on the restoration of default settings to fix this error, while other strategies are focused on altering few different settings to fix this error.
PDFs have become a big part of sharing digital documents, and therefore PDF won’t open in Chrome is a grave issue and needs immediate attention.
Furtehr reading =>> Methods to open recently closed tabs in Chrome