Is Microsoft Edge not opening PDF Files? Microsoft Edge (Chromium) acts as a default PDF viewer in Windows 11 and Windows 10 but it can sometimes, face issues while launching a PDF file or viewing an internet link that has a downloadable PDF file. For example, it can throw an error saying “Couldn’t open PDF in Edge, Something’s keeping this PDF from the opening”. When this occurs, you can try the following troubleshooting steps to fix the issue.
Couldn’t open PDF in Edge, Something’s keeping this PDF from the opening
The error commonly occurs if you have installed other PDF viewers as they may interfere with Edge while opening PDF documents. Also clearing cache is important as it can cause browser issues over time. As a starting point, you can try and to reset the browser as a default PDF viewer or repair the browser or try the following suggestions is Microsoft Edge is not opening PDF Files:
- Set Microsoft Edge as a default PDF viewer
- Delete Cache in Microsoft Edge
- Check PDF Documents settings in Edge
- Check browser extensions
- Repair Microsoft Edge.
Let’s begin!
Microsoft Edge not opening PDF Files
1] Set Microsoft Edge as a default PDF viewer
Open Control Panel and navigate to Default Programs. Click the ‘Associate a file type or protocol with a program’ link.
Choose the PDF file option and click Change program.
In the pop-up window that appears, Select Microsoft Edge and check ‘Always use this app to open .pdf’ box
Click OK to set Edge as a default PDF viewer.
2] Delete Cache in Microsoft Edge
It is a good idea to empty the cache on a regular basis to avoid problems while loading websites, unnecessary interruption and improve the performance. Follow the below steps to clear cache
Launch Microsoft Edge. Go to Settings and more > Settings.
Switch to ‘Privacy and services’ section. Then, under ‘Clear browsing data‘ heading click ‘Choose what to clear’.
Select the option Cached images and files and hit ‘Clear now’ button.
3] Check PDF Documents settings in Edge
Edge may prompt you to save the file each time you open a PDF document. You can change this behavior as follows:
- Open Edge Settings
- Select Cookies and Site Permissions
- Go to Site permissions > All permissions > PDF documents.
- Turn off Always download PDF files.
4] Check browser extensions
You might want to check the installed extensions and see if any of them could be causing this issue.
3] Repair Microsoft Edge
You can encounter problems while opening PDF in Edge if the browser is compromised and is under security threat by a hacker. You can repair the Edge browser to the default setting in Windows 11/10 and check if this helps to solve the problem.
All the best!