How to Enable and Disable the Chrome PDF Viewer

Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others.

What to Know

• In the Chrome browser, select the three vertical dots (More icon) in the upper-right corner.
• Choose Settings >Privacy and security >Site Settings >Additional content settings >PDF documents >Download PDF files.
  

This article explains how to enable or disable the Chrome PDF viewer. It includes reasons you might want to turn the feature on or off.

The following instructions can be followed by Chrome users on all major operating systems, including macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux.

How to Turn the Chrome PDF Viewer On and Off

Google Chrome's built-in PDF file viewer is turned on by default. It's convenient if you want to view PDFs as quickly as possible, but if you prefer to download copies of PDF files, you can turn off the Chrome PDF viewer to make those downloads happen automatically.

1. Open your Chrome web browser and select the three vertical dots (More icon) in the upper-right corner.

You can do this from an already open Chrome window. Don't worry, you won't lose the webpage you're on—everything will open in a new tab.

Select Settings from the drop-down list.

Select Privacy and security from the submenu that opens.

Select Site Settings.

Scroll down to the Content section > select Additional content settings >PDF documents.

Select the radio button beside Download PDF files to turn the feature off.

It's not necessary to close and reopen your Chrome browser for the setting change to work, but if you experience problems, restart the browser. If you still experience problems, make sure you've updated to the latest version of Chrome.

If you'd like to change your default PDF program, check out the best free PDF readers for Windows and Mac.

Reasons to Turn On the Chrome PDF Viewer

• You want fast and instant access to PDF files.
• You don't always necessarily want to download every PDF file that you click on to view.
• You don't plan on editing any of the PDF files you open and only need access to the basic options (download, print, zoom in, zoom out, etc.)
• You don't favor any other PDF programs over Chrome's PDF viewer.
  

Reasons to Turn off the Chrome PDF Viewer

• You want a saved copy of the PDF files you open in Chrome.
• You often forget to download PDF files after opening them in Chrome, then find yourself having to relocate PDF file links later.
• You want to eliminate the step of having to view the PDF file in Chrome first.
• You want to automate the download process.
• You prefer to use a different PDF program to view files and/or edit them.
  

If the PDF viewer is turned on, but you still can't view PDFs, delete temporary internet files in Chrome. Clearing your cache, cookies, and other browser data might fix the problem.

Open the PDF and activate full-screen mode in Chrome. On a PC, press Fn+F11, or select the three dots in the upper-right corner and choose Present. On a Mac, select the green circle in the upper-left corner of Chrome, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Command+F.

Select the three dots in the upper-right corner of the PDF viewer, then choose Two page view. Select the Fit to width icon at the top to view both pages side by side.

You can't open a PDF file in the Chrome mobile app. When you select a link to a PDF, the file will automatically download, and you can view it in a mobile PDF viewer app.