How to Open PDF in Google Chrome: A Very Brief Guide

Your browser is your magic wand that handles everything from research, movie streaming, and casual gaming to business discussions, document editing, and even working with PDFs. However, this format can be a little bit of a pain to open in the browser. No need to panic—if you’ve ever had trouble opening PDFs in Chrome, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a brief guide on how to do it smoother than ever. 

How to Open a PDF in Chrome

There are a few easy ways to open a PDF in Chrome, depending on where you store the file.

Opening a PDF from Your Computer

If the PDF is saved on your device, you can open it in Chrome with these simple steps:

1. Find the desired PDF file on your computer.
2. Right-click the file, select Open with, and choose Google Chrome.
3. Click Open, and your PDF will appear in a new tab.

Just a tip: You can also drag and drop the PDF directly into an open Chrome window to view it instantly.

Opening a PDF from a Website

If you come across a PDF link while browsing, just click on it, and Chrome will open it in the same tab. If you want it to be in a separate tab, right-click the link and choose Open link in new tab. That’s it!

How to Open a PDF on a Smartphone

iPhones and Android devices have built-in functionality to open PDF files. On iOS you can open a PDF with the help of Files app or Safari browser. If you install Chrome on your iPhone, it’ll also work well. Most Android phones have built-in tools like Google Drive PDF Viewer or Samsung’s My Files app. 

However, if viewing isn’t enough because you need to modify your PDF document, a third-party app will be a way out. There are plenty of mobile scanners and PDF editors on the market right now, so you just need to find the one that suits you best. We’ll use an app called iScanner to show you how it works. This app combines scanning functions with a PDF editor, making it especially practical when you need to create a PDF from a picture. iScanner is also available on both iOS and Android, which makes it accessible to any user.

To open a PDF with iScanner, 

1. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play if it’s not installed.

2. Open it.

3. Tap Plus. 

4. Now choose the location of your file (Photos or Import Files). If you want to take a picture of a document and make a PDF out of it, select Camera.

That’s it! Now you can modify the document the way you need. You can:

• Edit text;
• Crop, rotate, and improve the quality of the file with the help of AI;
• Add images, watermarks, and e-signatures;
• Hide parts of the text that include sensitive information;
• Convert your file into any popular format;
• Highlight text in different colors;
• Translate the doc in 108 languages, and more. 

Why Won’t My PDF Open in Chrome?

If you tried all the steps we’ve described earlier but still can’t view your PDF in Chrome, don’t worry. Here are the two most common reasons for that:

• Instead of opening files, Chrome is configured to download PDFs;
• Google Chrome isn’t your default PDF viewer.

How to Stop Chrome from Downloading PDFs

By default, Chrome might download PDFs instead of displaying them. Follow these steps to change this setting:

1. Open Google Chrome and type chrome://settings in the address bar.
2. Go to Privacy and security, then choose Site settings.
3. Click Additional content settings and then choose PDF documents.
4. Check the Open PDFs in Chrome option instead of downloading them.

That’s it! Now Chrome will display PDFs instead of saving them to your computer.

How to Set Chrome as Your PDF Viewer

If you want to open PDFs in Chrome instead of using another browser, you need to set Chrome as your default viewer. Here’s how to do it:

MacOS:

1. Right-click (or Control + Click) on a PDF file.
2. Select Get Info from the menu.
3. In the Open With section, select Google Chrome from the dropdown menu.
4. Select Change All to apply this setting to every PDF.
5. Confirm your choice.

Windows:

1. Right-click on any PDF file on your computer.
2. Choose Open with and select Choose another app.
3. Scroll down and click More apps.
4. Select Google Chrome from the list.
5. Tick the box that says Always use this app to open .pdf files.
6. Click OK to save these settings.

With these simple steps, Chrome will become your default PDF viewer, making it easier to open, read, and manage PDFs directly in your browser!