PDF Handling & Document Control

Tips to download, open, capture, and manage PDF files properly for documentation, compliance proof, and record-keeping.

If PDFs open inside Chrome/Edge instead of a proper PDF reader:

Chrome:
Settings → Privacy & Security → Site Settings → PDF Documents
Turn ON: “Download PDFs instead of opening”

Edge:
Settings → Cookies & site permissions → PDF documents
Turn OFF: “Always open PDF files externally”

Why this matters:
• PDFs open faster
• Easy Save (no extra clicks)
• Proper search & annotations
• No repeated “Save As” effort

PDFs opening automatically after download?

Here’s how to stop that and regain control 👇

Method 1: Chrome Settings (Recommended)
Click ⋮ (three dots) → Settings
Go to Privacy & security → Site settings
Scroll to PDF documents (under Additional content settings, if needed)
Enable “Download PDFs instead of opening them in Chrome”

Method 2: Downloads Panel Reset
Press Ctrl + J (Mac: Cmd + Option + L)
Click the ⚙️ gear icon
Click Clear next to
“Open certain file types automatically after downloading”

Method 3: If PDFs Open in Adobe Acrobat
Open Adobe Acrobat Reader
Go to Edit → Preferences (Mac: Acrobat → Preferences)
Under General, uncheck
“Open PDFs automatically when downloaded from Chrome”
Restart Chrome

Result
• PDFs download silently
• Nothing opens unless you decide to open it