Top 8 Fixes for Microsoft Edge Not Opening PDF Files in Windows

The other day I was trying to open a PDF file in Microsoft Edge for editing. But the file did not open. Edge would repeatedly ask me to download / save the already downloaded PDF file. If you are facing the same problem and wondering how to properly open PDF files, Microsoft Edge then you have come to the right place.

Fortunately, with Windows 10, you don’t need a third-party PDF tool. Microsoft Edge can also serve as a PDF viewer in addition to an Internet browser. However, the problem arises when it refuses to open the PDF file.

Let’s see how to fix Microsoft Edge not opening PDF files.

1. Restart

Before you start playing with various settings, you need to restart Edge browser and your computer. First, close the Edge browser and relaunch it. See if you can open the PDF files now. If the problem persists, restart your computer.

2. Check the corrupted PDF file

Try to open the PDF file in another application. You can use Chrome or a dedicated PDF viewer such as Adobe Reader. If the PDF fails to load in these applications, it means something is wrong with your PDF file. Try with other PDF files. If you are satisfied with the PDF file, check the other solutions mentioned below.

3. make a default Edge app

If you still want to open PDF files directly in Edge browser, you need to make it your default browser. To do this, right-click any PDF file in File Explorer. Select Open with> Choose another app.

In the pop-up window that opens, select Microsoft Edge. Then check the box next to Always use this app to open PDF files. Click on OK. Now all PDF files should open in Edge.

If the above steps don’t work, go to Windows Settings> Apps> Default Apps. Scroll down and click on Choose default apps by file type. Find PDF and select Microsoft Edge by default.

4. Disable Open PDF externally

If the Edge browser keeps asking you to save the PDF file, you will need to turn off a setting in Edge as shown below.

Step 1: Open Edge browser and click on the three dots icon in the upper right corner. Select Settings.

2nd step: Click on Cookies and Site Permissions.

Step 3: Scroll down and click on PDF documents.

Step 4: Turn off the toggle next to “Always open PDF files externally”.

Step 5: Close the Edge browser and try to open the PDF file.

5. Update Edge

If the problem occurs suddenly, it could be due to a bug in the current version of Edge. To resolve this issue, you will need to update the Edge browser. To do this, click on the three dots icon at the top in Edge. Select Help & Feedback> About Microsoft Edge.

Your browser will automatically start checking for an available update. If an update is available, you will be notified. In case it is already updated, you will see that Microsoft Edge is up to date.

Point: Check out our in-depth guide on updating Edge browser on PC and mobile.

6. Clear browser cache

You should also take the route of clearing the browser cache to see if it helps to open PDF files.

To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the Edge settings.

2nd step: Click on “Confidentiality, research and services”.

Step 3: Click the “Choose items to erase” button next to Clear browsing data.

Step 4: Check the box next to cached images and files. Uncheck the others. Click Clear Now. Relaunch the browser.

7. Repair Edge browser

The next fix is ​​to use the inbuilt repair tool to troubleshoot the browser. For that, proceed as following:

Step 1: Open Settings on your Windows 10 computer. You can use the Windows Key + I keyboard shortcut to open Settings. Click Apps.

2nd step: Click Apps & Features.

Step 3: In the list of apps that appear, click Microsoft Edge. Then click on Edit or Advanced options. On the next screen, click Repair.

8. Reset Edge

Finally, you may need to take the hard step of resetting Edge browser. This will reset various settings such as search engine, pinned tabs, new tab page, and start page. Extensions will also be disabled with the removal of temporary data cookies and cache. Important things like favorites, saved passwords and it won’t delete history. Find out in detail what is happening by resetting Edge browser.

To reset Edge, follow the steps:

Step 1: Launch Edge and open its settings.

2nd step: Click Reset Settings, and then click Reset Settings to Default.

Step 3: A confirmation pop-up will appear. Click on Reset.