After updating to Windows 10 many users were dismayed to see PDF documents opening in Microsoft Edge browser, instead of opening as real PDF documents in the familiar Adobe Acrobat Reader. Follow the steps in this post to make your PDF documents open as true PDF documents using Adobe PDF Reader.
Change PDF Reader in Windows 10
Windows 10 uses its default Edge web browser to open PDF files. This happens whether you are opening PDF files from your desktop/laptop or opening an email attachment in your Microsoft Outlook account.
Some users appeared overly annoyed by this rather unexpected behavior of Windows 10 and have expressed their frustrations on the internet help forums using terms like “Edge Stinks as PDF a reader” and ended up asking in frustration “How can i get rid of this useless Edge PDF Reader”
From a practical point of view, anything that allows you to open and read a file should be fine. However, it is difficult to disagree with the fact that Edge as a PDF reader is no match to Adobe and Microsoft’s recent strategy of limiting and restricting user choices is only ending up frustrating its loyal user base.
Anyway, follow the steps below to remove Edge and make Adobe Acrobat Reader as your default PDF viewer in Windows 10.
1. Download and install the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader Program to your computer. For many users this step may not be required, as they are most likely to have this popular program already installed on their computers.
2. Right click on the Windows 10 Start button and click on Control Panel from the pop-up Menu (See image below)
3. On the Control Panel window, click on Programs
4. Click on Default Programs
5. Now, click on Associate a file type or protocol with a program
6. Scroll down the list till you find PDF, click on .pdf (See image below)
7. Next, click on Change Program (See image above)
8. Select PDF reader from the list of options that will pop up. (See image below)
From now on any file that you save as PDF will be visible as a PDF document (the familiar RED file) and all PDF files will open as PDF documents using the PDF reader.