Adobe Acrobat won't open PDFs from the Internet

Created by NHC IT Support, Modified on Tue, 5 Sep, 2023 at 12:43 PM by NHC IT Support

Adobe Acrobat won't open PDFs from the Internet

Problem

When trying to open a PDF from the Internet, the user gets an error that there is a problem with Adobe Acrobat.

Solution

You may need to uninstall and reinstall Acrobat Reader and its browser plugins, make Acrobat the default viewer for PDF files, or change the Acrobat preferences. Also check for alternative PDF readers, usually accompanied by browser toolbars like "Babylon Toolbar".

Go here for more information on Abode plug-in configuration.

To change the preferences:

In both Acrobat Pro and Reader, change the Preferences > Internet so that "Display PDF in browser" and "Allow fast web view" are unchecked.
Then in Reader's Preferences > General, click Select Default PDF Handler and set it to "Reader".
If "Default PDF Handler" is greyed out, you need Admin rights. Try opening Acrobat with right-click elevation.