A Chrome PDF viewer is a plugin that usually comes with the Google Chrome app for free. You can always download and install it on your Chrome for free if you didn’t have it in the first place.
Even if you don’t have the Chrome PDF Viewer, you can use an external or third-party PDF viewer if you feel that those can do better.
That being said, if you want to, you can also use different methods to disable Chrome PDF Viewer on your Chrome.
In this Article
3 Ways to Disable Chrome PDF Viewer
METHOD 1
This first method is straightforward. You launch your Google Chrome and type on the ULR page the word chrome://plugins.
The link will automatically send you to the plugin option of your Chrome browser. Just click on the Chrome PDF Viewer, where you can disable it easily or turn it on.
METHOD 2
The next method is longer but can also be effective.
Step 1:
Launch your Google Chrome browser and click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the page.
Step 2:
After you click on the three dots, you can click on Advance, where you can scroll down and look for more options.
Step 3:
There are many options for you to choose from, but in case the PDF Viewer doesn’t appear, click on the Site Settings, and maybe it will come up there.
Step 4:
Depending on your Chrome, the PDF Viewer may be something called PDF documents. Just scour through the lists and see which holds the PDF feature.
Step 5:
Finally, click on the PDF Documents or Viewer on your Chrome, and you will have the option where you can enable it or disable it.
On the image above, the PDF Viewer is currently disabled, and if you click on it, it will turn blue or green, indicating that it has been enabled.
METHOD 3
This last method you can consider the longest, but it can be a good idea to customize how you can open PDF files when you choose to disable Chrome PDF Viewer.
This method involves selecting a default program that will open the PDF file without using the Chrome PDF Viewer.
Step 1:
Click on the Windows icon in the lower-left corner of your screen. After you’ve clicked on it, choose Settings.
Step 2:
Once you click on Settings, many options will pop up on the screen but click on the Apps section.
Step 3:
Now that you’re in the Apps option take a look on the left side. Click on the Default Apps first, and then another set of options will pop up on the right side.
Click on the “Choose default apps by file type”. Based on the image above, you have an idea of what to do.
Step 4:
When you’re in the “Choose default apps by file type,” you will see all of the file types that can be used on your device. Scroll down to the part where you can see the .pdf file.
Take a look at the image; the default program for reading PDF files is Microsoft Edge. You see a small table where it says, “Choose an app”. That pops up when you click on the Microsoft Edge.
You can see the different options in opening a PDF file. You can change the Microsoft Edge as the default PDF viewer to Google Chrome.
However, if you look at the image, the Chrome PDF Viewer is already disabled. That’s because if it were enabled, then Google Chrome would be the default and not Microsoft Edge.
Technically you’re not turning off the Chrome PDF Viewer. Once the default program is chosen, then the Chrome PDF Viewer will automatically be turned off.
Conclusion
Disabling the Chrome PDF Viewer is something that some people would do because there are also some features that they want to disable as well.
That’s because some PDF reading programs are better than Chrome, but it is free and can fulfill the essential functions, so that’s good as well.
Other Resources
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