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Safari No Longer Auto Opening PDF Files

Whenever I download pdf files on my MacBook Pro, Preview would always open them so I could see them.


I also use Adobe Acrobat to also look at pdfs and perform functions on the file, etc. When Acrobat asks me if I want to make Acrobat the default application for viewing PDFs, I always say no.


However, last week I accidentally said yes. Afterwards I followed the procedure for making Preview the default viewer for pdfs and when I open a pdf on my desktop or finder it opens with Preview.


However, now when I download a pdf, it doesn't open automatically at all.


Yes, the "Open 'Safe' files after downloading" box is checked in Safari preferences.


What do I need to do to restore auto-opening of pdfs using Preview when I download them?


Thanks for reading.

MacBook Pro 15”, macOS 10.15

Posted on Sep 9, 2020 10:45 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 9, 2020 1:15 PM

Please ensure to check the setting without a Safari window open, then quit Safari before trying again. This can ensure the setting actually is set as default.

Also highlight a PDF and Get Info (⌘i) to confirm that Preview is the default app to open PDFs and that you can hit the "Change All" button for all PDFs in the future.

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7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 9, 2020 1:15 PM in response to x703jko

Please ensure to check the setting without a Safari window open, then quit Safari before trying again. This can ensure the setting actually is set as default.

Also highlight a PDF and Get Info (⌘i) to confirm that Preview is the default app to open PDFs and that you can hit the "Change All" button for all PDFs in the future.

Safari No Longer Auto Opening PDF Files

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