Downloaded pdf's do not open Automatically

Question

vossbark Author

Level 1

5 points

Downloaded pdf's do not open Automatically

MacBook Air '21 and others all same macOS

macOS Monterey 12.0.1

Safari 15.1

Preview 11.0

We use an accounts program via a safari browser that creates a report/invoice etc. as a pdf which then downloads to the downloads folder. On our earlier Macs, pre-Catalina, the document, after download, would then open in Preview (or default pdf reader).

Now this doesn't happen so after the download completes a user is required to navigate to the Finde r-> downloads folder, locate the file and open it manually. Seems not much of a hardship I know, but at busy times this can be a constant user overhead and is extremely annoying when we know it works in earlier systems.

We have 'Open "safe" files after downloading' checked in Safari prefs.

No 3rd Party anti virus.

No other pdf downloads will open automatically

Anyone know how to fix this and restart the lovely auto open after download feature?

Thanks in hope!

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.0

Posted on May 10, 2022 12:15 PM

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Answer 1

Alex_Han

Community Specialist

May 11, 2022 9:41 AM in response to vossbark

Hi vossbark,

If you'd like 'safe' files to open automatically with Safari and Preview, these steps might help.

Have you had a chance to restart your Mac? Restarts resolve issues both big and small. Here's how to Shut down or restart your Mac.

If the issue remains, can you recreate the issue in safe mode? If so, we'd recommend using safe mode to possibly resolve issues with Safari to Preview PDF export. Follow the steps in How to use safe mode on your Mac. Safe mode will help you figure out whether a problem is caused by software that loads as soon as your Mac boots up. Then after you find out if it does or doesn't happen in safe mode you can follow either the section, "If the issue continues in safe mode" or "If the issue doesn't continue in safe mode."

If the issue doesn't continue in safe mode, we'd advise paying particular attention to the second bullet point in that section. You'll want to follow the guidance in that bullet point and find out if the same issue is happening on a new account. If it doesn't happen in a new account, then it's something on your account.

If the issue continues after following the resources above, let the community know what happened with each test and what steps you tried.

We hope that helps with your question and take care!

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