Chrome Opens a PDF Instead of Downloading It? Change the PDF Setting
Choose whether PDF links open in Chrome or download, and avoid confusing that choice with automatic file opening.
In Chrome, open Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Additional content settings → PDF documents. Select Download PDFs if you want a file when you open a PDF link. To save only one PDF, use the download control in the PDF viewer.
Choose what Chrome does with a PDF link
Chrome’s PDF documents setting offers two distinct behaviors: open PDFs in Chrome or download PDFs. Change it only if you want the behavior for future PDF links, then try a new PDF link. A PDF already open in a tab will not retroactively become a downloaded file.
- For occasional saving, use the PDF viewer’s Download button.
- For a PDF link, right-click and choose Save link as when the site permits it.
- For future links to download, use the PDF documents setting.
If it downloads and then opens in another app
That is a different setting. After a test download, open Chrome’s recent download history. Right-click a recent PDF and clear “Always open files of this type” if it is checked. Then download another PDF and check whether it stays in the Downloads list without opening automatically.
Some websites use their own embedded PDF viewer. In that case the page’s Download or Export button may control the result more directly than Chrome’s PDF setting.
Find the file you already saved
Open Chrome’s Downloads list and choose Show in folder for the relevant item. Chrome’s default download directory depends on your operating system, and you may have changed it. Review Settings → Downloads to see the current location rather than searching every folder on your computer.
If the PDF contains edits made in Chrome, use the viewer’s option to download the edited version. An original copy may not include your form changes.