How to make Firefox PDF Viewer the default one

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Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Firefox has a built-inPDFreader, meaning that you can use it to view PDF documents on the web as well as those stored on your PC.

But the folks at Mozilla have for a long time resisted giving you the ability to set your default PDF viewer toFirefoxon Windows.

That changes with the Firefox 78 installer, according to recentcommentsby the Mozilla team.

Quick Tip:

Are you aware of the fact that Opera turned into the best alternative to Chrome? You get everything that you’re used to enjoying, plus Dark/Light modes and unlimitedVPN.

Moreover, Opera can display PDF documents right inside the browser window and it is incredibly simple to make Opera open PDF files in the Default PDF Viewer.

Just launch the Opera web browser and press thehotkeyAlt+Pto enter intoSettings. Quickly select theWebsitessection before scrolling down the settings screen to find thePDF Documentsfeature.

Up next, select theOpen PDF filescheckbox in the default PDF viewer application. Finally, don’t forget to close theSettingstab.

Opera

How can I select Firefox as my default PDF viewer?

The ability to set Firefox as the default app for opening PDF files on Windows 10 desktops has been elusive for years.

That’s been an issue for many Firefox users for some time now, and you may have noticed it too.

If you try opening a PDF file from your desktop, does it always launch inChromeor another browser? That’s usually the case even for users that have installed Firefox on their PC.

So, when you’re looking to set the default tool for viewing PDF documents on Windows 10, Firefox doesn’t appear in the list of possible applications.

Browsers like the newChromium-basedEdgeand Chrome do, however. That’s by design rather than an accident!

It has something to do with the inherent coding of the Firefox installer.

The installer is responsible for registering support for default file associations on Windows. We’ve always intentionally left PDF out of that list, but that decision may be changing soon, so I’m moving this bug so that it can find its way into the installer team’s planning.

But now Mozilla has heard and responded toWindows 10user demands for a change in that policy. Starting with version 78, you can set your default PDF viewer to Firefox.

This modification comes to users that set up their browser through the Firefox installer. It’s also available to those that receive an automatic upgrade to the latest version of Firefox.

What do you think about being able to set the default PDF viewer to Firefox? As always, you can share your thoughts or ask any questions via the comments section below.

How to make Firefox PDF Viewer the default one#

Opera#

How can I select Firefox as my default PDF viewer?#

How to make Firefox PDF Viewer the default one

Opera

How can I select Firefox as my default PDF viewer?