This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Opening .pdf

more options

Thanks guys for screwing up my day with your latest update. I used to be able to download a .pdf and opening it in my ,pdf reader. I NEED to do this for tax reconciliation purposes. Now your crappy program has decided to open .pdfs in itself and I cant get a downloaded copy any more. What the hell was the programmer thinking? Yes I have gone to Applications and checked that it is set to my .pdf reader. Please fix this before I get fined by the tax office.

Thanks guys for screwing up my day with your latest update. I used to be able to download a .pdf and opening it in my ,pdf reader. I NEED to do this for tax reconciliation purposes. Now your crappy program has decided to open .pdfs in itself and I cant get a downloaded copy any more. What the hell was the programmer thinking? Yes I have gone to Applications and checked that it is set to my .pdf reader. Please fix this before I get fined by the tax office.

All Replies (8)

more options

Try changing the option for pdf files to Save File.

more options

Nope, Firefox still want to open the file. I even Refreshed Firefox with no progress. very frustrating.

more options

1. I have deleted Firefox and did a re-install. Before doing so, I exported my bookmarks so I could re-import them. 2. Now Firefox doesn't want to re-import the bookmarks & 3. I still cant get the stupid program to NOT open the .pdf in the browser. It insists that it opens the .pdf despite me setting the default to Nitro. 4. Can I PLEASE have an older working version of Firefox & 5. How do I stop it from updating?

more options

If this is a link, then you can right-click the link and use "Save Link As" instead of left-clicking the link. You should be able to download/save the file via the toolbar Download button in the PDF Viewer. About:config prefs are usually aimed at making it possible to open a PDF file in a tab in cases where the website sends it as a download.

more options

Thanks, but still no Cigar. Right clicking only give me the Image/Inspect(Q) drop down. There is no option to save as or do anything else. Firefox STILL ignores its settings.

more options

When the PDF opens in Firefox:

(A) Does its URL start with https or with file ? (B) Does it appear on the drop-down list from the Downloads button?


As a test, you could disable the built-in PDF viewer and see what happens. Here's how:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox. The moderators would like us to remind you that changes made through this back door aren't fully supported and aren't guaranteed to continue working in the future.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste pdfjs.disabled and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the preference to switch the value from false (meaning not disabled = enabled) to true (disabled)

Any difference?

If the PDF still appears in a tab, it could be that the site is showing a preview. Check in another browser to see whether it behaves the same.

more options

I can logon and download a bank statement but the only thing that appears are a few vertical and horizontal lines. This is with Wells Fargo.

more options

Hi Ed, I assume the problem is with Firefox's built-in PDF viewer. If you open the Downloads list and launch the PDF in a different viewer, is the text visible?