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Stopping automatic pdf downloads on Firefox using MacOS

douglasprice434
douglasprice434
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It does not matter how many times I change this setting in preferences to "Open in Firefox" I still get this pop-up every time I click a pdf.

It also does not matter how many times I select "open with preview" and click "Do this automatically for files..." box. Every time I click the next pdf the same thing pops up!?!?!?!

And additionally no matter my selection I make ends up leading to a pdf being downloaded automatically.

This is beyond frustrating. Please help.

It does not matter how many times I change this setting in preferences to "Open in Firefox" I still get this pop-up every time I click a pdf. It also does not matter how many times I select "open with preview" and click "Do this automatically for files..." box. Every time I click the next pdf the same thing pops up!?!?!?! And additionally no matter my selection I make ends up leading to a pdf being downloaded automatically. This is beyond frustrating. Please help.
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All Replies (1)

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 25 Contributor
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Are there sites where it works and sites where it doesn't?

When sending a download, sites set multiple HTTP headers. Sites can set two of these to trigger the download dialog, bypassing Firefox's automatic handling of downloads:

(1) Content-Disposition

If a server sends a Content-Disposition header set to attachment, which bypasses viewing in a tab, Firefox will always show the download dialog.

(2) Content-Type

The setting on the Options/Preferences page is keyed to the content type application/pdf, not the .pdf file name extension. If the server sends a different content type, Firefox won't use the PDF instructions.

If you would consider using an add-on to address these issues, I have one here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/content-type-fixer/

When using a site that has this issue, click the Zzzz button to wake up the extension, then click the button again and select the "Follow my settings (inline)" option:

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Athraithe ag jscher2000 - Support Volunteer ar