hello gil, websites can explicitly advice the browser to download a file - you'll be presented with the save file dialog in this case. you can circumvent that behaviour with an extension like this one: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/inlinedisposition/

If a proper MIME type is present or not. Lacking a MIME type Firefox will default to "asking" and also if the MIME type is incorrect for the "expected" file.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/set-how-firefox-handles-different-file-types

Well, that helps.

• Installing InlineDisposition changed the alternative from "Adobe Reader (Default)" to a "Choose" button, which linked to my Applications folder. Interesting, but not quite what I wanted.

• Looking at the "Page Source" I couldn't figure out what "MIME type" the server presents. Is there a way for Firefox to tell me which type the server associates with the file?

Thanks for the links. This is evidently a complicated area.

--Gil

can you provide a url to a site/pdf where this is happening?

Unfortunately, no. The web page with the ornery pdfs is within my account on my financial advisor's website which requires my password. At least, I hope it does.

Thank you very much for the help you have given me. I see now that this question is much more complicated than I thought it would be. I'm content now to let it go, and just do what they tell me.

I really appreciate your link helping me to understand what is going on.

--Gil