As a test, I disabled the Reader addon in IE 11. When I did that, I found that online PDF documents no longer open directly in a browser tab. PDF documents now HAVE to be downloaded and they open locally on the PC with Acrobat.
Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader may be unable to display a PDF file inside a compatible web browser window if Acrobat or Reader can't read the PDF file, if the web browser isn't configured correctly with the Adobe PDF Browser plug-in, or if the web server on which the PDF file is stored can't serve the PDF file. This problem may manifest in a number of ways, including (but not limited to) the following behaviors:
-- A blank page in the web browser
-- A broken object link (for example, a red square, a blue triangle, or a blue circle)
-- A red X icon
What Is Adobe Pdf Browser Plug-in
Work through the tasks in this document to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.
1. Install the latest version of Acrobat or Reader.
The latest version of Acrobat or Adobe Reader may be more compatible with the operating system and drivers. Before you install an update or upgrade, make sure that the system meets the requirements.
For updates, check the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads . You can purchase upgrades from Adobe Authorized Resellers and from Adobe directly by visiting the Adobe website at http://store.adobe.com/store , or by calling Customer Services at 800-272-3623.
2. Remove all previous versions of Acrobat, and then reinstall.
Adobe doesn't support multiple versions of Acrobat on the same computer. Because Acrobat and Reader work with many products, multiple versions simultaneously installed can lead to software conflicts and errors.
1. Choose Start > Control Panel (Windows XP) or Start > Settings > Control Panel (Windows 2000).
2. Double-click Add Or Remove Programs.
3. Select Adobe Acrobat [version] and click Remove.
4. When prompted, confirm that you want to remove Acrobat.
5. Repeat the above procedure for all installed versions of Acrobat.
6. Restart the computer, and then reinstall Acrobat.
3. Repair the HKCRAcroExch.Document registry key.
It is possible that this key is damaged, is pointing to an obsolete version of Acrobat or Reader, or is pointing to a third-party PDF viewer.
Adobe Pdf Browser Plug-in Is Missing
Disclaimer: This procedure involves editing the Windows registry. Adobe doesn't provide support for editing the registry, which contains critical system and application information. Make sure to back up the registry before editing it. For more information about the registry, see the Windows documentation or contact Microsoft.
1. Choose Start > Run, type regedit in the Open text field of the Run dialog box, and then click OK.
2. Back up your current Registry file:
a. In the Registry Editor dialog box, choose File > Export.
b. Type a name for the file and choose the location.
c. For Export Range, choose All.
d. Click Save.
3. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAcroExch.Document.
4. Right-click AcroExch.Document and select Delete; make sure you have the correct key, and click Yes on any prompts.
5. Right-click AcroExch.Document.7 and select Delete; make sure you have the correct key, and click Yes on any prompts.
6. Repair your Acrobat or Reader installation using solution 8 below.
4. Make sure that AdobePDF.dll is enabled. (Internet Explorer only)
2. Set Show to 'Add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer.'
3. Find and select Adobe PDF Reader.
4. Make sure Enabled is selected.
5. Make sure that nppdf32.dll is enabled. (Firefox only)
1. In the Firefox address bar, type: about:plugins
2. Scroll down to a section named Adobe Acrobat.
3. File Name should read 'nppdf32.dll' and 'Adobe Acrobat Plug-In Version 7.00 for Netscape.'
If this entry is not available, use solution 9 to reinstall the Firefox plug-ins for Acrobat.
6. Delete temporary Internet files.
If you use Internet Explorer, delete the temporary files that Internet Explorer creates:
1. In Internet Explorer, select Tools > Internet Options.
2. Click Delete Files in the General tab, and then click OK when prompted.
If you use Firefox, delete the temporary files that Firefox creates:
1. In Firefox, select Tools > Clear Private Data.
2. Deselect all options except Cache.
3. Click Clear Private Data Now.
7. Try to open a local copy of a PDF file in the web browser.
Determine if the web browser can open the PDF file from your local hard drive rather than from the web:
1. In the web browser, choose File > Open (or Open File).
2. Choose All Files from the Files Of Type pop-up menu (Windows)
3. Click Browse
4. Select the PDF file you saved in step 1 of task 5, and then click Open to open the PDF file. If Acrobat or Adobe Reader displays the file, but won't display it on the web, the web server has a problem serving the PDF file. Contact the webmaster of the site from which you downloaded the PDF file.
8. Repair Acrobat or Reader.
Adobe Pdf Browser Plugin Internet Explorer
To repair Acrobat or Adobe Reader, you must have access to the installation media or to the network path from which you originally installed the product.
1. Choose Start > Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open text box, and then click OK to open the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box.
2. Select Acrobat or Adobe Reader, and then click Change/Repair (Windows XP) or Change/Remove (Windows 2000).
3. In the Setup dialog box, click Next.
4. Select Repair, and then Click Next.
5. Click Update.
6. When the process is complete, click Finish.
9. Deselect and then reselect the Display PDF In Browser preference.
1. In Acrobat or Reader, choose Edit > Preferences.
2. Select Internet.
3. Deselect Display PDF In Browser, and then click OK.
4. Choose Edit > Preferences > Internet, select Display PDF In Browser, and then click OK.
10. Remove DreamFactory. (Firefox only)
If you receive the error 'Cannot use Adobe Reader to view PDFs in your web browser' when you try to view a PDF file in Firefox, then do the following:
1. Choose Start > Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open text box, and then click OK to open the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box.
2. Select Change Or Remove Programs in the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box, select DreamFactory Runtime for Netscape, Mozilla and Firefox, and click Change/Remove.
3. Click OK in the Remove Programs From Your Computer dialog box.
11. Try a different web server.
Try to view a PDF file located on a different web server. For example, try to view a PDF file from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com . The Adobe web server is configured to let browsers open PDF files. If Acrobat or Adobe Reader can display PDF files from the Adobe web site, the other website's server may be configured incorrectly or its server software may not support page-at-a-time downloading. Contact that server's webmaster for assistance.
12. Change the content-type header on the web server.
If you're a webmaster or have administrative rights to a website, ensure that PDF files on that website can be viewed by configuring the web server to send content-type headers of 'application/pdf' for PDF files. For instructions, see the documentation that came with the web server, or see article 305153 on the Microsoft website at http://support.microsoft.com .
13. Optimize large PDF files.
If the PDF file is 4 MB or larger, ask the provider to optimize the PDF file. For information about optimizing PDF files, see 'Enabling Fast Web View in Adobe PDF files' in the Acrobat 7.0 (Professional or Standard) Help.
Related Documents
Configure Internet Explorer or AOL to display PDF files (Acrobat 8.0, Adobe Reader 8.0 on Windows)
What's covered
Configuring the browser to open PDF files within the browser window
Configuring the browser to open PDF files in an Acrobat window
Downloading a PDF file to your hard drive
Internet Explorer 7 and Acrobat
Interoperability of Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7 and Acrobat Adobe Reader 8
Interoperability of Acrobat and Adobe Reader 6 and Acrobat Adobe Reader 8
You can configure your web browser to open PDF files either in the browser window or in a separate Adobe Acrobat window. To configure the browser, you must have Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader installed. Acrobat and Adobe Reader include ActiveX plug-in files that allow you to use Microsoft Internet Explorer or AOL to view PDF files on Windows.
Configuring the browser to open PDF files within the browser window
When you install Acrobat or Adobe Reader on a system that includes a browser, you automatically configure the browser to open PDF files within the browser window. Acrobat and Adobe Reader install ActiveX plug-in files that allow you to use Internet Explorer or AOL to open PDF files. If either application is installed, but PDF files don't open in the browser window, then work through the following steps to configure the browser:
1. Make sure that the system meets the requirements for the Acrobat product you use.
Acrobat may not run correctly if the system doesn't meet the following requirements:
-- Intel Pentium III processor or equivalent
-- Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or Windows XP Professional, Home Edition, or Tablet PC Edition with Service Pack 2
-- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
-- 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended)
-- 860MB of available hard-disk space; cache for optional installation files (recommended) requires an additional 460MB of available hard-disk space.
-- 1,024x768 screen resolution
2. Make sure that the ActiveX folder contains files required for web browsing.
To open PDF files in a browser window, the ActiveX folder must contain the following files: AcroPDF.dll, AcroIEHelper.dll, and pdfshell.dll.
The ActiveX controls should be located in: C:Program FilesCommon FilesAdobeAcrobatActiveX
If any of these files are missing, then repair Acrobat or Adobe Reader by choosing Help > Repair Acrobat Installation, or reinstalling the application.
3. Use a supported version of the browser .
Make sure that you use a version of your web browser that Acrobat and Adobe Reader support, such as Internet Explorer 6. Supported browsers for Adobe Acrobat 8, Adobe Reader 8 are Internet Explorer 6.0, 6.0 SP1, Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox 1.5 or later, Mozilla 1.7, and AOL 9.
4. Restart Windows after you install Acrobat or Adobe Reader to update the Windows registry.
To ensure that the Windows registry provides the information your web browser needs to view PDF files, restart Windows. If the Windows registry doesn't update after you install Acrobat, then the web browser may not find the references it needs to access PDF files on the web.
5. Remove older versions of Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
If you have an older version of Acrobat or Adobe Reader installed on the system, then use the Add Or Remove Programs utility in Windows to remove it.
6. Repair Acrobat.
If you use Acrobat, then repair or replace corrupt or missing files by using the Repair Acrobat Installation feature or the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box.
To repair Acrobat:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add Or Remove Programs.
3. Select Acrobat and click Change.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to repair Acrobat.
7. Reinstall Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
To ensure that the correct plug-in information is added to the Windows registry, reinstall Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
Configuring the browser to open PDF files in an Acrobat window
If you want the browser to open PDF files in a separate Acrobat window, then configure the browser to use Acrobat or Adobe Reader as a helper application. Then, when you select a PDF file in Internet Explorer or AOL, the browser opens the PDF file in an Acrobat window instead of the browser window.
To configure the browser to use Acrobat or Adobe Reader to open PDF files:
1. Close your web browser.
2. Start Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
3. Choose Edit > Preferences.
4. Select Internet in the list on the left.
5. Deselect Display PDF in Browser, and click OK.
6. Restart Internet Explorer or AOL.
Note: The next time you select a link to a PDF file, the browser may prompt you to open or save the file. If you choose to open the file, then the browser opens the file in the helper application that you specified. If you choose to save the file, then the browser downloads the file to the hard disk.
For more information about the general preferences in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, refer to the Acrobat Help.
Downloading a PDF file to your hard drive
You can download a PDF file to the hard drive from a web page's link. Downloading PDF files doesn't require the ActiveX plug-in file to be installed. (If you want to open and view the PDF file after downloading it, you must have Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader installed.)
To download a PDF file from a link:
1. Right-click the link to a PDF file, and then choose Save Target As from the pop-up menu.
2. In the Save As dialog box, select a location on your hard drive, and then click Save.
Internet Explorer 7 and Acrobat
Internet Explorer is supported for use with Acrobat and Adobe Reader version 7.0.8 and 8. For versions of Acrobat earlier than 7.08, most functionality will work, but there may be issues with forms workflows. If you run into any sort of issue, then you should upgrade to at least Acrobat or Adobe Reader 7.0.8.
Internet Explorer 7 makes it more visible to the user which add ons are enabled and disabled. This is done from the tools menu by selecting Manage Add Ons.
After installing Adobe Acrobat/Adobe Reader, the following add-ons can be listed: Adobe PDF, Adobe PDF Context Menu Helper, Adobe PDF Conversion Toolbar Helper, Adobe PDF Reader, Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper, Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper.
The first three add ons are associated with the PDF tool bar that is installed by the full Acrobat product. The second three add ons that can be seen are installed with both the Reader and the full Acrobat product. By default, all of these add ons are enabled.
Internet Explorer 7 allows you disable individual add-ons, and it has a ?Reset? button (available from the Tools, Internet Options menu, under the Advanced Tab) that disables all Add ons. By disabling the Adobe add-ons, some PDF-related functionality may no longer work.
When Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader launches and it notices that add ons are disabled, it will return the following error message. 'One or more Adobe PDF extensions are disabled. This may impact how PDFs are displayed in Internet Explorer. Please go to Manage Add-ons in Internet Explorer and enable add-ons from Adobe. You will need to restart Internet Explorer after performing this action.'
Interoperability of Acrobat and Adobe Reader 7 and Acrobat Adobe Reader 8
When you install Acrobat 8 or Adobe Reader 8 and there is already an installation of Acrobat 7 or Adobe Reader 7 on the computer, the version 8 browser components will be installed, no matter what version of Acrobat or Adobe Reader is chosen to own the PDF mime type during installation. This is because the version 8 browser components work with both version 7 and version 8.
If, however, after installation of Acrobat 8 or Adobe Reader 8, you manually repair the installation of Adobe Acrobat 7 or Adobe Reader 7, the version 7 browser components for will be reinstalled. Trying to use version 8 to view a PDF file in the browser after this will result in an error message. In such a case, you must manually repair the version 8 installation by going to Help > Repair Acrobat Installation from Acrobat or Adobe Reader 8.
Interoperability of Acrobat and Adobe Reader 6 and Acrobat Adobe Reader 8
The Adobe Acrobat 8 and Adobe Reader 8 installers allow the installation of version 8 to coexist with version 6. They do not, however, give a choice of mime type ownership. Version 8 of the PDF viewers will own the PDF mime type.
Configure Browser To Use The Adobe Pdf Plug-in
If you use Acrobat 6 or Adobe Reader 6 standalone to view a PDF file in the browser after you install Acrobat 8 or Adobe Reader 8, an error message will appear stating that the version of Acrobat that is running is not supported and to exit it and try again.
If you repair Acrobat 6 or Adobe Reader 6 after the installation of Acrobat 8 or Adobe Reader 7, then the Acrobat6 or Adobe Reader 6 browser components will be reinstalled. If you try to to use Acrobat 8 or Adobe Reader 8 to view a PDF file in the browser after, then you will see an error message. In such a case, manually repair the version 8 installation by going to Help > Repair Acrobat Installation from Acrobat or Adobe Reader 8.