open pdf files in Adobe NOT EDGE without having to download them

Why isn't there an Edge setting to never open PDF files within the browser (ideally for every Internet user). Under what circumstances would anyone choose to use a limited functionality viewer (clunky viewing options, incomplete printing controls etc) when a full function Adobe reader is available?

[Revised for clarity and conciseness - 2023-01-18]

All,

I needed to configure Adobe Acrobat Reader as the default PDF reader for our company standard computer image, but the file association kept being hijacked by Microsoft Edge. I have tried every suggestion I could find on the internet for the past few years without any success. After many days spent on research, experimenting, and trial and error, I now believe that I have a usable workaround that I would like to share with the community.  

1. Be sure that Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed already on the machine.
2. Open Regedit and delete "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSEdgePDF"

NOTE: first right-click on “MSEdgePDF” export a backup reg file for future use to restore it if needed.

Deleting this registry key should cause Adobe Reader to immediately become the next default application for PDF files.

NOTE: I’m not sure how Windows selects the next default application. If it does so alphabetically then maybe that’s why Acrobat Reader was the immediate choice in my case. You can see all applications associated with PDF files by going to: Windows Settings > Apps>Default Applications> and click on .PDF. You will see that Adobe Acrobat is the default.

To restore ... Import the backup .reg file and immediately, the file association goes back to Microsoft Edge without any further action.

Long Term ... I don't know if a future Microsoft update will restore these settings back to the original state. So far it has been working fine for us. One way to restore the workaround again quickly for future use is to create a .BAT or .CMD batch file with the following command line:  

reg.exe delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSEdgePDF /f

This will allow you to run the batch file and delete the registry key at any time. If you want a persistent “set it and forget it” solution then create a Windows scheduled task to run the batch file at startup or user login. There are many internet articles that you can search for on how to create a scheduled task.

Some observations to keep in mind if you desire to explore further ...

• All files associated with PDFs are listed in Windows Settings > Default Applications> and click on PDF.
  • Each of these applications have a registry entry in "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.pdf\OpenWithProgids". In my case, Adobe Reader, Google Chrome, and MS Edge had corresponding values: AcroExch.Document.DC, ChromeHTML, and MSEdgePDF respectively.
  • Deleting this "MSEdgePDF" registry entry is not sufficient because it only removes Edge from the list of applications and not the file association.
• I'm a little suspicious that the original problem is more directly related to Windows trying to enforce the file associations with Edge rather than Edge itself.

Hi there Jeri, I don't think you've had a response that satisfies you yet. I believe that if you are opening a PDF in Adobe, that document IS somewhere on your computer. It may not ask you if you want to download, and it may be in a temp folder instead of your downloads, but I'm pretty sure it has to be somewhere on your computer for it to be opened in Adobe. That's why people are telling you to "check" the download button and open it manually. It appears that the newer version of Edge automatically opens all PDFs in Edge; I haven't found a way to turn that off, but there used to be a setting a couple years ago (I found a MS post from 2020 that says there is supposed to be a setting for "use external program to open PDFs" but I can no longer find it).

There is a way to quickly and easily solve this that requires no messing with the registry or downloading the PDF. In the Edge "..." menu, select "Extensions", select "Manage Extensions". This will open the Extensions settings tab. You can also type "Edge://extensions" into the address bar of a new tab. Either one will get you to the same place. In the navigation panel on the left, select "Get extensions for Microsoft Edge". On this page, type "Adobe Acrobat" into the search bar and press enter. The first entry in the results should be the official Adobe Acrobat extension with the official icon published by Adobe Inc. Select "Get" button and in the installation popup (at the top of the Edge window), select "Add Extension".

 This will install the Adobe Acrobat plugin for Edge. Now any time that you click on a PDF, it should open in a new Acrobat tab with all the familiar tools. 

At the time of posting, the link directly to the Edge Add-ons page for Adobe Acrobat for Edge is HERE, but due to the changeable nature of the internet, I wanted to share the manual steps as well.

I hope this helps all of you achieve a happier workflow.

Thanks so much for this reply,

It pretty much solves the problem, though I still can't find the native Adobe print features (useful for booklet printing etc). However it has an "Open in desktop app" button which works.

Interestingly I found this solution a few days ago trying out Bing with a conversational style question and was well impressed when the solution you suggest was presented as the main result.