How to Stop Edge from Opening PDFs on Windows 11

Windows 11 sets Microsoft Edge as the default PDF viewer, so every PDF you double-click opens in a browser tab. This changes the default for the .pdf file type to the app you want.

Install the PDF app you want first

If Adobe Acrobat Reader, Foxit, or another PDF app is not already on the PC, install it and open it once. Windows only lists apps that are installed, so if the only choice you see later is Edge, this is the reason.

Open Default apps

Press Windows + I to open Settings, then go to Apps, Default apps.

Find the .pdf file type

Scroll down to the box labeled Set a default for a file type or link type, type .pdf, and press Enter. You can also scroll the long list until you reach .pdf. Microsoft Edge shows as the current app.

Pick the new app

Click the Microsoft Edge entry next to .pdf. A list of installed apps appears. Choose Adobe Acrobat Reader, Google Chrome, or whichever PDF app you want, then click Set default.

Test with a PDF

Double-click any PDF in File Explorer. It should open in the app you picked. If it still opens in Edge, right-click the PDF, choose Open with, then Choose another app, pick the app, and click Always. That sets the same default from the other direction.

If Edge still opens PDFs sometimes. Edge has its own built-in PDF viewer, so a PDF you click inside Edge (a link on a web page, or a file opened from the Edge downloads list) still shows there. That is not the system default changing back. Files opened from File Explorer, email attachments, and other apps use the app you chose.

If the list only shows Edge. No other PDF app is installed. Install one, open it once, and repeat the steps.