Guide: Fix ‘Chrome PDF Viewer Not Working’ Issue
Chrome now offers an even better PDF experience with its internal PDF viewer. This makes it faster and more secure than Adobe’s NPAPI plug-in, which is no longer supported.
However, there are some occasional issues with PDFs downloading and loading correctly, as well as some scrolling issues. ..
Most of the time, browser annoyances are caused by trivial reasons. There are a number of ways to fix them. ..
Chrome downloads PDFs instead of opening
Chrome’s PDF viewer can be problematic when automatically downloading PDFs. However, this problem should be fixed soon. ..
Turn off PDF downloads
Chrome has a built-in setting that downloads PDFs instead of opening them. If this setting is turned on by default, you may have accidentally turned it on or a third-party add-on changed it instead. To check if this is the case, take a dive into the Chrome Advanced Settings panel.
Step 2: Click on the Extensions tab. Step 3: Scroll down and click on the “Google Chrome” extension. Step 4: Click on the “Remove” button.
Step 3: In the “Advanced” section, click on the “File Types” tab. Step 4: In the “File Types” tab, click on the “Text Files” button. Step 5: Click on the “New File Type” button. Step 6: In the “New File Type” dialog, enter a name for your new file type and click on the “Create” button.
In the Content settings, you can choose to hide certain types of content from your users. For example, you may want to hide images or videos that are not appropriate for a young audience. ..
Step 5: Choose the PDF document you want to print. Step 6: Click the Print button.
To disable the automatic opening of PDF files in Chrome, go to the “Settings” menu and select “Advanced.” Under the “Privacy” heading, toggle off the “Download PDF files automatically” option. ..
That’s it. PDFs will now appear in Chrome instead of downloading automatically.
However, certain PDFs would still be downloaded …
Chrome is not always able to automatically download certain PDFs. This is because the PDFs are actually instructed from the server side to download to your hard drive instead of opening in the browser. ..
In a PDF, if the Content-Disposition header is set to ‘Attachment’, then the PDF will be downloaded even if it doesn’t have a file name.
Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent these PDFs from downloading.
Chrome cannot load PDFs
The Chrome PDF viewer is not working correctly and you can’t see PDFs. Is there a problem with your internet connection? Let’s take a look at how to fix it.
Work on Chrome without extensions
Certain extensions, usually those of a PDF-oriented nature, can prevent the Chrome PDF viewer from loading PDF documents. Try working in Incognito mode to determine if this is the cause of the problem. This will launch Chrome with all extensions disabled.
To open an Incognito window in Chrome, just click New Incognito Window in the Chrome menu.
If you’re having problems loading PDFs, it’s likely that an extension is causing the issue.
To disable an extension, point to More tools in the Chrome menu and click Extensions. Then click the Disable button next to the extension you want to disable. ..
When using Chrome in normal mode, be aware of any plugins that may be problematic. If a plugin is causing problems, consider disabling it or removing it from your browser. ..
Clean your computer
If you’re using Chrome, it’s important to be aware of the malware that may be hidden on your computer. This program can help remove any malware that is found on your computer.
chrome://settings/cleanup
Chrome will search for and remove any malicious software on your computer. ..
If you have Chrome installed on your computer, after the installation is complete, you should be able to open PDF files normally using the Chrome PDF viewer. ..
Chrome does not render pages correctly
- Make sure that your PDF reader is up to date
- Check for missing images and text
- Scroll slowly in PDFs
Update Chrome
Google is quick to fix bugs and glitches, and it’s always a good idea to manually launch an update yourself. You never know if you’re using an outdated version of the browser because of a failed update in the background. ..
In Chrome, open the menu and point to Help. Then click About Google Chrome.
If an update is available, Chrome should automatically detect and install it. ..
If you are still having trouble viewing PDFs, we will then try to clear your browser cache. ..
Clear the web browser and cookies
A common reason why PDFs may not display correctly or function properly is because of an outdated web cache. Clearing all locally cached data should help to ensure that your PDFs are displayed correctly.
To remove cookies from your browser, follow these steps:
- Open the Firefox browser.
- Click on the three lines in the top left corner of the Firefox window (the three lines that look like a triangle).
- On the right side of the triangle, click on “Options”.
- On the Options window, click on “Privacy”.
- In the Privacy window, click on “Remove cookies”.
- Click on “OK” to remove all cookies from your browser.
To clear your browsing data on Chrome, press Ctrl-Shift-Del. ..
To always clear your browser’s cache and cookies:
- On the Basic tab, use the drop-down menu next to Time frame, then select Always.
- Check the boxes next to Cookies and other site data and cached images and files and then click CLEAR DATA. ..
We’ll see what’s on the cards next if that doesn’t work. ..
Hardware acceleration
If you’re having problems with Chrome PDF viewing, make sure your video drivers are compatible with the browser. If they’re not, you may experience strange graphics anomalies. By default, Chrome uses hardware acceleration, but you can disable it if you want to experience smooth browsing.
Step 2: In the Advanced screen, scroll down and click Network. Step 3: In the Network screen, under the Connection Type heading, click VPN. Step 4: In the VPN screen, under the Connection Type heading, click PPTP. Step 5: In the PPTP screen, under the Server Address heading, type 10.8.0.1 and press Enter. Step 6: Under the Server Port heading, type 1194 and press Enter. Step 7: Under the User Name (VPN) heading, type your username (for example “username”) and press Enter. Step 8: Under the Password (VPN) heading, type your password (for example “password”) and press Enter. ..
In the System section, turn off the switch next to Use hardware acceleration when available. Then click RELAUNCH to restart the browser.
Some people have problems viewing web content when they enable hardware acceleration. This is because the hardware acceleration can cause the video card to work faster than it can actually run the content. So, some people might want to disable hardware acceleration for other purposes or update their video card display driver to see if this solves the problem permanently.
Reset Chrome
If you’re having trouble with your Chrome browser, we might be able to help. Resetting it usually fixes most issues, but it can lose some of your data. The process is pretty simple, but you’ll lose any cookies, browsing history and pinned tabs. Your saved passwords and bookmarks won’t be deleted though. ..
Step 2: In the Chrome settings screen, click on the Advanced button and then scroll all the way to the bottom. Under the Reset and Clean Up section, click on the option labeled Restore Default Settings. Step 3: In Chrome, open a new tab and type in “chrome://settings/advanced”. On the advanced settings page, scroll down to the Reset and Clean Up section and click on the option labeled Restore Settings to Their Original Defaults.
Step 2: Click the RESET BUTTON to reset Chrome to its default settings. ..
Chrome should now function just as new after that. Resetting your browser will also disable your extensions. When you re-enable them, make sure to keep unknown plugins disabled just for security.
Does it work now?
Chrome is back to normal, but there are still some issues that you may experience. Configuring your browser to open PDFs directly, clearing the browser cache, and turning off hardware acceleration are all likely ways to get things back on track. A browser reset might be the last resort.
If you’re still having problems, it might be a good idea to temporarily switch to a browser like Microsoft Edge – which also has an excellent PDF viewer – until Google releases another update that will hopefully fix your problem for good.
Fix ‘Chrome PDF Viewer Not Working’ Issue: benefits
Faq
Final note
If you’re having trouble viewing PDFs in Chrome, it may be because the browser is not recognizing them as valid documents. This guide will show you how to fix this issue. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
If you have any questions about the “Fix ‘Chrome PDF Viewer Not Working’ Issue,” please comment below or contact us directly. This guide is for educational purposes only. If you want to correct any misinformation about the guide, please contact us. If you want to add an alternate method to the guide, please contact us. This guide is for fixing “Chrome PDF Viewer Not Working” issues. If you have any questions or concerns, please comment below or contact us directly. We answer comments within 24-48 hours during weekends. You can also find our Telegram channel here if you’d like to stay up-to-date on software updates and discussion. ..
