Right-click on any PDF file and then select Properties.
Last updated on
17 February 2025
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Also applies to Acrobat Reader
If you have both Acrobat and Acrobat Reader, Adobe recommends setting Acrobat as the default. While you can set any installed version of Reader or Acrobat as the default, Adobe suggests upgrading to the latest version for the best experience.
Set Acrobat as default PDF viewer on Windows
Microsoft Edge is the default program for opening PDF files on Windows 10. However, you can easily set Acrobat or Acrobat Reader as your default PDF viewer.
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On the Properties dialog box, select Change.
Note:If your computer settings are managed by a system administrator, you may not see the Change button. Sign in using an administrator account or contact your administrator to get the button enabled.
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Select Adobe Acrobat DC and then select OK.
If you have only Acrobat Reader, select Adobe Acrobat Reader and then select OK.
If you only have Acrobat Reader installed on your system, select Acrobat Reader from the list of suggested apps and then select Set default.
If you only have Acrobat Reader installed on your system, select Acrobat Reader from the list of suggested apps and then select Set default. -
Select OK.
The PDF files will now open in Acrobat Reader or Acrobat.
Video tutorial to set Acrobat Reader as the default PDF viewer
Set Acrobat as default PDF viewer on macOS
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For any PDF in your list of documents, right-click on the file name and then select Open With > Other.
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In the dialog box that opens, select Acrobat DC > Adobe Acrobat from the list of applications.
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Select the Always Open With checkbox and then select Open.
You can set Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader as the default PDF viewer.
You can set Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader as the default PDF viewer.
Frequently asked questions
Microsoft Edge is the default program for opening PDF files on Windows 10. You can change the default program for PDF files to open it in a program that’s more suitable and feature-rich, such as Acrobat Reader or Acrobat.
Adobe Acrobat Reader software is the free, trusted standard for viewing, printing, signing, and annotating PDFs. It's the only PDF viewer that can open and interact with all types of PDF content – including forms and multimedia.
Adobe Acrobat software is the complete PDF solution for working anywhere with your most important documents. It provides simple and consistent user experience across desktop, web, and mobile-including touch-enabled devices.
Follow the links below to get Acrobat Reader or Acrobat:
You need either Acrobat Reader or Acrobat. If you have both, Adobe recommends making Acrobat the default program for opening PDF files.
You can choose your installed version of Reader or Acrobat as the default program for opening PDF files. Adobe recommends upgrading previous versions of Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat to the latest version - Acrobat Reader | Acrobat.
To suppress the message, select Do not show this message again checkbox.
Once the check box is selected, a registry key corresponding to it is preferred and is created at the registry path as follows:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\(product name)\(version)\AVAlert\cCheckBox]
DWORD: iAppDoNotTakePDFOwnershipAtLaunch which is set to value 1
**If AVAlert or cCheckbox do not exist by default, then select the Do not show this message again check box on the dialog box and then recheck.
For Windows 10, the name of the DWORD is iAppDoNotTakePDFOwnershipAtLaunchWin10
Possible values of this registry key are:
- 1: Do not show this message again
- 0: Show this message every time Acrobat is launched until it is set as the default PDF handler.
You can create the key manually or use it using deployment to suppress the message.
