Disabling Your Browser's PDF Viewer

Some GCU reading materials are provided as downloadable PDFs. These PDFs are often password protected and must be opened through Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.  Some web browsers have a built-in PDF viewer though, which allows users to quickly view PDF documents without leaving the browser window. Unfortunately, browser features like this are not compatible with protected PDF eBooks and may prevent you from viewing them. If you would like to download or open a PDF protected eBook, you’ll need to disable your browser’s built-in PDF viewer and open your eBook in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. For assistance with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, refer to our article on Adobe Reader Installation and Setup. If you have recently installed Adobe Reader, we recommend restarting your computer before beginning the troubleshooting steps below.  

In the menus below, you'll find instructions on how to disable the PDF viewers in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge Legacy, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox!

NOTE If you are unable to select the download options in Safari, you may have Safari's Reader View. Reader View will change the formatting of the website to remove any clutter and better suit your reading needs, including removing the download options. Check out the the FAQ section in our Accessing PDF eBooks article for steps on disabling Safari’s Reader View.

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You may receive the following error message if Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is not set as your default PDF viewer and your eBook is attempting to open in the Chrome PDF Viewer:

"Chrome PDF Viewer: There is a problem with this protected pdf document. It may be damaged or has been tampered with. Please contact the publisher for a clean file. Message Code: 013"

To ensure your eBooks open correctly, follow these steps:

  1. With Google Chrome open, click the menu button located to the right of the address bar at the top of the browser.

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  2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.

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  3. Type the word PDF in the Search settings bar, then click on Site Settings under Privacy and security.3.PNG
  4. Scroll down and select the Additional content settings drop-down menu. Then select PDF Documents.

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    NOTE Some versions of Google Chrome may not require students to select the Additional content settings drop-down, and will instead just have an option to select PDF Documents.  

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  5. Select the option for Download PDFs.

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NOTE We recommend updating Google Chrome when available to ensure you have the most up to date settings listed above. If you are using an older version (version 57 and earlier) and do not have the settings listed above, type chrome://plugins into the address bar at the top, then scroll down the list of plugins until you locate Chrome PDF Viewer. Finally, click Disable to allow your PDF files to open in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

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On Windows 10 and 11 devices, Microsoft Edge is the default PDF Viewer. Depending on when you bought your device, it may be using an older version of the browser, which we’ll refer to as Microsoft Edge “Legacy”. Unfortunately, this will prevent you from logging into the PDF version of your eBook. Upon trying to open your eBook, you may receive an error like the following:

“There is a problem with this protected pdf document. It may be damaged or has been tampered with. Please contact the publisher for a clean file.”

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  1. Open the Windows Start Menu and click on the gear for Settings.7.png
  2. Type “default” in the search bar at the top and select Default app settings.8.png
  3. Select Default Apps on the left. Scroll down and select Choose default Apps by file type.9.png
  4. Scroll down and look for .pdf on the left side

(1) Next to .pdf, click on Microsoft Edge to choose an app.

(2) Once the Choose an app popup opens, select Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to set as the default app to open the PDF file type.

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NOTE If Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is not listed, click here for instructions on installing a supported version.

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On Windows 10 devices, Microsoft Edge is the default PDF Viewer. Unfortunately, this will prevent you from logging into the PDF version of your eBook. Upon trying to open your eBook, you may receive an error like the following:

“There is a problem with this protected pdf document. It may be damaged or has been tampered with. Please contact the publisher for a clean file.”

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  1.  Select the three horizontal dots in the upper right corner of Edge.

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  2. Select Settings.

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  3. On the left side menu, select Cookies and site permissions.

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  4. Scroll down to PDF documents.

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  5. Turn on the option “Always download PDF files” and turn off the option "PDF view settings".

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  6. Restart your browser, and then attempt to open your PDF eBook again. You may be prompted to select a program to open the file with. If so, select Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

NOTE If Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is not listed, click here for instructions on installing a supported version.

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In order to ensure your eBooks are opening correctly when using Firefox, follow these steps:

  1. With Firefox open, click the menu button  20.png  located to the right of the address bar at the top of the browser.
  2. Select Settings (Preferences on a Mac).

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  3. Navigate to the Applications.
  4. Find the Portable Document Format (PDF)in the list and click on it to select it.

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  5. Click on the drop-down arrow in the Action column and select Use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. If you do not see Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, select Use Other and then Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.

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  6. Restart your browser to save these changes.

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