Set Adobe Acrobat as the default PDF reader in Windows 10

If you have more than one PDF application on your computer, you can specify which one is used to open PDFs. Microsoft Edge is not only the default web browser, but also the default PDF viewer on Windows 10. It may not be the best option for everyone. If you have a PDF reader of your liking, such as Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat, Foxit Reader, how can you change the default PDF reader in Windows 10? In this guide, we will use Adobe Acrobat in the demo to show you how to change a different PDF reader in Windows 10.

Method 1. Make Adobe Acrobat as the default PDF viewer from system settings

Click the Start button in Windows 10, select Settings from the pop-up menu. The Windows Settings dialogue pops up, choose Apps >> Default apps. You will see a screen like below.

choose default apps by file type in windows 10

To change a different PDF reader or viewer in Windows 10, click the link “Choose default apps by file type” at the bottom. When the Choose default apps by file type screen opens, scroll down until you find .pdf. Click on the current default PDF viewer. Once the “Choose an app” pop-up opens, select Adobe Acrobat to set as default. You’re done! You can find more details from this guide to change default app in Windows 10.

Method 2. Select Acrobat as default PDF reader in file properties

Open the Windows File Explorer, find a PDF file saved on your computer. Right click on the PDF file, choose Properties from the context menu. The file’s Properties dialog box opens. You can find the current PDF reader besides the “Open with“. Click the Change button, then select Adobe Acrobat X, Acrobat XI, Acrobat DC or other Acrobat version you have. Finally click the Apply or OK button to save the change, or save and quit the settings.

 Update Apr 2019: removed amzn.