What's covered
Configuring the browser to open PDF files within the browser window
Configuring the browser to open PDF files in an Acrobat window
Downloading a PDF file to your hard drive
You can configure your Web browser to open PDF files either in the browser window or in a separate Adobe Acrobat window. To configure the browser, you must have Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader installed. Adobe Acrobat 5.0-6.0, Adobe Reader 6.0, and Acrobat Reader 5.x include ActiveX plug-in files that allow you to use Internet Explorer (IE) or America Online (AOL) to view PDF files on Windows.
Note: In this document, "Acrobat product" refers to Acrobat, Adobe Reader, and Acrobat Reader.
Configuring the browser to open PDF files within the browser window
When you install an Acrobat product on a system that includes a browser, you automatically configure the browser to open PDF files within the browser window. Acrobat installs ActiveX plug-in files that allow you to use IE or AOL to open PDF files. If Acrobat is installed, but PDF files don't open in the browser window, work through the following steps to configure the browser:
1. Make sure that the system meets the requirements for the Acrobat product you use. For a list of system requirements, refer to the following resources:
-- Acrobat 6.0 Professional: See Adobe's Web site at www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/systemreqs.html.
-- Acrobat 6.0 Standard: See Adobe's Web site at www.adobe.com/products/acrobatstd/systemreqs.html.
-- Adobe Reader 6.0: See Adobe's Web site at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acrrsystemreqs.html.
-- Acrobat 5.x or Acrobat Reader 5.x: See the ReadMe file included with the application.
2. Make sure that the ActiveX plug-in is in the correct location:
-- Acrobat 6.0: Program Files/Adobe/Acrobat 6.0/Acrobat/ActiveX folder
-- Adobe Reader 6.0: Program Files/Adobe/Acrobat 6.0/Reader/ActiveX folder
-- Acrobat 5.x: Program Files/Adobe/Acrobat 5.0/Acrobat/ActiveX folder
-- Adobe Reader 5.x: Program Files/Adobe/Acrobat 5.0 /Reader/ActiveX folder
3. Use a supported version of the browser:
-- Acrobat 6.0 and Adobe Reader 6.0 support IE 5.1-6.1 and AOL 6.0-8.0.
-- Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 support IE 4.0-5.0 and AOL 6.x (Windows 2000, Me, 98, or 95) or AOL 5.x (Windows NT).
4. Restart Windows to make sure that IE or AOL is accessing the most current Windows registry information.
5. Reinstall Acrobat or Acrobat Reader to make sure that the correct plug-in information is added to the Windows registry.
6. If you have an older version of Acrobat or Adobe Reader installed on the system, remove it. For instructions about removing Acrobat products, see Related Records in this document.
Configuring the browser to open PDF files in an Acrobat window
If you want the browser to open PDF files in a separate Acrobat window, configure the browser to use Acrobat or Adobe Reader as a helper application. Then, when you select a PDF file in IE or AOL, the browser opens the PDF file in an Acrobat window instead of the browser window.
To configure the browser to use Acrobat 6.0 or Adobe Reader 6.0 to open PDF files:
1. Exit from IE or AOL.
2. Start Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
3. Choose Edit > Preferences.
4. Select Internet in the list on the left.
5. Deselect Display PDF in Browser, and click OK.
6. Restart IE or AOL.
To configure the browser to use Acrobat 5.x or Acrobat Reader 5.x to open PDF files:
1. Exit from IE or AOL.
2. Start Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
3. Choose Edit > Preferences > General.
4. In the Options section, deselect Display PDF in Browser.
5. Click OK, and then exit from Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
6. Restart IE or AOL.
Note: The next time you select a link to a PDF file, the browser may prompt you to open or save the file. If you choose to open the file, the browser opens the file in the helper application that you specified. If you choose to save the file, the browser downloads the file to the hard disk.
For more information about the general preferences in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, refer to the Acrobat Help.
Downloading a PDF file to your hard drive
You can download a PDF file to the hard drive from a Web page's link. Downloading PDF files doesn't require the ActiveX plug-in file to be installed. (If you want to open and view the PDF file after downloading it, you must have Acrobat, Adobe Reader, or Acrobat Reader installed.)
To download a PDF file from a link:
1. Right-click the link to a PDF file, and then choose Save Target As from the pop-up menu.
2. In the Save As dialog box, select a location on your hard drive, and then click Save.
