Always open PDF with Acrobat: How it works

Adobe's Acrobat Reader is the most popular program for opening PDFs. If your computer doesn't open files on its own with the software, we'll show you how to make the change.

If desired, you can always open PDFs automatically with Acrobat Reader.

First, make sure Acrobat Reader is installed. You can find the free download here.

How to always open PDFs with Acrobat Reader

Then do the following:

1. Right-click on any PDF file.
2. Select "Properties".
3. In the first "General" tab, you will see the "Open with" line at the top. Click "Change" to the right of it.
4. Select Adobe Reader and close the window with "Apply".

This should now change the icon of your PDFs and consequently appear in the red and white Adobe design. If this is the case, all PDFs from now on will be automatically opened with Acrobat Reader, which is easy to check directly.