Clever Clogs tip # 686
13 January 2022


Open PDFs directly in your favourite app *

The setting on my PC is such that it opens PDFs in Edge, the web browser. If that's not what you want, you can easily change it - forever or just once.

Here's how:

  1. Right-click the PDF file and select Open with and select, for example, Adobe Reader Touch.
  2. If your favourite app isn't listed, click Choose another app.
  3. If necessary, scroll down and click More apps.
  4. Select your favourite app, such as Word.
  5. If you want, tick Always use this app to open .pdf files.
  6. Click OK.

If you selected Word, you'll get a prompt that you can suppress in future by clicking Don't show this message again.

If you only occasionally want a PDF to open in Word you can also simply press CTRL + O (for Open) from within Word, navigate to the PDF and double-click its name. Word makes a copy of the PDF and converts the content. The original PDF will not be changed. Remember, you're obviously responsible for respecting others' rights, including copyright.

Related tips

  1. Transform your Word documents into interactive presentations, reports or newsletters: tip_653.php
  2. Attach a copy or a PDF version of an active document to an email message: tip_661.php

This week's CleverClogsTipTime on LinkedIn; just in case you missed it...

  1. Stop typing the entire Excel Function - including its open bracket


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 desktop apps and Windows 10 users, but might also be useful in Office 2010, 2013 and 2016.