You can read a downloaded PDF in a browser by dragging the file directly into the browser window or by using the “Open with” option. To do this, right-click the PDF file and select “Open with,” then choose your browser from the list of applications. Alternatively, many browsers have built-in PDF viewers, so you can often just double-click the file, which will open it in the system’s default viewer, which might be a browser like Google chrome, Microsoft Edge or Safari.
Method 1: Drag and drop
- Open the folder where your PDF is saved and have it open alongside your web browser.
- Drag the PDF file from its folder and drop it anywhere inside the browser window.
Method 2: Use “Open with”
- Locate the downloaded PDF file on your computer.
- Right-click the file.
- Select Open with.
- Choose your preferred web browser from the list.
Method 3: Use your browser’s built-in viewer
- Many browsers have a built-in PDF viewer. You can often open a PDF directly by double-clicking it, and it will open in the default browser on your operating system (like Microsoft Edge on Windows or Safari on macOS).
- To check or change this setting, you can go to your browser’s settings. For example, in Chrome,, go to
chrome://settings/content/pdfDocumentsand toggle the switch next to “Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome”.