Troubleshooting PDFs

If you are using Internet Explorer or AOL, you may get a blank page when you try to open a PDF file.

This problem occurs when Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader opens inside your browser window rather than in an Acrobat window. There are two ways to solve this problem.

Save the PDF file

1. Hold your mouse over the link to the PDF file
2. Right click
3. Choose Save Target As in the pop-up menu
4. In the Save As dialog box, select a location on your hard drive, and then click Save
5. Start Acrobat Reader
6. Open the file you have just saved.

Re-configure your Acrobat

Acrobat 6.0 and Acrobat Reader 6.0

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.

Acrobat 5.x or Acrobat Reader 5.x

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 in Internet Explorer or AOL, a dialog box will prompt you to specify what to do with the file.