Assistance with PDF files (using Microsoft Internet Explorer)

If the Adobe Acrobat viewer does not display PDF files inside your Web browser as expected, please try the following solutions or update to the latest version of the Acrobat viewer.

Download Adobe® Reader®

Download PDF to hard drive

Make sure that the Acrobat viewer can read the PDF file by downloading it to your hard disk and then viewing it in the browser:

1. Right-click (Windows) on the link to the PDF file, and then choose Save Target As from the pop-up menu.
2. In the Save As dialog box, specify a name and location for the PDF file, and then click Save.
3. Choose File > Open and click Browse.
4. Choose All Files from the Files Of Type pop-up menu.
5. Select the PDF file you saved in step 2 and click Open. The Acrobat viewer should open the PDF file inside the browser window.

Note: If the viewer displays only a blank screen or returns an error after you've downloaded a PDF file to your hard disk, the viewer or the PDF file may be damaged. Exit the browser, restart the viewer, and try to open an Acrobat Online Guide from the viewer's Help menu. If the viewer can't display an online guide, the viewer itself may be damaged and you should contact Acrobat Technical Support. If the viewer correctly displays the online guide, try opening the PDF file you downloaded. If the viewer can display the downloaded PDF file, the PDF file isn't damaged; rather, your browser isn't working with the Acrobat plug-in. If the viewer still displays only a blank screen or returns an error, the PDF file is probably damaged. Contact Webmaster.

Check Browser Security Options

If you use Internet Explorer, make sure that its security options recognize the Acrobat Control: Note: This procedure changes Internet Explorer's security options for all ActiveX Controls. If you prefer to use stricter security, do not complete these steps.

1. Exit from Internet Explorer and your Acrobat viewer.
2. Start Internet Explorer.
3. Choose Tools > Internet Options and click the Security tab.
4. Choose the appropriate Web content zone for the type of PDF file you're trying to open (e.g. Internet or Local Intranet).
5. Click Custom Level to specify the security setting for this zone.
6. Select Enable for the options labeled "Download signed ActiveX controls" and "Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins." Select Prompt for options labeled “Run ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting.”
7. Click OK and then click OK again.

Disable "view in browser" feature in Acrobat Reader

Try disabling the "View In Browser" or "Web Browser Integration" feature in your Adobe Acrobat viewer (for plug-in and standard version). Doing this will force your Acrobat viewer to display PDF outside your browser in a separate window. In most cases this will fix your problem. Shown below is how to disable "Web Browser Integration".

Tech Note: Windows User - Start Adobe Reader from “Programs -> Tools -> Adobe Reader”. Deselecting the "Display in Browser" feature will allow you to open PDF's outside the browser in Netscape, FireFox, Mozilla, and Opera to name a few, but may not work for some users using Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE).

Some IE users have tried to deselect the "Display in Browser" feature and when they tried to open a PDF using MSIE, a second window would open and only show a blank white screen with a small image (image has a white background and includes a little red square, green circle and blue triangle inside it) in the top left corner and nothing else happens. This is because MSIE uses the Acrobat Control for ActiveX to display PDF documents. Netscape and other compatible browsers use the nppdf32.dll in the plug-in folder to display PDF documents. If this happens when you only deselect the Display in Browser" feature, try deselecting ALL four web browser options and close both your IE browser and Acrobat Reader.