View PDF Documents in a Web Browser

When you view non-HTML documents from a website, your web browser detects the document type and loads the necessary helper application so you can view the document in the web browser. Depending on the type of document you view, the helper application (or plug-in, as it’s known to web developers) may load within the browser or externally. Some applications give web designers the freedom to embed a document and call up the plug-in interface within the HTML document or open the application in an external window. When you view PDF documents from websites, your version of Adobe Acrobat appears in your web browser.

For viewers who don’t own the full version of Acrobat, but who have Adobe Reader installed on their systems, Adobe Reader launches in the web browser when a PDF document is encountered. Alternatively, in Acrobat or Adobe Reader, you can display a PDF document from a website by choosing Edit | Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat | Preferences (Macintosh) and then disabling the Display PDF In Browser option in the Internet section. If you own a Macintosh computer, Previewer may launch when you open a PDF document.