The Simple Guide Change the Default PDF Viewer to Open a PDF Document

Last Updated on August 15, 2022 by Tina Clark


Preview is the default PDF viewer for Mac to browse the PDF files. But the built-in toolkit has some restrictions, such as converting PDF documents, adding password protection, and editing the PDF files. How do you change the default PDF viewer on Mac? Whether you need to change Preview to another PDF viewer, or vice versa, here is the ultimate guide to help you out with the article.

Change Default PDF Viewer on Mac

Part 1: How to Change the Default PDF Viewer on Mac

Just as mentioned above, Preview is the default PDF viewer on Mac. You might need to change to another professional PDF toolkit to edit the PDF documents. Before proceeding, you must determine which PDF reader is presently configured as the default on your Mac.

Step 1: Locate a PDF file on your Mac and right-click it to reveal the dialogue window. Move the mouse cursor over the Open With button and choose the Preview (default) option. The default phrase means it has been set as the default PDF viewer on Mac.

Open PDF with Preview Mac

Step 2: Choose the PDF file to bring up the contextual menu, or right-click to bring up the contextual menu. After that, you can click the Get Info option to change the default PDF viewer on Mac. In the pop-up box, look for the labeled Open with: option.

Step 3: Click on the drop-down menu to the right and select your favorite PDF viewer, such as Safari to change the default PDF viewer on Mac to the online browser. Just follow the same process when you need to change Preview as the default one.

Change Default PDF Viewer Mac

Step 4: Once you have selected the default PDF viewer, you can click on the Change All... button to make it the default PDF viewer on Mac. To confirm the changes that you have done, you can simply use the Continue button to apply the changes.

Confirm Default PDF Viewer Mac

Part 2: How to Set PDFelement as the Default Mac PDF Viewer

Which is the best and optimal PDF viewer for MacBook as the default choice? PDFelement is a versatile PDF editor that provides advanced features, such as editing the PDF documents, encrypting them with passwords, adding some annotations, performing the OCR algorithm, creating the PDF files from the scratch, and even editing the texts and images. It should be the initial and default PDF viewer for your MacBook.

1. It is an all-in-one PDF editor, annotator, reader, maker, and OCR toolkit.

2. Convert PDF to Word, Excel, Images, and vice versa with a batch process.

3. Organize the PDF pages with merge, split, rotate, compress, flip, and more.

4. Create PDF with images, texts, forms, and passwords in advanced settings.

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Step 1: Make sure you have already installed PDFelement on your MacBook, Select the Open With option from the context menu of a PDF file, followed by the Other... button if you cannot locate the Wondershare PDFelement from the drop-down list.

Open PDF for Conversion PDFElement

Step 2: Under the Enable option, select the Recommended Applications from the drop-down menu, and from the app option, select the PDFelement option to change the default PDF viewer on Mac. After that, select the Always Open With from the drop-down menu.

Change PDFElement as Default

Step 3: What should you do if you cannot identify the PDFelement that you intend to save as the default in the Recommended app list. In this case, browse the Enable option and choose the All Applications option. Choose PDFelement and check the box next to Always Open With.

Step 4: Select the Open button to make your Mac's default PDF viewer the one you want. Once you have done the process, you can always open, edit, and even perform the OCR algorithm on the PDF files with PDFelement on your MacBook.

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Part 3: FAQs about Changing the Default PDF Viewer on Mac

1How do I set the default PDF viewer in Safari on Mac?
If you don't specify a preferred PDF reader, such as Adobe Reader, to use when opening PDFs in the browser, Safari will open the PDF file by default. To do so, launch the Adobe Reader software and pick Preferences from the drop-down menu. Then select Internet from the drop-down menu.
2What can you do with the default PDF viewer for Mac?
Preview is the default PDF viewer for MacBook, which is available in the Applications folder. It enables you to create, merge, and unmerge PDF files, as well as sign and digitally sign them. But it does have certain limits when it comes to annotating and modifying PDFs.
3Should I use the web browser as the default PDF viewer for Mac?
Yes. You can simply use Safari or Chrome as the default PDF viewer for Mac, which includes a built-in PDF reader that allows you to view PDF files directly without exiting the browser. But you have to use a professional PDF editor if you need to add comments or edit the files.

Conclusion

Here is a simple guide on how to change the default PDF viewer on a Mac. Whether you need to change the web browser or the professional PDF editor, you can always get the detailed process from the article. If you are looking for a terrific application that deserves to be the default PDF editor, PDFelement is a fantastic option.

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