Acrobat reader as default PDF reader on windows 11

Hi Paul! My name is David. I am a user of Microsoft products like you, and it is a pleasure to greet you.

It seems that this issue might be related to the way Windows 11 handles default app settings, particularly after updates. Sometimes, updates can reset default app settings, causing them to revert to Microsoft Edge for PDF viewing.

I'll share some steps with you:

1. Reinstall Adobe Acrobat. In some cases, the application may not register correctly, which could be causing the problem.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Default Apps
3. Select the Adobe Acrobat application. You'll see the file extensions it can read. Change the .pdf extension, which is currently set to open with Microsoft Edge, to Adobe Acrobat.

An additional step you can try if the change doesn't work from the applications section is by right-clicking on any .pdf file > open with > choose another app, select Adobe Acrobat, and make sure to check the box "Always use this app to open .pdf files".

It's also important to determine if this behavior only occurs with Adobe Acrobat or if you're unable to set other applications as default. For example, do you experience the same issue with compressed files like .rar or .zip?

Do you have any additional version of Adobe Acrobat, for example, the Pro version installed alongside?

Have you checked if this issue occurs with another Windows user account?

If the settings still revert to Microsoft Edge after following these steps, it might be due to specific policies set on your computer, especially if it’s part of a corporate network. In such cases, it may be helpful to check with your IT department to ensure there are no overriding group policies affecting this setting.

Let me know if the shared information has been helpful. Regards.

Hi Paul. Thank you for trying the suggested steps and providing additional details about your issue. Since the problem persists specifically with .htm, .svg, and .pdf file associations and occurs on two different computers across different domains, it does appear to be a broader issue with Windows 11.

Given the specific file types affected, it's possible this issue may be linked to a recent update or an inherent issue in Windows itself that is enforcing Microsoft Edge as the default for these file types. Here are a few additional steps you can try:

1. You can attempt to set the default app using the Command Prompt, which might bypass some of the issues encountered through the GUI. Here’s how you can do this:

• Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
• To set Adobe Acrobat as the default for PDFs, you can use the following command:

assoc .pdf=AcroExch.Document

• Then apply:

ftype AcroExch.Document="C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe" "%1"

Please adjust the path if your installation directory is different.

2. If the command line doesn't help, you might need to edit the registry, which should be done with caution:

• Open the Registry Editor by typing "regedit" in the Start menu and run it as administrator.
• Navigate to

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts.pdf\UserChoice

And delete the "UserChoice" folder. This action will reset the association, and you might be able to set Adobe Acrobat as default afterward.

• Repeat for ".htm" and ".svg" if needed.

3. You can check the following Adobe article, which contains information related to the issue you're experiencing https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/to...

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

If the previous steps don't work, I would recommend making a post on the Windows Feedback Hub to report this incident to Microsoft and wait for a future update that may address the issue you're experiencing.

Let me know if the shared information has been helpful. Regards.

Thanks Bob,

your solution worked once when i attempted that, but reset itself next restart because of the hidden scheduled task.

For now i did the fixes listed below - force disable reg key for UCPD, AND disable the hidden UCPD update Scheduled Task "\Microsoft\Windows\AppxDeploymentClient\UCPD velocity"

I found this post:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftedge/forum/all/why-can-i-not-change-my-default-pdf-app-to/b27f0504-7824-4392-9a14-b325fea999f1 Also further reading regarding the UserChoice Lock-down in order to comply with EU March 2024 MDA Law:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/new-windows-driver-blocks-software-from-changing-default-web-browser/

All that aside, I think MS is using this "Compliance" as an excuse to force user's to use MS Edge and all MS products- Bad business practice IMHO.

Also facing the exact same issue on at least four different PCs all running Windows 11.

Hi David,

I tried all your steps and I still facing the issue. It seems this happens only for .htm, .svg and .pdf associations. The default apps cannot be other thing than Microsoft Edge. I faced this issue on two computers on different domains and no specific policies have been set on them.

Thanks

Paul.