If you can't open a PDF on your computer, try the suggestions below in the order they appear.

Install free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC on your computer

If you have Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC installed on your computer, skip to the next step.

Acrobat Reader DC is the only free PDF viewer that can open and interact with all types of PDF content – including forms and multimedia.

  • Go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page, and then click Install Now. For step-by-step instructions, see Download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader DC for Windows or Mac OS.

    After the installation is complete, follow the steps in the next section.

Set Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC as the default PDF owner

Your system may not be set up to automatically open PDFs from the desktop with Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC. Here's how to set it up:

Windows users

  1. Right-click the PDF, choose Open With > Choose default program (or Choose another app in Windows 10).

    Choose default program

  2. Choose Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC in the list of programs, and then do one of the following:

    • (Windows 7 and earlier) Select Always use the selected program to open this kind of file.
    • (Windows 8) Select Use this app for all .pdf files.
    • (Windows 10) Select Always use this app to open .pdf files.
    Choose default program
    Windows 10
    Choose default program


    Note:

    If you have both Adobe Acrobat DC and Adobe Acrobat Reader DC installed on your computer, choose Adobe Acrobat DC.

  3. Click OK.

Mac OS users

  1. Click the PDF file's icon in the Finder to select it.

  2. Choose File > Get Info.

    Get Info

  3. Click the triangle next to Open With, and choose Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat from the pop-up list (if your preference is not on the list, choose Other to select it).

    Choose default program

  4. Click Change All.

Update Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC

Adobe releases regular security updates for Acrobat Reader DC and Acrobat DC. Installing the latest updates might solve the issue.

  1. Open Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC.

  2. Select Help > Check for Updates.

    Check for updates

  3. If the Updater dialog box appears, click Yes. The update will automatically install.

    Update Acrobat

  4. Restart your computer.

Repair Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC

Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC—or the resources they depend upon—could be damaged. Try repairing the product using the step below.

  1. Run repair from within Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC: Choose Help > Repair Installation. 

    Repair Installation