How to default opening of PDF Files into Adobe from SharePoint 2019?

Question

I have a client that has SharePoint 2019 setup, the users are asking if we can open pdf files into Adobe rather than in browser, can someone help me if its possible and if yes, please share the steps.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

This can be done via the Document Library Settings > Advanced Settings.

Answer 2

Adobe support provided this solution but it will currently only work on IE. The solution has two parts; Frist "pdfFix.js" script which lives on the server in an accessible asset library, and, second, a PowerShell script which periodically scans the SharePoint and fixes the pdf file link URL's.

We implemented this fix as a jslink on webpart rather than deploying it server wide. In Webpart properties, insert the link to the pdfFix.js in the JSLink field. It works great on IE but not on any other browser as the script uses ActiveX to start Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Here is the (non-adobe) URL https://www.bonzai-intranet.com/blog/checkout-and-open-pdf-files-from-sharepoint-document-libraries/