W10 keeps setting Edge as default PDF opener, despite settings otherwise

apelhitam

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Sometime 1 month ago, god knows why or how it started, my PDF files keep getting Edge as the default opener.
I have adobe reader, and before that I had no problems; I set adobe as the default for PDF, and all PDFs are opened by adobe.

For some reason it switched to Edge, and despite me:
1. going to default programs settings and choosing adobe for PDF,
2. right click, open with, choose another app, adobe pdf+always use this program, and also
3. disabling Edge by modifying system folders,

it still reverts to Edge as default opener, after every time I closed the adobe reader.

All the solutions online said that its solved by using methods (1) and (2), and for me it worked for all other file types, and also for PDFs before this time, but now im stuck at having to reset default pdf opener to adobe everytime i need to open a pdf. Im considering wiping my device clean, but Id much prefer if there are less difficult solutions. Please help.

 
Solution
new version of win 10 out in next few weeks so I bet any changes we make before then will get reversed by the update.

See if this helps - https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/edge-hijack-pdf-htm-associations/

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Did you try going to Settings/apps/default apps
scrolling to bottom of the right tab and select Choose default application by file type
Find pdf in the stupidly long list
click on edge and choose Adobe instead?
click back arrow at top and then go back in to see if it kept changes
restart machine to make it save settings

or is that how you set it default each time?

Try making a new local account, make it admin, and see if it has same problem - will tell us if problem is windows itself or your user itself - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4026923/windows-10-create-a-local-user-or-administrator-account
 

apelhitam

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Hi Colif, thats method (1), and no unfortunately it did not work for me. :(
And as for the link, is that to make sure i use admin account when changing settings?
Yes my account on my device is the admin account, and until this problem it did not have any problems of this kind at all.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
I meant to suggest you make a new local user and make it admin when you set it up so that it would have the exact same access as your current user. Making new user is a way to figure out if your problem is caused by the current user or your PC, if it works for new user, then the problem is your normal user.

If it doesn't work for new user, then the problem is windows and I will have to look for another solution.
 

apelhitam

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ok so i did as you suggested. In the new admin account, adobe remains as the default pdf program even after restarting. so far so good.
however when i tried to change my default web browser from TWNUI (it was Edge before i changed the system folder name), through the default apps and programs settings, the window just closes/crashes and firefox is still not the default web browser.

i logged back into my usual account and so far it still uses adobe as default for pdf. Firefox is still the default for web here too, and i can switch it into/out of TWNUI no problem here.

I guess this worked? though i have no idea what made it work. Im gonna try to delete the now useless dummy admin account and see if the settings can remain in place.
 

apelhitam

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update: so its been good so far, but it came back. I found out that whenever i extract a winzip/rar package that contains a pdf (or just click and drag to a folder where i want to be extracted), it sets back the default pdf opener to Edge. :(

most fascinating. I experimented between using right click->extract here for compressed files, vs extract to or click and drag to folder.
When i use extract here, it does not tamper with pdf default settings.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
new version of win 10 out in next few weeks so I bet any changes we make before then will get reversed by the update.

See if this helps - https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/edge-hijack-pdf-htm-associations/
 
Solution

apelhitam

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good to know. Thanks for the assist.
In case anyone else is having the same problem, right click extract here seems to bypass the issue for now.