How to open pdf in mobile browser (A How-to Guide)

Looking for how to open pdf in mobile browser, you are the very right place to find what you have been searching for on the internet.

Opening a pdf file on mobile browser is quite difficult but I’m going to show you how you can open any pdf file on the internet without downloading the file on your mobile phone.

First, before going into the topic of the post on how to open pdf in mobile browser, I want you to know these things.

  1. Not all mobile browsers support the opening of pdf files on its app
  2. You cannot open a pdf file on google chrome mobile browser

How to open pdf in mobile browser

How to open pdf in mobile browser

Now, I’m going to show you the browsers which you can use to open a pdf file on your phone using the browser.

Let’s proceed.

1. Opera mobile browser

Opera mobile browser is the best browser to open a pdf file without requiring a third party pdf app on your mobile phone.

If you see a pdf file on the internet, the opera browser will give you options to select from and you can chose to download the pdf file or probably view the file using the browser on your mobile phone.

This is how to do it, how to open pdf in mobile browser using the opera mobile browser.

Open the Opera browser on your phone and search for a pdf file on the internet. As you have seen one, tap on the link and you will see that the opera browser will display three options;

  1. Open
  2. Download
  3. Cancel

how to open pdf in mobile browser

As the main focus here is how to open pdf in mobile browser, kindly tap on open, and opera browser will open the pdf file on it’s app.

If you want to download the pdf file, you should tap on download or probably cancel the process. Opera browser is one of the ways which you can open pdf in mobile browser.

2. How to open pdf in mobile browser using Firefox

Another browser to open a pdf file on mobile browser is the Firefox mobile version. First, you must make some changes in the settings before you can use the Firefox browser to open a pdf file without downloading the file.

First, open the Firefox browser on your mobile phone, and tap on setting. Scroll down to advanced and you will see where it states open link in apps.

how to open pdf in mobile browser

Kindly turn it on and proceed to the next step, opening a pdf on the Firefox browser mobile version.

Search for any pdf file on the internet, tap on it and the Firefox browser will automatically open the pdf file without requiring you to download the pdf or using a third party app.

However, if you didn’t turn the open link in apps on, Firefox will ask you to download the pdf file. This is how to open pdf in mobile browser using the Firefox browser for mobile.

3. Samsung browser

The third app that opens a pdf file on mobile without asking you to download it is the Samsung browser.

Before you can open a pdf file using the Samsung browser, you must first have a pdf app installed on your mobile phone. The Samsung browser will automatically open the pdf file using the pdf app on your mobile phone.

All you need to do is to download a pdf app probably the Adobe acrobat and install it on your phone.

Open the Samsung browser and search for any pdf file on the internet. As you have seen one, tap on it and it will give you the option to download or open the pdf.

As the main topic here is how to open pdf in mobile browser, tap on open to open the pdf file on your mobile phone.

So far these are the mobile browsers that opens a pdf file though I’m still testing some other mobile browsers.

Open PDF in Chrome instead of downloading

This works perfectly well if you’re using a desktop or the computer to open pdf on Chrome, it can easily open pdf instead of downloading the file, but this is missing in the google chrome mobile version.

You can only open PDF in Chrome instead of downloading on desktop or computer version, you can’t do such on the mobile version.

To open pdf in Chrome, open the app on your computer. Open the menu and select Privacy and security > Site Settings or you can enter chrome://settings/content/ in the address bar.

On the right, go to the Content section, and click on Additional content settings. Next is to click on PDF documents, and turn on (enable) the Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome option.

That’s it. You have successfully activated to open PDF in Chrome instead of downloading it first.

But if you’re looking for how do I open PDF in Chrome on Android?

This is not possible at all, you have to use the opera browser, Firefox or the Samsung browser to open a pdf without downloading it on your mobile phone.

Why PDF is not opening in Mobile?

Pdf not opening in mobile may be caused by a corrupted pdf file or probably you don’t have any pdf app on your mobile phone. The likes of opera browser and the Samsung browser makes use of the pdf app on a mobile phone to open a pdf file on the browser.

To know more on why PDF is not opening in mobile and how to fix the problem, kindly go through this post of Fix why can’t i open pdf files on my android phone and it will help you to fix the pdf problem on your mobile phone.

how to display a pdf via android web browser without downloading first

To display a pdf via android web browser without downloading the file, kindly use the opera browser and it will give you the option to open a pdf without downloading it first on your phone. Scroll up a bit and you’ll see the tutorial.

Samsung mobile browser also do the same, and the Firefox browser. Use the above tutorial to display a pdf via android web browser without downloading first on your mobile phone.

This is how to open pdf in mobile browser and I do hope to have answered this question properly. I recommend using the opera browser or samsung browser cause they are fast in opening the pdf file on their browser compared to Firefox.

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With this i come to the conclusion of this post on how to open pdf in mobile browser. If you still have problem opening a pdf on any of the listed browsers, kindly drop your comments below.

About Kennedy

I'm Amaechi Uchenna by name, a mobile tech enthusiast who love writing articles about tips and tutorials especially relating to gadgets.

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