How to Change Default PDF Viewer on Android

A few days back, my friend faced a problem where instead of launching the PDF files in her preferred PDF viewer app, the PDF files were opening in a different app. The worst part was some files were not opening at all. What does one do in such situations? The solution is easy. You just have to change the default PDF viewer on your Android phone. Use this guide for the same.

We have also covered what to do if you cannot change the default app to open PDF documents on Android. As a bonus tip, we have suggested a few amazing PDF viewer apps as well. Let’s get started.

How to Change the Default App to Open PDF on Android

While Android phones offer dedicated settings to manage default apps for phones, messages, browsers, etc., the same feature isn’t available for PDF files. Changing the default PDF viewer is kind of tricky and it involves three main steps:

Quick Steps to Change PDF Viewer App

1. Find the app that has hijacked your PDF files from the Recent Apps screen.
2. Remove it as your default PDF viewer app by clearing the defaults in Settings.
3. Set your preferred app as the new default PDF viewer app when asked.

Now, let’s check these steps in detail.

Detailed Instructions to Change Default PDF Viewer App on Android

Step 1: Open any PDF file on your Android phone.

Step 2: Go to the Recent apps screen on your phone to view all the open apps. You can do it by pressing the Recent apps key or by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: Tap on the app icon of the app that is opening your PDF file and select App info from the menu.

Step 4: You will be taken to the App info screen of your current PDF viewer app. Tap on Set as default or Open as default based on the option shown.

Step 5: Tap on Clear default preferences or Clear.

Step 6: After clearing the defaults, open any PDF file again. You will now see a pop-up to set a default PDF viewer. Tap on the preferred app and select Always to set it as the default PDF viewer app. In case you want to use it only once, tap on Just once.

That’s it. Congratulations! You have successfully changed the default PDF viewer app on your Android phone including Samsung phones. Now, you can set Google Drive, Adobe Acrobat Reader, or any other PDF reader app as the default PDF viewer.

How to Change Default PDF Viewer on WhatsApp

If you are looking for a way to change the default PDF viewer in WhatsApp, it uses the default PDF reader of your phone. So you need to change the default PDF viewer of your phone and then it will be changed for WhatsApp too.

Additional Things to Try

• In Step 3, try long pressing the app icon if simply tapping the icon doesn’t show the App info option.
• On some phones, you will see the (i) button instead of App info text, tap on that.
• In case you don’t see the Set as default or Open as default options in step 4, tap on Advanced followed by Open by default.
• On Samsung Galaxy phones, the default PDF viewer app in most cases will be the Samsung Notes app. You can directly go to its settings and clear defaults.

What Causes the Problem

When you open any file on your Android phone for the first time, your phone asks you to choose a default app for viewing that type of file. You will see two options — Always and Just once. Tapping the latter will open the file in the selected app only once, and then Android OS will ask you to make a choice again.

If you go with Always, you will not be asked again. When you are familiar with the app, and you want it to be your default app, tapping Always comes in handy. But sometimes, we accidentally tap Always which results in opening the PDF file in the wrong app.

What to Do If You Cannot Change Default PDF App

If you are unable to change the default PDF viewer app on Android, here are some ways to fix it:

1. Remove Hidden PDF App

While writing this article, I kept OneDrive as my default PDF app. Strangely, when I opened a PDF in WhatsApp and tried opening the app info screen of OneDrive, the OneDrive app icon didn’t show up. It showed the WhatsApp icon only. Now, if you clear the defaults of WhatsApp, it will not help because the actual problem is in the default PDF viewer and not WhatsApp.

Use these steps to remove a hidden PDF app as the default PDF app:

Step 1: Open the PDF file. Once it opens in the problematic app, put on your detective hat and look for clues to identify the culprit app. For instance, you might find the name of the app when viewing the PDF file or its icon might show up.

Step 2: Go to Settings of your phone and tap on Apps/Installed Apps/App Manager depending on the option available on your phone.

Step 3: Tap on the app that you found in step 1.

Step 4: Press the Open by default/Set as default followed by Clear defaults to clear PDF file associations.

Step 5: Open any PDF file and select a new app followed by pressing the Always option to set it as the default app.

2. Remove Browser as a Default PDF Viewer App

Many users especially those using Mi phones face the problem where the Mi Browser is set as the default PDF viewer app. Clearing the defaults of the Mi browser doesn’t help. In such a case, you need to reset the default apps.

For that, go to Settings > Apps > Manage apps. Tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select Other Settings followed by Default Apps. Tap on the ‘Reset to defaults’ at the bottom.

3. Check Recently Downloaded Apps

If you still aren’t able to change the default PDF viewer app on your Android phone, it’s possible that one of the recently downloaded apps might be causing the problem. Usually, browsers such as UC Browser are downloaded accidentally by clicking on ads. These browsers come with PDF viewer capabilities and apps built-in. Such apps are responsible for taking over the default PDF viewer app.

So check your phone if you’ve recently downloaded any such app. Then clear its defaults as mentioned in the above method.

4. Uninstall the App

At times, clearing the defaults also doesn’t reset the default PDF preferences. It usually happens with built-in browsers like Mi browser, etc., that take over the PDF functionality. If that’s happening, you will have to disable or uninstall the problematic app from your phone. After that, open any PDF file, and you will be asked to choose a PDF reader. Select the app of your choice from the available list. Then enable or install the app again.

To disable or uninstall an app, go to Settings > Apps and notifications/Installed apps. Tap on the app that you want to disable/uninstall. Then hit the Disable or Uninstall button.

5. Reset App Preferences

Finally, if you are still unable to change the default PDF reader app on your Android phone, you should take the harsh step of resetting all settings (reset app preferences). Doing so will clear the defaults of all the apps and restore all other settings to their original values. For instance, Wi-Fi networks will be removed, display customizations will be reset, and much more.

To reset app preferences, go to Settings > System > Reset options > Reset app preferences. On Samsung Galaxy phones, go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset all settings.

Best PDF Viewers for Android

Now that we are talking about PDF viewers, the post will remain incomplete if we don’t suggest a few good ones.

Here are three apps that we like:

1. Adobe Acrobat Reader

You must be familiar with the Adobe Reader on your PCs. It is the most popular PDF app that offers additional features like annotations, collaboration, filling out PDF forms, printing documents from the app, and much more. The app is free without any ads.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

2. Xodo PDF Reader & Editor

Another ad-free app is the Xodo PDF reader. It offers similar features to Adobe Reader along with night mode. You can also create PDF files from your images using this app.

Download Xodo Reader

3. Moon+ Reader

With the Moon+ Reader, you can also read other types of documents, especially books in EPUB, MOBI, etc. The app offers several themes, dual page mode, and tones of auto-scroll modes among a dozen other features.

Download Moon+ Reader

FAQs

Change Other Default Apps

So that’s how to switch the PDF reader on your Android phone. You can use the same methods to change other default apps. We also hope Google adds a dedicated setting to change the default app for PDF files too. Before you go, know how to edit PDF files on your phone.