For some PC users, you may get the Failed to load PDF document error message when you try using the built-in PDF Viewer to open a PDF document in Google Chrome on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer. If you have encountered a similar issue, then this post is for you! In this post, we offer suggestions that can help you resolve the issue.
This issue can also occur in other browsers that have a native PDF reader/viewer. You are likely to encounter this problem in Chrome due to the following reasons.
In one particular case where you may get the error message, it simply indicates that the web browser you are using, Google Chrome, is trying to open a secured PDF file within its own native PDF Viewer. In this case, you will have to open the protected PDF using Adobe Acrobat Reader or any other desktop PDF application on your PC.
To troubleshoot viewing PDF files on the web, you can try resetting the display preference in your browser to clear up the viewing issue. In Reader or Acrobat, right-click the document window, and choose Page Display Preferences. From the list at the left pane, select Internet, then uncheck the Display PDF in the browser option, and then click OK to save changes.
Let’s see these listed suggestions in detail.
If the issue persists, you can proceed with the next fix.
The error in view might occur due to your content settings in the Chrome browser. By default, Chrome is set to open PDF files internally, but you might be able to change this behavior by simply disabling the PDF Viewer in Chrome and choosing to open PDF files in a dedicated PDF Viewer, but you will have to configure Chrome to download the PDF file instead of opening the file. Once you have the document downloaded, then you can open the file normally using Adobe Acrobat Reader or any of the alternative free dedicated PDF readers for Windows 11/10.
To configure Chrome to download instead of opening PDF documents on your device, do the following:
Unless you choose a different location, the PDF document will be saved to the default location below:
C:\Users\UserName\Downloads
So, open the default desktop PDF reader software you have installed on your PC, then browse to the location above, then double-click the file to open it. You’ll have to do this because even if Adobe Acrobat Reader or any PDF reader is already installed on your computer, if another program, like Chrome, in this case, tries to open the file you will get the error message.
The Chrome browser just like other browsers stores all sorts of files (like Cookies and SuperCookies) on the PC to display certain websites faster, but sometimes cache files can get corrupted, and this can potentially lead to various errors, and likely the error you are currently facing. So, to rule out the possibility of a corrupt browser cache being the culprit here, you can clear the Chrome browser cache and see if that solves your problem. Else, proceed with the next suggestion.
If Chrome is failing to load PDF documents when you try to view these files, it could also be due to some extensions might be interfering with your browser. In this case, to troubleshoot, you can simply disable all extensions, and then restart Chrome. If the issue doesn’t reoccur, one of your extensions is certainly causing the problem. Now, you can enable the extensions one by one and in between, see if you can open PDF files using the Chrome inbuilt PDF Viewer. Once you identify the problematic extension(s), you can remove the add-on from the browser or just leave it disabled.
You can now open a PDF file and see if the document loads without throwing any error. Otherwise, proceed to the next solution.
Sometimes, it could be that your current Chrome installation is corrupted or some of the customization or settings you applied on the browser are preventing some of the functions of the browser from working properly leading to the issue in highlight and many other problems. In this case, the most practical solution is to first reset the Chrome browser to default settings. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, you can then reinstall Chrome completely. To uninstall Chrome, we suggest you use Uninstaller Software which will remove all files and registry entries associated with Chrome, ensuring that leftover files don’t interfere with future installations. Afterward, download and install the latest version of the browser on your Windows 11/10 PC.
Sometimes, it could be the issue at hand is just Chrome browser-related. So, suppose you would prefer to have your PDF documents opened in a web browser. In that case, you can use Firefox PDF Editor or fire up and use Microsoft Edge PDF Viewer since the browser is built into the Windows 11/10 operating system, so you don’t need to install the browser.
I hope you find this post helpful!
Published on December 22, 2022 Tags: Chrome, PDF
Obinna has completed B.Tech in Information & Communication Technology. He has worked as a System Support Engineer, primarily on User Endpoint Administration, as well as a Technical Analyst, primarily on Server/System Administration. He also has experience as a Network and Communications Officer. He has been a Windows Insider MVP (2020) and currently owns and runs a Computer Clinic.
