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Google Chrome Won’t Display PDF files: Fix

11 May 2009 @ 1pm

chromelogoSeveral users have reported an issue in which Google Chrome will not display Adobe PDF files in the browser. Users experiencing this problem may receive the error message: “The Adobe Acrobat/Reader that is running can not be used to view PDF files in a Web Browser. Please exit Adobe Acrobat Reader and exit your Web Browser and try again.”

Fix

This problem can generally be easily fixed by copying the Adobe PDF plug-in to the Google Chrome Plugins folder. You may need to create the Plugins folder yourself if one does not already exist. Follow these steps:

  1. Go to Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat(version number)\Acrobat\Browser
  2. Copy the file nppdf32.dll
  3. If you are using Windows XP, go to C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\(Version Number)\. If there is not a Plugins folder there, create a new folder with the name “Plugins.” Paste nppdf32.dll into the Plugins folder. Quit and restart Google Chrome and retry PDF access.
  4. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, go to (username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\. If there is not a Plugins folder there, create a new folder with the name “Plugins.” Paste nppdf32.dll into the Plugins folder. Quit and restart Google Chrome and retry PDF access.

Failing the above, use an alternative reader. One good choice is the free Foxit Reader. It tends to use fewer resources than Adobe Reader, and works well in Windows 7.

Share and Enjoy:

Tagged
Google Chrome, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP

39 Comments

Posted by
mike
13 May 2009 @ 11am

I tried…..No dice

thanks for taking the time anywhow-


Posted by
admin
28 May 2009 @ 6pm

Make sure you are copying to the right folder (you might have more than one username folder) and that you restart Chrome afterward.


Posted by
bullsbay
24 June 2009 @ 7am

This worked for me. Thanks!


Posted by
Mike
8 July 2009 @ 6am

Worked for me, thanks!


Posted by
TJGodel
27 July 2009 @ 11am

Worked for me! Folders maybe hidden, so be sure to unhide folders using Windows Explorer Tools>>>>>Folder Options>>>View>>>>under Advance settings>>>select “show hidden files and folders”, then apply and click ok.

If you have placed the file in the correct folder and restarted Google Chrome it should work.


Posted by
Dsstoikov
16 September 2009 @ 3am

Yes it worked perfectly well for – now I can read PDFs in Google Chrome browser. 10x


Posted by
Ajneya
21 September 2009 @ 3pm

Thanks, It works great.


Posted by
DSL
1 October 2009 @ 9pm

What you can do instead is choose not to open pdfs in chrome.

Open any pdf.
Click Edit (in the top toolbar.)
Click Preferences
Click Internet from left-hand Categories menu
De-Select Display PDF in Browser

Advantage to this approach is that one can close chrome, but pdf’s will stay open.


Posted by
DHW
10 October 2009 @ 1pm

Awesome! Thanks!! That worked perfectly! I’ve been trying to fix that problem forever!


Posted by
MD
19 October 2009 @ 10pm

Thanks … Awesome solution solved problem in 10 secs!!


Posted by
Robert
21 October 2009 @ 8pm

Great tip! Worked for me.


Posted by
Ash Ketchum
23 October 2009 @ 11am

Thanks! Worked for me too!


Posted by
Consuelo
27 October 2009 @ 9am

Thanks!! It worked for me too :) :):)


Posted by
Werner
29 October 2009 @ 12am

I followed the fix above. Does not display the pdf immediately. Only when I request the pdf file again, it displays. Anybody had the same experience? Works great though.


Posted by
Sali
29 October 2009 @ 1pm

It worked! Thank you!


Posted by
Patrick
2 November 2009 @ 1pm

Thanks…

I’ve seen this issue with Chrome 3.0.195.27. You might also want to copy the nppdf32.xxx where xxx is the language you use (German, French, and so on)…


Posted by
RayF
3 November 2009 @ 12pm

Many Thanks it worked for me too


Posted by
Kent Carey
3 November 2009 @ 2pm

This worked for me, too, but I had to remove Adobe Reader 9.2 that had been installed in addition to Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Standard as well. I’m not sure whether it was the DLL or removing the Adobe Reader that fixed the problem.


Posted by
JTQFan
4 November 2009 @ 2pm

Thanks, it worked !! How come Google can’t sort this out?? Muppets


Posted by
Lo
5 November 2009 @ 2am

Great Mate!! Yes I can!!


Posted by
yogesh
7 November 2009 @ 2am

I also had problems viewing pdf files on chrome. The above fix did not work for me.But what I did was simply update my google chrome and now I dont have any problem with either viewing or downloading pdf files.
You can easily update your chrome in “about google chrome” option in settings.


Posted by
Chrome user
9 November 2009 @ 8pm

This totally worked for me. Thanks!
I also had two versions of acrobat and uninstalled on of them.


Posted by
Tyler
24 November 2009 @ 8am

Worked! Thank you so much!


Posted by
Marcel
1 December 2009 @ 12am

Tried exactly as you said, and Voila, it did work. Thanks a lot!!


Posted by
skit
18 December 2009 @ 3am

ahhhhhhhhhh thank you that’s been bugging me forever!


Posted by
Savage_CC
5 January 2010 @ 7am

Thanks a lot!!

BTY,it works well in opera,nice work!!


Posted by
6finger
13 January 2010 @ 5am

I am winXP user and it worked for me with one little change.
I didn’t create dir Plugins in ..\Application\(Version Number)\
but i created it right in ..\Application\
and it works… :P


Posted by
octalMage
13 January 2010 @ 2pm

Thank you for making my favorite web browser, chrome, work as intended :-) You rock man.


Posted by
Chrome
21 January 2010 @ 1am

It also works for Adobe Reader 9.3. Thanks.


Posted by
xdit301kn
2 February 2010 @ 5am

Using Win Xp and Chrome 4.0.249.78. The suggested fix didn’t work in my case. Still get the black crash screen.


Posted by
mlissadeen
3 February 2010 @ 5am

Thanks, Worked for me..


Posted by
zee
3 February 2010 @ 10am

awesome!! worked thanks!


Posted by
Lynn
4 March 2010 @ 9am

Thanks! Worked great and it was an easy fix.


Posted by
Atif
16 March 2010 @ 5am

Worked for me, on XP. Thanks a lot.


Posted by
David
17 March 2010 @ 1pm

Thanks!
now i can make Chrome my default browser!
Happy Happy Happy


Posted by
User
25 March 2010 @ 5am

It failed for me until I realized that I had an old broken installation of FireFox on my Windows XP with an old nppdf32.dll.

I used SysInternals FileMon to diagnose the problem.

Since I have removed the broken installation, it works well.


Posted by
none
27 March 2010 @ 1pm

Awesome, looked everywhere for all sorts of fixes and this was the first that worked for me.

Thank you so much!


Posted by
Joey
13 April 2010 @ 12pm

This fix didn’t work for me. However, there is a chrome extension you can get that opens PDF files via google documents instead.


Posted by
King
17 April 2010 @ 9pm

Thank you to DSL for the answer. For all you people that are still having problems, check you his post up there. It helped me go to the right place. (All you have to do is check Display PDF in Browser and it will work!)

Thanks Bro!


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