Why are PDFs files Converting to Chrome HTML Files – How to Fix

Why are PDF files Converting to Chrome HTML Files? A PDF is an open standard document file extension that was created by Adobe. It gathered popularity over the years seeing as it is easy to use and manage. You can choose to open a PDF file on any device no matter what operating system you are making use of, as long as you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed or a web browser that carries a built-in PDF viewer, just like Google Chrome.

Why are PDFs files Converting to Chrome HTML Files

Why are PDF files Converting to Chrome HTML Files?

If you can be updated regularly without having to change any settings, any PDF you download might launch with the web browser by default. The same PDF file, when you access it through the folder you saved it under, can be launched and read through your machine’s default PDF viewer.

If everything goes fine, a PDF file that you download through Chrome should be saved with a .pdf extension. However, in some scenarios, you might encounter a hiccup that suddenly switches all your Downloaded PDF files into Chrome HTML files, all bearing the Chrome thumbnail logo. What does it mean and how do you have it fixed?

What is a Chrome HTML file?

Any file that is associated with Chrome basically means that by default, it can be opened using Google’s web browser. So in case a PDF document has been converted to a Chrome HTML file, they are still essentially PDF documents, but instead of automatically launching within Adobe Acrobat Reader when opened, they would launch in Chrome by default, even if you get the files through other means.

Well, in general, a PDF that has been converted into a Chrome HTML document is not an error. According to Adobe, Chrome HTML are a lot easier to share on social media and the web in general as it offers several types of users a wide avenue when it comes to viewing content online. Well, to simply put, in other to view Chrome HTML files, you are not expected to have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you just need Google Chrome.

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Obviously, a few clients might find it baffling when their downloaded PDF records that used to have the simple-to-detect Adobe Tumbler thumbnail have mysteriously transformed into Chrome HTML documents that currently wield the Google Chrome logo. It becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate PDF files from other saved web pages.

There are a few potential motivations behind why this is occurring. The first possibility is that you may have installed a faulty Google Chrome or Microsoft Windows update that converted all of your PDF files into Chrome HTML files on your own. The other is you might have coincidentally changed your PC’s default application for opening PDF records yourself.

How to convert Chrome HTML files back to Adobe PDFs

If you would really like to prevent it from switching your PDFs to HTML, you would be required to stop your computer from recognizing Google Chrome as your Default PDF viewer. Here are some fixes that you can explore.

  • Modify the properties of a PDF
  • Choose a Chrome HTML file that you know is actually a PDF file
  • Then right-click on the files and select Properties
  • Next to “Open with” you might actually see Google Chrome listed. Hit on the change button right next to it
  • This would launch the dialog box asking you to select a default app for .pdf files. Select your default app straight from the list. Ideally Adobe Acrobat and then hit “set default.”
  • Hit on Apply on the properties dialog box, then click on OK

To change your default app through Windows settings:

  1. Hit on the Windows start button and head to settings
  2. Right from the side panel, pick apps
  3. Head to “Default apps”
  4. In the “Enter a file type or link type” field, type “.pdf” and then select the search result.
  • Tap the app that pops up underneath. This would launch a dialog box requesting you to pick a default app for .pdf files. Pick select your desired app from the list. Ideally Adobe Acrobat and then hit “set default.”

Making use of either of these methods should change the thumbnail on all Chrome HTML files that are PDFs into the logo of your new default PDF viewer app.

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