Stop Microsoft Edge From Opening PDF and HTML Files (Solved)

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Microsoft Edge is your new standard Windows 10 web browser, offering a new simplified user interface, speed improvements and many new features, including the ability to open PDF files.

Although the PDF reader is a convenient function, it currently offers only a few basic functions, and Windows 10 makes it your standard PDF reader, whether you like it or not, ready to work. If you prefer to use an advanced application such as SumatraPDF, Xodo or Adobe Acrobat Reader, or if your settings do not remain after upgrading to Windows 10, you must change your settings to disable Microsoft Edge each time you open a file like your default PDF reader.

In this Windows 10 guide, we will guide you through the steps to modify your system settings to prevent PDF files from opening by default in your web browser.

Using the Windows Registry

The change is triggered by a file association reset for a file type that restores the default values of Windows 10. But why are FileAssociations PDFs reset every time a user restarts their PC?

Well, the FileAssociation feature team explains that its protection mechanism under Windows 10 prevents direct changes in the UserChoice area of the registry for each file type. Thus, if no FileAssociation is configured in the registry, or if an application invalidates the hash by incorrectly writing to the UserChoice registry key to define associations, a FileAssociation reset is triggered for this file type and the default state is restored. Therefore, we have to edit a registry entry.

1. launch the registry editor (Regedit.exe) and go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\Repository\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_25.10586.0.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe\MicrosoftEdge\Capabilities\FileAssociations

Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_nn.nnnnn.n.n_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe, Where the nnn… is a placeholder for the actual version/build no.

2. note in the right-hand box the Prog-IDs, which have been assigned for the file types.pdf and.htm or.html. In this case, the Prog ID is for.pdf AppXd4nrz8ff68srnhf9t5a8sbjyar1cr723.

3. go to the following location

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppXd4nrz8ff68srnhf9t5a8sbjyar1cr723

In the right pane, create a string value (REG_SZ) named NoOpenWith.

4. exit the registry editor.

Modify file associations

Press the Windows + S button and start typing the standard applications and click on Standard Applications or better yet, select the standard applications by file type. If you wish, you can go to Control Panel > Applications > Default Applications and scroll down to select the default applications by file type.

Scroll down to find PDD, HTM, HTML, or frankly, anything removes Edge. There is no easy way, but right click and you should be able to scroll faster.

Once you have found what you are looking for (in our image below, we will look at the standard PDF applications), you can see that Microsoft Edge is the standard application. Click Microsoft Edge and select the application you want to open for this file type.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings/cant-stop-microsoft-edge-from-hijacking-pdf-and/1dda6be3-e955-4a4c-b4b3-9da620883e80

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