Configuring Mac OS Browsers for Acrobat Reader

Configuring Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x and 5.x

You can configure Internet Explorer for Windows to use Acrobat Reader as a browser plug-in or as a helper application. When Reader is configured as a plug-in, the PDF file displays within the browser window. When Reader is configured as a helper application, the PDF file displays in a separate Reader window.

Configuring Internet Explorer 4.x and 5.x to use the Acrobat Reader plug-in
Acrobat Reader's default configuration for Internet Explorer uses ActiveX controls to open a PDF within the browser window. The Acrobat Reader installer automatically installs plug-in files (Pdf.ocx, Pdf41.ocx, or Pdf42.ocx, and Pdf.tlb) to the Reader\ActiveX directory when you install Acrobat Reader. Clicking a PDF file link in a Web page opens the file in an Acrobat Reader window within Internet Explorer's browser window. All the toolbars and controls available in Reader as a stand-alone application are available when using the browser plug-in.

Configuring Internet Explorer 4.x and 5.x to use Acrobat Reader as a helper application
If you don't want PDFs to open in your browser window, you can set up Reader as a helper application. When you use this configuration and click a PDF file link in a Web page, Internet Explorer opens Acrobat Reader as a separate application where you view the PDF.

To configure Internet Explorer to use Reader 4.0x as a helper application:

1.   Exit from Internet Explorer.
 
2.   Start Acrobat Reader 4.0x.
 
3.   In Acrobat Reader, choose File > Preferences > General:
Choose Reader Preferences
4.   Deselect Web Browser Integration in the Options area of the General Preferences dialog box:
Reader Preferences Options
5.   Click OK, and then exit from the Acrobat Reader.
 
6.   Restart Internet Explorer.

The next time you select a link to a PDF file in internet Explorer, a File Download dialog box will prompt you to specify what to do with the file:

File Download dialog box

If you select "Open this file from its current location," Internet Explorer opens the PDF file in Acrobat Reader as a helper application. If you select "Save this file to disk," Internet Explorer saves the PDF file to your hard disk, where you can open it later.

Note: If you deselect "Always ask before opening this type of file," Internet Explorer will default thereafter to the last option selected. If "Always ask before opening this type of file" remains selected, you will continue to get the prompt.

Once Reader is set up as a helper application, you can switch between using Reader as a helper application and using the browser plug-in by selecting and deselecting Web Browser Integration in the Options area of the General Preferences dialog box in Acrobat Reader 4.0x.

To configure Internet Explorer to use Acrobat Reader 3.x as a helper application:

Note: Acrobat Reader 3.x does not have a setting that lets you switch easily between using Reader as a helper application and using as Reader as a browser plug-in. By default, Reader uses ActiveX controls to display PDF files within the browser window using the browser plug-in. Configuring Internet Explorer to use Acrobat 3.x as a separate helper application requires that you delete certain files from the ActiveX directory. If you then want to revert to using the plug-in to open PDFs within the browser window, you need to reinstall Reader 3.x.or upgrade to Reader 4.0.

1.   Exit from Internet Explorer.
 
2.   Choose Start > Find > Files or Folders (Windows 95 and Windows 98) or Start > Search > For Files or Folders (Windows 2000).
 
3.   Type pdf*.ocx in the Named text box (Windows 95 and Windows 98) or the Find Files and Folders Named text box (Windows 2000). Choose your local hard disk from the Look In pop-up menu, and then click Find Now (Windows 95 and Windows 98) or Search (Windows 2000). Note the pathname to each Pdf*.ocx file on your system displayed in the results window:
 
4.   Choose Start > Run.
 
5.   Type regsvr32 -u X:\[path]\pdf*.ocx in the Open text box, where "X" is the drive and "[path]" is the path to a Pdf*.ocx file. For example:
Run window
6.   Click OK.
 
7.   Repeat steps 4-6 for every Pdf*.ocx file installed on your system.
 
8.   Delete the Pdf*.ocx and Pdf.tlb files from the Acrobat3\Exchange\ActiveX and the Acrobat3\Reader\ActiveX directories or from the Reader\ActiveX directory.

Note: You must delete all the Pdf*.ocx files; if you rename or move the files, Internet Explorer can still use them.

9.   If Netscape Navigator is installed, locate the Nppdf32.dll file in the Netscape\Navigator\Program\Plugins directory or the Netscape\Communicator\Program\Plugins directory, and then move or rename the file. (Internet Explorer will use the Nppdf32.dll file if it cannot locate a Pdf.ocx file.)
 
10.   Restart Windows.
 
11.   Start Internet Explorer.

When you click on a PDF link in Internet Explorer 4.x, the browser will start Acrobat Reader in a separate window to display PDF files.