Adobe PDF Help Document

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User Notice: This guide is provided for reference only. Technical support will not be available except to the Brookhaven National Laboratory user community.

What to do when PDF files do not open correctly or when your browser displays a blank white screen after trying to open the PDF file...

If the Adobe Acrobat viewer doesn't display PDF files inside your Web browser as expected, try Solution 1 or update to the latest version of the Acrobat viewer. Some PDF's use security features that may not run in older versions.

If Solution 1 does not work, I would try Solution 2 and make sure that the Acrobat viewer can read the PDF file by downloading it to your hard disk. If these solutions do not fix your problem, try applying one or more of the other solutions listed below.

Solution 1 - Disable "view in browser" feature

Try disabling the "View In Browser" or "Web Browser Integration" feature in your Adobe Acrobat viewer (for plug-in and standard version). Doing this will force your Acrobat viewer to display PDF outside your browser in a separate window. In most cases this will fix your problem. Shown below is how to disable "Web Browser Integration".

Tech Note: Windows User - Deselecting the "Display in Browser" feature will allow you to open PDF's outside the browser in Netscape, FireFox, Mozilla, and Opera to name a few, but may not work for some users using Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE).

Some IE users have tried to deselect the "Display in Browser" feature and when they tried to open a PDF using MSIE, a second window would open and only show a blank white screen with a small image (image has a white background and includes a little red square, green circle and blue triangle inside it) in the top left corner and nothing else happens. This is because MSIE uses the Acrobat Control for ActiveX to to display PDF documents. Netscape and other compatible browsers use the nppdf32.dll in the plug-in folder to display PDF documents. If this happens when you only deselect the Display in Browser" feature, try deselecting ALL four web browser options and close both your IE browser and Acrobat Reader. Now see if this works...

You can also try upgrading to the latest version of Acrobat Reader.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 (plug-in)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (plug-in)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 (plug-in)
• Adobe Acrobat 5.0 (standard)
• Adobe Acrobat 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 (standard & pro)

Adobe Acrobat Reader  4.0 (plugin)

Go to <File><Preferences><General>

• Remove "Check Mark"
• Press <Ok>
• Close window

Go to browser and try again to view the PDF. 

When selecting the PDF file this time, you should get a window similar to the one above (may look different depending on the platform you are running). 

Select <Open it> and a "second window" should open and display the PDF.

Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (plug-in)

Go to <Edit><Preferences>

• Remove "Check Mark"
• Press < Ok >
• Close window

Go to browser and try again to view the PDF. 

When selecting the PDF file this time, you should get a window similar to the one above (may look different depending on the platform you are running).

Select <Open it> and a " second window" should open and display the PDF.

Adobe Acrobat  5.0 (standard)

Go to <Edit><Preferences><General>

Go to <Options>

• Remove "Check Mark"
• Press <Ok>
• Close window

Go to browser and try again to view the PDF. 

When selecting the PDF file this time, you should get a window similar to the one above (may look different depending on the platform you are running).

Select <Open it> and a " second window" should open and display the PDF.

Adobe Acrobat 6.0 / 7.0 / 8.0 (standard & pro)
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 / 7.0 / 8.0 (plug-in)

Go to <Edit> <Preferences>

Go to <Internet>

• Remove "Check Mark"
• Press <Ok>
• Close window

Go to browser and try again to view the PDF. 

When selecting the PDF file this time, you should get a window similar to the one above (may look different depending on the platform you are running).

Select <Open it> and a " second window" should open and display the PDF.

Solution 2 - Download PDF to hard drive

Make sure that the Acrobat viewer can read the PDF file by downloading it to your hard disk and then viewing it in the browser:

In Netscape Navigator 3.x or later:

1. Right-click (Windows) or hold down the mouse button (Mac OS) on the link to the PDF file, then choose Save Link As from the pop-up menu.
2. In the Save As dialog box, specify a name and location for the PDF file, and then click Save.
3. Choose one of the following options to open the PDF file:
      - In Navigator 3.x (Windows/Mac OS) Choose File > Open File.
      - In Navigator 4.x (Windows) Choose File > Open Page > Choose File.
      - In Navigator 4.x (Mac OS) Choose File > Open > Page in Navigator.
   
4. If you're using Navigator for Windows, choose either All Files or Acrobat files from the Files Of Type pop-up menu.
5. Select the PDF file you saved in step 2 and click Open. The Acrobat viewer should open the PDF file inside the browser window.

In Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later:

1. Right-click (Windows) or hold down the mouse button (Mac OS) on the link to the PDF file, and then choose Save Target As from the pop-up menu.
2. In the Save As dialog box, specify a name and location for the PDF file, and then click Save.
3. Choose File > Open and click Browse. 
4. Choose All Files from the Files Of Type pop-up menu.
5. Select the PDF file you saved in step 2 and click Open. The Acrobat viewer should open the PDF file inside the browser window.

Note: If the viewer displays only a blank screen or returns an error after you've downloaded a PDF file to your hard disk, the viewer or the PDF file may be damaged. Exit the browser, restart the viewer, and try to open an Acrobat Online Guide from the viewer's Help menu. If the viewer can't display an online guide, the viewer itself may be damaged and you should contact Acrobat Technical Support. If the viewer correctly displays the online guide, try opening the PDF file you downloaded. If the viewer can display the downloaded PDF file, the PDF file isn't damaged; rather, your browser isn't working with the Acrobat plug-in. If the viewer still displays only a blank screen or returns an error, the PDF file is probably damaged. 

Solution 3 - Check Security Options

If you use Internet Explorer 5.x, make sure that its security options recognize the Acrobat Control:

Note: This procedure changes Internet Explorer's security options for all ActiveX Controls. If you prefer to use stricter security, do not complete these steps.

In Internet Explorer for Windows:

1. Exit from Internet Explorer 5.x and your Acrobat viewer.
2. Start Internet Explorer 5.x.
3. Choose Tools > Internet Options and click the Security tab.
4. Choose the appropriate Web content zone for the type of PDF file you're trying to open (e.g. Internet or Local Intranet).
5. Click Custom Level to specify the security setting for this zone.
6. Select Enable for the options labeled "Download unsigned ActiveX controls" and "Initialize and script ActiveX Controls not marked as safe."
7. Click OK and then click OK again.

In Internet Explorer for Mac OS: 

1. Choose Edit > Preferences.
2. Click Ratings and then click Options.
3. Select the option labeled "User Can See Sites That Have No Rating," and click OK. Contact Microsoft for more information on which security settings affect Internet Explorer's ability to download files.

Solution 4 - Are you looking at the correct window?

Make sure that you're looking at the browser window and not the Acrobat viewer window. The viewer runs in the background when you're viewing a PDF file in a browser window, and the viewer's window may not display the PDF file. If the browser window is inactive, activate it to view the PDF file.

Solution 5 - View another PDF from a different web server

Try viewing a PDF file from a different Web server. To determine if there's problem with the server to which you're connecting, try to open a PDF file from Adobe's Web site at www.adobe.com. Adobe's Web server is configured to let your browser connect to PDF files. If the Acrobat viewer can display PDF files from Adobe's Web site, but not from another site, the other site's server may not be configured correctly (e.g., it uses server software that doesn't support byte serving). Contact that server's Webmaster for assistance.

Solution 6 - Large PDF's may cause problems

If the PDF file is 4 MB or larger, the Web browser may time out before it finishes downloading the file; ask the provider of the file to optimize it in Acrobat Exchange or Acrobat 4.0x. For more information on file optimization, refer to the Acrobat Online Guide.

Last Modified: June 27, 2008
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