Open, Save and Create PDFs Without Adobe Software

Browsers and tools built into WVU computers allow you to open, save or create PDFs without Adobe software. If you are a WVU employee and need Adobe software for work, such as designing documents or editing other digital media, request Adobe Creative Cloud.

Open a PDF

Saved PDFs will open by default using Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 and Preview on MacOS when Adobe Acrobat DC or Reader are not installed. To open a PDF with another browser, right-click (or control-click on a Mac) the file, hover over Open With, and choose a different browser.

If a PDF won't open, try these troubleshooting steps:

1. Uninstall all Adobe products.

2. Adjust your computer's file association settings:

   • Windows 10:

     1. Click the magnifying glass next to the Start menu.

     2. Search for choose a default app for each type of file and press Enter.

     3. A Settings window will open. Scroll down to .pdf, click the Adobe option listed and select Microsoft Edge from the list.

   • Mac:

     1. Right click the PDF file and select Get Info.

     2. In the Open with section, select an application to open PDFs from the dropdown menu.

     3. Click Change All to open all PDFs with this application. 

     4. Click Continue to confirm the change.

Download or save a PDF from a web browser

After opening a PDF in a web browser, you can click the download button to save the file.

Save a file as a PDF

Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint allow you to save files as PDFs on Windows 10 and MacOS. View detailed instructions for each application on the Microsoft support site. If you plan on publishing a PDF online, you can also create accessible PDFs using Microsoft Word so people using screen readers and other assistive technologies can read them. 

Save Outlook email as a PDF

1. Select the email you want to save.

2. Click File.

3. Click Print.

4. Select Microsoft Print to PDF from the Printer dropdown menu.

5. Click Print.

6. Name the file and click Save. The PDF will open.