Adobe: "Unable to Open PDF" binder message in browser

Tags Incident

Issue: When trying to open a PDF document in my web browser, a message stating that "Download Adobe Reader X or later to open this PDF binder" is displayed. The document may be a PDF binder or PDF portfolio.

Environment: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Adobe Reader X, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Resolution:  Browser-based PDF readers do not have the ability currently to open PDF binder or portfolio files, so...

  • Download the PDF file to your workstation
  • Open the file in either Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC, depending on what you have installed. (Nothing installed? Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is available in Software Center.)
  • You may adjust the default PDF application on your system to automatically open PDF documents in Acrobat or Reader to reduce the likelihood of this issue re-occuring. Steps to do so may be found in Adobe's documentation here.