# Make PDFs open directly (not via download) by default

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/make-pdfs-open-directly-not-via-download-by-default/388190
**Category:** Feature
**Tags:** completed, pdf-previews
**Created:** [November 11, 2025, 9:39pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/make-pdfs-open-directly-not-via-download-by-default/388190 "2025-11-11T21:39:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 5

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### Author: ![nathank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/nathank/32/290039_2.png) [@nathank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nathank)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2025, 4:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/make-pdfs-open-directly-not-via-download-by-default/388190/5 "2025-12-01T04:00:41Z")

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> [@david](#):
>
> When I click this link, it opens the PDF in the browser. No download. Are you seeing something different?

Here in [meta.discourse.org](http://meta.discourse.org), my link above opens in the same tab as this page (just like you describe). This is unchanged in `safe-mode`.

However, on three of my recently updated sites (with the TC disabled) it attempts a download. This is also the case with `safe-mode`. I’m not sure why that is. I can’t see any site settings that govern this at all.

Whatever the reason, my fork fixes it for my sites nicely!

This makes no sense to me!!

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