- Microsoft Edge to replace legacy PDF reader with Adobe Acrobat.
- The PDF experience will start rolling out in March 2023.
- The Adobe PDF reader experience will include free and paid features.
- You will need an Adobe subscription to unlock all the advanced features.
Microsoft is going to replace Edge’s built-in PDF reader with Adobe Acrobat’s. The business announced that the Adobe PDF reader, which offers additional functionality (if you’re prepared to pay a monthly fee), will be included in the next update for Microsoft Edge.
The software behemoth claims that the choice to replace Microsoft Edge’s outdated PDF capability with Adobe’s will improve user experience by enhancing performance, enhancing color and graphic accuracy, and fortifying security while interacting with PDF documents.
At no additional expense, the new integration will provide the same functionalities included in the legacy tool. You will be prompted to buy the premium edition of Adobe PDF reader in order to access capabilities like file editing, conversion, and file combining, but you will also notice an unobtrusive Adobe brand mark. Additionally, this won’t be a one-time purchase. You will need to purchase a membership to Adobe Acrobat.)
Although it’s unknown how this connection would function for users who choose not to buy the subscription, it’s obvious that this will not be a welcome addition to the browser.
Since Adobe Acrobat’s functionality and installation are superfluous, I personally just use Microsoft Edge for PDF documents. After the deployment, I’ll most likely use the free Sumatra PDFReader software or Google Chrome once more. I use Microsoft Word to convert Word documents to PDFs and the PDFEncrypt program when I need to password-protect a PDF document.
It is anticipated that the Adobe PDF experience on Microsoft Edge will be made available to Windows 11 and 10 users in March 2023, with an opt-in option for businesses with controlled devices. Users won’t be able to return to the legacy capability once the browser has switched to Adobe as the PDF engine.