Your Samsung phone can open PDF files with more than one app. If the wrong app opens every time, you can set a different default directly from the My Files app. After you choose an app and select Always, PDFs you open later will use that viewer automatically.
This method uses the PDF apps already installed on your phone. Depending on what you have installed, the list may include Adobe Acrobat, Google Drive, Samsung Notes, or another app that supports PDF files.
Video Tutorial
Set a new default PDF viewer
You need to start with a PDF file in Samsung’s file manager. This is where you can choose which compatible app should handle the file.
- Swipe up on your Samsung phone to open the app drawer.
- Open the Samsung folder, then select My Files.
- Find a PDF file you want to use. In the video, the file is located in the Docs folder.
- Press and hold the PDF file.
- Select More at the bottom of the screen.
- Select Open With.
- Choose the PDF app you want to use from the available apps.
- Select Always.
Your selected app is now the default PDF viewer on your Samsung phone. The PDF will open in that app right away, and other PDFs opened afterward should use the same app automatically.
What the Always option does
When you choose a PDF app, Samsung gives you the option to use it once or set it as the regular choice. Selecting Always saves your choice for future PDF files. This is useful if you prefer one reader’s tools, layout, or file handling over the app that was opening PDFs before.
For example, you may want PDFs to open in Adobe Acrobat instead of another installed app. Or you may prefer Google Drive or Samsung Notes if that is where you usually keep and work with your documents. The best choice is the app you want to see each time you open a PDF.
Check that the default changed
Go back to My Files after setting the app. Open a different PDF file normally. It should open in the app you selected without showing the app selection screen again.
If it does, the default PDF viewer is set correctly. You do not need to repeat the process for every PDF. The selection applies when you open PDF files on the phone.
If you do not see your preferred PDF app
The Open With list only shows apps on your phone that can open PDF files. If the app you want is not listed, it cannot be selected from this screen at that time. Use one of the listed PDF-capable apps, or make sure your preferred PDF reader is available on the device before trying again.
Also make sure you press and hold the PDF first. A normal tap may open the file immediately using the current default app, while the long press gives you access to More and Open With.
Quick recap
Open My Files, locate a PDF, press and hold it, then choose More and Open With. Pick your preferred PDF app and tap Always. From then on, PDFs opened from your Samsung phone will use that app as the default viewer.
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