Windows 10: Using Edge only for PDF viewing and receive "This file can't be previewed because of an...

Since on or around 23rd May 2025, PDF previews in File Explorer stopped working for me on my Windows 10 laptop 22H2, OS B: 19045.5854 . Looking at the date of the C:\Program Files x86\Microsoft\Edge\Application\136.0.3240.92\PdfPreview\PdfPreviewHandler.dll DLL, it shows that the file date is 23rd May 2025. I do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed nor do I want it or any other PDF viewer. I just want Edge to handle PDFs as it has been since I think it moved to a Chromium backend. I have cleared the Edge browser cache, %Temp% and run the Edge Repair option via Settings > Apps, bu

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Preview in File Explorer with Edge

Hello, Babak38.

To do this follow the steps below.

• Press WINDOWS + i on your keyboard
  
• Click on "APPS" then click on Default apps
  
• Click on Microsoft Edge browser
  
• Then in the "PDF" option you choose which default browser you want to open files in PDF format.
  

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Viewing PDFs in Windows Explorer Preview Pane

Is there a fix to viewing PDFs in the Explorer Preview Pane? I have tried several suggestions that came up on my search, but none worked. My co-workers and myself had no problems in the past, but now we cannot see what a PDF is until we open it. This
is concerning, since we receive drawings from clients and do not know what they are unless we open the files. Being able to preview them saved a lot of time. Any suggestions are worth a try.

 

Windows 10 File Explorer Not Showing pdf Preview. I use Edge to view pdf

Hi Laurence, I am Paulo and I'd like to help.

Have you tried setting your PDFs to Edge once again as your PDF viewer? Right-click on the PDF > Properties > Change and set it to Microsoft Edge.

If that doesn't work, I suggest you this tool from Microsoft PowerToys to add a PDF preview add-on to your File Explorer.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/power...