Try the example, then check the result.
Download the fictional material and follow the steps below. The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. Product controls may vary by version.
Check the answer before applying the method to your own data. How we review guides ↗
Watch the complete lesson.
The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. English captions. Product menus may differ in your account.
To test Chrome's PDF setting, open this ordinary PDF link. The Download button and download card force saving, so they cannot test this browser preference.
Quick answer. In Chrome Settings, open Privacy and security > Site settings > Additional content settings > PDF documents and select Download PDFs. Test the guide's plain inline PDF link and confirm the file in Downloads.
Use the fictional practice file and independent answer check. Work in a permitted copy.
Before you start. Use the plain inline PDF test link in this guide, not its Download card; the latter can force saving independently of the browser setting. A file: URL or a PDF viewer extension is not a clean test.
Controlled browser test: Open the plain inline PDF test link. This text link must not carry an HTML download attribute; the separate Downloads card can force saving and is not suitable for testing the Chrome preference.
1. Find the PDF documents setting
Open Chrome Settings. Go to Privacy and security, Site settings, then Additional content settings and PDF documents. Read the current choice before editing it. This preference is separate from the Downloads location setting, which only chooses where saved files go.
Checkpoint: Stay in the same Chrome profile.
2. Choose Download PDFs
Select Download PDFs rather than Open PDFs in Chrome. This applies to new PDF links in this browser profile. It does not retroactively save a PDF already open in a tab, so use a fresh click for the test.
Checkpoint: Download PDFs selected.
3. Use the plain PDF test link
Click the plain inline PDF test link in the matching web guide, not the Download card. It points to pdf-behavior-practice dot P D F without an HTML download instruction. This is a one-page fictional file. A forced-download link cannot test Chrome's built-in PDF preference.
Checkpoint: Avoid a forced-download button.
4. Check the saved file
Open Chrome's recent Downloads and find the exact practice filename. Choose Show in folder to verify a file was written. The new entry and actual saved path are stronger evidence than the setting display alone. The location can differ from another person's computer.
Checkpoint: The file exists on disk.
5. If it still opens
Confirm you changed PDF documents in the same Chrome profile used for the click. Inspect any PDF viewer extension and the site's response behavior. A download landing in the wrong folder is a different problem; change Downloads location separately if needed.
Checkpoint: Separate viewer and folder issues.
Verify the result
After clicking the published practice PDF link, Chrome records a new download named pdf-behavior-practice.pdf, and Show in folder reveals the saved file. The built-in PDF viewer should not open for that controlled link when Download PDFs is selected.
If it still does not work
If the PDF still opens, confirm the setting is on in the same Chrome profile and check for a PDF viewer extension or site-specific behavior. Use the plain inline test link rather than the Download card. If the file saves to an unexpected folder, use the separate Downloads location setting.
Official sources
Any video panel without a marked actual-app capture is an illustrative diagram of the fictional exercise.
Practice downloads.
The exercise files contain invented information. Save a local copy before editing.