Microsoft is replacing the built-in PDF reader of its Edge browser with a variant from Adobe. This process will be completed in September for Windows users.
Like Google Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, Microsoft Edge currently offers its own PDF reader. The reader not only lets you open PDFs, but you can even add comments to them. Still, Microsoft is now replacing its own reader with the Adobe Acrobat PDF engine. Microsoft explains in its blog post that the Acrobat Reader offers a unique and improved PDF experience. Adobe’s PDF engine is said to be able to display higher quality PDFs with better performance, security, and accessibility.
Microsoft Edge remains free
Microsoft further explains that Acrobat Reader in the Edge browser is free. So you can always open and read your PDF files for free. Adding marks and comments will also remain free. Converting a PDF file to a different format, adjusting text or adding images is possible at the fixed monthly cost of Acrobat Pro DC. At the same time, you just as easily subscribe to the desktop application of the service – the added value of the Acrobat Reader in Edge is then limited.
Users using the free version will see a small Adobe watermark on the lower right side by default. In addition, people are offered to try out advanced functions of Acrobat – of course via a subscription.
Rollout from March 2023
Microsoft says it will roll out the new PDF reader for Edge to Windows 10 and 11 users from March 2023. Initially, this only concerns devices in the hands of consumers. Microsoft uses a so-called opt-in period for managed devices, which runs from March to September. Businesses that don’t move to Acrobat Reader in Edge during that time will be forced to move at that point unless they specifically opt-out. That period will expire in March 2024, after which the opt-out policy will end and the update will still be rolled out.
Once companies and consumers have switched, they are stuck with that choice. The company reports that it is not possible to return to the ‘legacy PDF reader’. So for companies using Edge as their primary PDF toolkit, it’s important to understand or assess the impact and take action.
Windows users, both consumers and business users, cannot escape the rollout of the new PDF reader. All consumers will be provided from September 2023 and the curtain will fall for companies in March 2024. MacOS users will have to do without Acrobat for the time being. Microsoft says it has plans to abolish its own PDF reader there, but does not mention any data. So the rollout is still pending.
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