Michigan State University

Division of Human Anatomy
Department of Radiology

Additional Questions

PDF reading and writing help

PDF Form Fill Out

Below there are detailed explanations on how to utilize and fill out PDF forms through your web browser. Please note that these instructions are only for those users who are unable to fill out the form directly after clicking on it.

Firefox for Mac

If necessary try updating or re-downloading the Firefox app at https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

  • Once Firefox is opened, navigate to the top left side of the screen and click Firefox.
  • Select Preferences or hold down the comma and "cmd" key simultaneously.
  • Scroll down until you see the option "Portable Document Format (PDF)" and click to select it.
  • There will be a downward facing arrow, click on that, and then choose the option Use Adobe Acrobat (Default).
  • This will change the setting for when you view PDFs from now on with Firefox.

Firefox for Windows

If necessary try updating or re-downloading the Firefox app at https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

  • At the top of the Firefox window, on the far left, click on the word Firefox.
  • Select Add ons.
  • Once on the Add ons page, select Plugins.
  • Locate Adobe Acrobat and choose Always Activate.
  • Now every time a PDF is opened it will open via Adobe Acrobat.

Google Chrome

Chrome is a little different because most often you will have to disable a plug-in that tells Chrome to ignore Adobe and use its own program.

Just in case, for the latest version of Chrome, please download at https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/

  • Open up Chrome by clicking on it.
  • Go to the address bar at the top of the Chrome screen and type ://plugins then press Return/Enter/Go
  • There will be a list of options, find Chrome PDF Viewer and click disable -- this will automatically reinstate Adobe Acrobat as the default for PDF viewing in the browser if it is already installed on the computer.

There is a possibility that this will not work, so here is an alternative option just in case:

  • Double check just to make sure that Adobe Reader is installed on the computer.
  • While in Chrome, go to the Menu icon (three vertical dots stacked like a traffic light) and then choose Settings.
  • Scroll to the bottom and click on Advanced.
  • In the Privacy and Security section please select Site Settings.
  • Scroll down and select PDF Documents.
  • Switch the "Download PDF files instead of automatically opening them in Chrome" to "On."

The PDF file(s) will download in Chrome just like any other document. The file will appear at the bottom of the Chrome window. You can then choose Open and then the file will open in a separate Reader window. You can then select the Always open files of this type option to ensure you will not have to do this again in the future.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

To ensure you have the latest version, please consult https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge

  • Click and open Internet Explorer.
  • At the top of the screen choose Tools and then Manage Add-ons.
  • Under the Add-on Types, select Toolbars and Extensions.
  • In the Show menu on the left side, select All add-ons.
  • In the list of add-ons, select Adobe PF Reader (please be aware that if you do not see the Adobe PDF Reader add-on, please try the other menu options. For example, on some systems, the add-on appears when you select Run Without Permissions).
    • Click Enable to allow the Adobe PDF Reader add-on to open PDFs in the browser

Safari (Mac)

To download the latest version of Safari please visit https://support.apple.com/downloads/safari

  • In Finder, select (single click) a PDF (any PDF will do), then click File and then scroll down to the option that reads Get Info. You can also right click the same document and find the Get Info option.
  • A skinny dialogue box should pop up on the left side of the screen. Within that dialogue box, about 60% of the way down, there is an option called Open with: and it has an arrow next to it.
  • Click on the arrow next to the option Open With: and it should display the current option that Safari uses in order to open PDFs.
  • Click on the options (there is a good chance Preview is the default option on Safari if Adobe Acrobat is not. Scroll to find Adobe Acrobat and click on it. The setting is now saved for future encounters with PFs on Safari. It will also say "Use this application to open all documents like this one." below the option bar you clicked on to change the PDF viewer.