A change was recently made to the SchoolFront software that affects the behavior of clicking on links to PDF documents stored in the system. Previously, all PDF documents would download to the user's device when accessed. Now, the system offers more control over what happens when accessing PDF documents.
Some users and workflows are optimized for the previous behavior of simply downloading the documents. However, many workflows are improved by simply opening the PDF document within the browser for quick viewing without the need to download the file first.
Users are able to control this behavior within their browser settings.
Updating Browser Settings
Google Chrome
- Copy and paste or type the following into your browser's address bar to access the PDF document settings for Chrome chrome://settings/content/pdfDocuments
- You can choose whether to download PDFs or open them in Chrome as a new tab
* See note on pop-up blockers at the bottom of this article
Microsoft Edge
- Copy and paste or type the following into your browser's address bar to access the PDF document settings for Edge edge://settings/content/pdfDocuments
- You can toggle whether to Always download PDF files or to view the PDF in your default PDF reader
* See note on pop-up blockers at the bottom of this article
Mozilla Firefox
See the following Mozilla Help Article: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-firefox-behavior-when-open-file
Pop-up Blockers
If a user's browser is set to view the PDF rather than to download the file, some pop-up blockers may block this action. If nothing happens when you click on a PDF within SchoolFront, check your browser's address bar. There may be a pop-up blocker notification present. If so, you can click the notification icon and choose to allow pop-ups from SchoolFront.