Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Open Links in Separate Tabs in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader

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Desk scene with text overlay "How to Open Links in Separate Tabs in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat ReaderToday, we’re going to tackle one of the most frequent questions I receive here on my blog and on my YouTube channel: How to open links in separate tabs rather than separate windows in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader. In addition, we’ll look at how to turn tabs into separate windows.

First, let’s cover two important points:

  1. The steps shown here only affect links to other PDFs. A link to another file type, such as a URL or a .doc file, will still open in that file’s native application (e.g., a web browser or Microsoft Word).
  2. The primary setting controlling how links open in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader is stored in the software, not in the PDF. So, while you can indicate how you want a link to open when you create it in Acrobat, that choice may be overridden by the setting in your reader’s device.

Quick Links:

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 100 other videos about Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Adobe Acrobat DC. These steps also apply to Adobe Acrobat 2020, Adobe Acrobat 2017, and Acrobat Reader DC.

You can perform these steps with or without opening a PDF.

  1. Select the Edit tab. (Mac users should select Acrobat/Acrobat Reader, instead.)
Edit tab in Adobe Acrobat DC
Figure 1. Edit tab
  1. Select the Preferences option from the drop-down menu.
Preferences option in the the Edit menu in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 2. Preferences option
  1. Select the General category in the Preferences dialog box.
General category in the Preferences dialog box in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 3. General category
  1. Select the Open documents as new tabs in the same window option.
"Open documents as new tabs in the same window" option in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 5. “Open documents as new tabs in the same window” option
  1. Select the OK button to close the Preferences dialog box. (You may need to use the scroll bar on the right side of the dialog box to access the OK button.)
Preferences dialog box OK button in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 5. OK button
  1. Save your current PDF (if necessary), and then close and reopen Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.

PDF links should now open in separate tabs rather than separate windows on your device.

How to Turn Tabs into Separate Windows in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader

You can turn any tab in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader into a separate window without changing your settings.

  1. Select, hold, and drag the tab away from the toolbar. The tab will become a semitransparent thumbnail.
Tab thumbnail in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 6. Tab thumbnail
  1. Release the tab, which is now a thumbnail. Your PDF should open in a separate window over the original window.

Related Resources

How to Create In-Text Links to Attached PDFs with Adobe Acrobat

How to Create Internal Links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat

How to Create External Links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat

How to Use the Split View in Adobe Acrobat

How to Use Dark Mode in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader (PC & Mac)

Updated December 12, 2021