Read PDF's in Safari

[carlsson]

A couple of years ago I changed some setting on my Mac to download PDF's instead of reading them directly in Safari.
I did this because I printed labels from a shipping company on internet and it didn't work correctly with my printer at that time, so I had do download the PDF's.

Nowadays though, all this work as it should, and I want to read the PDF's in Safari again. But I can't get the setting back again!

I have moved all Safari settings and files from Library and Application Support, but it doesn't work.

I was about to move my enter Library folder, but that is not permitted.

Does anybode have any idea how to fix this?

 

[mystery hill]

Have you ticked Open “safe” files after downloading in Safari preferences?

 

[carlsson]

Yes I have. And that hasnt worked since Big Sur....

I have clicked, and unclicked, and deleted the preference files, and restored the files. Like a couple of times, to no avail.
This lies somewhere deep....

Thanks though.

 

[carlsson]

I should add that I have another user on the same Mac, that works as intended. Which means that it's my main user that have the setting.

 

[carlsson]

If I remember correctly I used the following command to turn off the automatic "in Safari viewing": defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitOmitPDFSupport -boolean yes

I have tried to reverse this by putting a "no" at the end, to no avail...

 

[mystery hill]

I was just about to suggest:

defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitOmitPDFSupport -bool NO

I tried it both with YES and NO, and it didn't make a difference. PDFs always open in Safari for me.

 

[carlsson]

They have probably changed the command, then. Or something... 🤔

 

[mystery hill]

It looks like you already posted about this before.

After update to Big Sur, Safari doesn't auto-open downloaded PDF's

 

[carlsson]

Ok... So I deleted the Entire Preferences folder, and one thing works better now: Safari actually opens the file after download.
Now I want to see the file IN Safari. As it does with my other, "fresh out of the box", user...

 

[carlsson]

It looks like you already posted about this before.

After update to Big Sur, Safari doesn't auto-open downloaded PDF's

That was about not opening the file. Now I want to see the file in Safari. Same same but different... 🤪

 

[Slartibart]

Please check wether you have the acrobat or any other pdf plugin installed, if yes turn it off in Safari’s Websites preferences.

 

[carlsson]

Thanks, but no Acrobat or other PDF plugins installed. Neither in /Library/Internet plugins nor in Safari plugins.

 

[Slartibart]

to switch it back on:

• defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitOmitPDFSupport -bool false

EDIT: error fix

 

[carlsson]

Thanks, but there's no change.

 

[carlsson]

To clarify:
I have used this site to test the download: https://publikationer.konsumentverket.se/privatekonomi/koll-pa-pengarna

The green button "Ladda ner" means "Download".

When I press that button on my other user that I have on the same Mac (a user that is mostly untouched, most for testing purposes) I see this (ie, the PDF is shown in Safari):


When I press the download button on my regular user (where I have stuff since 100 years ago, at least ) a new tab opens, and the file is downloaded to my Desktop (since I have set that location as a download folder in Safari Preferences (And Yes – I have also tried to set it at the default location (ie Downloads), to no avail)). Nothing more happens. I have to open it manually (unless I delete my entire Preference folder, I still haven't found which file regulates this).
Which means: I get a new empty tab, and the file is on the desktop. Hurray! 😒

I will probably have to reinstall my user, and that is just too much work.. Endless hours of iCloud sync, copying of preference files etc etc.... 😖

 

[KALLT]

I can replicate the behaviour by setting: defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitOmitPDFSupport -bool YES

Can you show the output of:

defaults read com.apple.Safari | grep -i pdf

and

defaults read com.apple.safari | grep -i pdf

 

[carlsson]

Safari:
WebKitOmitPDFSupport = 0;

safari:
WebKitOmitPDFSupport = 0;



I can guess what that means, but I can't do anyting with this information. 🤔 Thanks for your interest.

 

[KALLT]

I was curious whether there might have been a configuration mismatch due to different configuration files. Safari seems to be a bit more complicated, because it also stores its preferences in /Users/[user]/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist. They should be synced with /Users/[user]/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist.

The command Slartibart suggested should work, so it wouldn’t matter to try removing the preference key with this:

defaults delete com.apple.Safari WebKitOmitPDFSupport

The least destructive solution might be to quit Safari and remove both preferences files and potentially remove the Safari container (/Users/[user]/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari) as well.

 

[carlsson]

Thanks Kallt, but I don't have any com.apple.Safari.plist file in the Containers folder. I have a couple of folders, and deleteting them didn't help either.

I have already deleted the .plist file in the Library/Preferences folder (a couple of times), to no avail.

 

[carlsson]

Finally, I do see the PDF's in Safari instead of having them downloaded... 🥳

After spending half a workday with:

• Moving out all files I could from the Library folder

Loop

• Restart with extensions disabled
• Testing Safari and PDF download
• If it works; Moving in a couple of files in the Library folder
• Restarting

End loop

...I eventually had a complete Container > com.apple.Safari folder that I couldn't move back without getting the error. Thus, you were correct @KALLT ! I must have missed something when I removed the Container folder before, I'm really not sure.


Thanks fo your help, even though I was too stupid to execute it correct! 😜

🍻