PDF attachments not opening in Microsoft Outlook 2016.

[Heathsideboy]

There may be an easy answer to this but I can't seem to find it. I have looked on Google but nothing that has helped my problem so far.

I have a laptop and I have Microsoft Outlook 2016. My main email account is a 'Live' account. In the past, when I received an email in this application that had a PDF attached, I had no problems in opening the PDF attachment. Now, it is very hit and miss. Most of the time now, when I double click, right click etc. etc. on a PDF attachment, it will not open. I can open a preview of the PDF but this will not allow me to print it. Only when the PDF is fully open properly will it let me print, so at this point in time, I cannot print the PDF either.

I can get around this by sending it to 1 of my Gmail accounts and then opening it on the web but this is very inconvenient for me.

Very occasionally when I start my computer, let's say the next day, it will work and then the PDF will open as normal. As I said, most of the time they do not open so something is going on here.

In contrast, when I go on my desktop computer that has also got the same account on it also within Microsoft Outlook 2016, the attachment opens as normal.

Has anybody got any ideas why I am having trouble on my laptop with this problem?

I'm hoping it is so simple that I will be embarrassed but I don't mind that if this problem is solved for me.

Any help will be truly appreciated.

Thanks

HB

 

[Clintlgm]

Check you plug ins you may have PDF turn off, also check Trust settings

 

[Heathsideboy]

I have checked my plug-ins & Adobe Reader is enabled plus I have checked the Trust settings and they are as they should be.

Funny thing today, I clicked on one of the attachments and it opened, in fact they all are opening today. This is what I have been saying, it is very hit and miss depending what day.

What behaviour could cause this?

Thanks for your help by the way.

HB

 

[davehc]

It is sometimes a Microsoft "happening".
They are over anxious in trying to promote Edge, which, when it is the default browser, opens PDF docs.

Fair enough, but, unfortunately, every time a cumulative update comes along, it reverts the default back to Edge, whatever you have chosen as your PDF default. Also, by default, Edge can see a security risk in a PDF which also stops it opening.
Only solution, until MS get a little more friendly, is, as soon as you experience problems, check, once again, your defaults.

 

[Heathsideboy]

Hi Dave,

It is Microsoft Outlook 2016 where the attachments sometimes open and sometimes do not. Microsoft Edge is a browser. How can that affect the attachments in Microsoft Outlook 2016?

Just out of interest, I use Internet Explorer as my browser. Because I am disabled, IE is the most speech recognition friendly browser. Microsoft Edge is very speech recognition unfriendly.

I checked my defaults, email is still showing Outlook as default, Internet Explorer is showing as the default browser.

It is a complete mystery why one day I'll come on the PC and PDF attachments will open as normal and then on another day, they will not open in Outlook 2016.

Has anybody else seen this behaviour?

Thanks

HB

 

[davehc]

Microsoft Edge is a browser. How can that affect the attachments in Microsoft Outlook 2016?

Edge is the default PDF reader in Windows 10
As I said, change the PDF ext default to Adobe or Word.

 

[Heathsideboy]

Edge is the default PDF reader in Windows 10
As I said, change the PDF ext default to Adobe or Word.

As you can see, the default file type for my PDF is already Adobe Acrobat Reader.

 

[davehc]

Looks Ok. You could make the default Office, as I have. It is a very good viewer and editor. FWIW It can also turn your PDFs into Docs.

 

[Heathsideboy]

Today it's working okay and the PDF attachments are opening. That's all I want as it has done for many years. I have files and files of PDF accounts so they have always been in that format and I do not want to change.

The thing is, it may not work tomorrow and I cannot fathom this thing out why it works some days and not others.

I thought I may have a virus but I've done thorough scans and they have all shown clean.

Thanks for all the advice though.

HB

 

[davehc]

Glad to (try) and help. But post back if the fault returns. Surely someone on the forum will have the answer.

 

[Heathsideboy]

Thanks for the heads-up Dave.

Just now I decided to restart the computer. When it loaded, the attachments would not open. I restarted the computer again but opened Internet Explorer first before Outlook. The attachments then opened. Something weird going on here.

I just hope I don't have to reformat my drive.

Cheers

HB

 

[davehc]

No way will you need that!
I am not an Adobe user, but, with your post, I am wondering if there is not a setting in Adobe which requires it to check on the web, before proceeding? An update check or similar?