Microsoft Edge’s simple PDF reader is being replaced by Adobe Acrobat

Like its rivals, Microsoft’s Edge browser sports a built-in PDF reader that’s bare-bones but functional. You click a PDF link and a tab opens with the document that you can read, search, and lightly annotate. But that experience is getting supercharged: Microsoft and Adobe have teamed up to bring Adobe Acrobat to Edge, in what will become a wholesale replacement of the browser’s current PDF engine. 

This move will enable more features when viewing PDFs from the web, like markup tools, stronger security for PDFs, and greater accessibility (e.g., read-aloud narration). The increase in Edge’s PDF capabilities will be native, without the need to install a separate add-on.

Users with an Adobe subscription will still need to install a browser extension to access additional advanced features like text and image editing, PDF conversion, and file merging. You can see a simulation of the interface in the embedded video below.

The changeover arrives in March 2023, when the revamped PDF technology becomes available for Windows 10 and 11 users. Organizations with managed devices can opt-in on their own schedule, with the legacy engine set to be retired in March 2024.

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