How to Force Download PDFs Instead of Opening Them in Browser?

Downloading PDFs Instead of Opening Them in Browser

When clicking a link to a PDF file, it is common for the browser to open the file in a new tab or window. However, there may be situations where you want the PDF to be downloaded instead.

Using HTML5's "Download" Attribute

In HTML5, you can set the "download" attribute on the element to specify the name of the downloaded file and trigger the download process. Here's how to use it:

Download it!

The "download" attribute provides the following benefits:

• Prevents the PDF from opening in the browser
• Automatically sets the content disposition header to "attachment; filename=FileName.pdf"
• Respects the user's default download settings (e.g., location, filename)

Note:

Prior to HTML5, it was not directly possible to force browsers to download PDFs. Alternative solutions involved using JavaScript or embedding the PDF in an