Set SumartraPDF for previews after Adobe steals it after each update

[brinkdinges]

I love how fast the PDF preview in Windows Explorer is when I set Sumatra as the reader to use. But it seems like Adobe Reader updates every few weeks and overwrites that setting again.

Right now I re-download and re-install Sumatra every time this happens, without removing the previous (and identical) version to fix the preview. Would it be possible to add a button in the settings to fix the preview setting in Explorer?

[dom6770]

Yes, this is annoying. I wish Adobe would add an option to disable the preview handler, but welp.

The preview handler is controlled by a registry item.
You can get the current setting with PowerShell by executing:

Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf\shellex\{8895b1c6-b41f-4c1c-a562-0d564250836f}\' -Name "(default)"

If it's set to "{3D3B1846-CC43-42AE-BFF9-D914083C2BA3}" SumatraPDF is the preview handler, the ID for Acrobat is "{DC6EFB56-9CFA-464D-8880-44885D7DC193}" You can get a list of handlers in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PreviewHandlers

Now, you can either manually set the handler to SumatraPDF by executing

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf\shellex\{8895b1c6-b41f-4c1c-a562-0d564250836f}\' -Name "(default)" -Value "{3D3B1846-CC43-42AE-BFF9-D914083C2BA3}"

or create a Scheduled Job, which runs every 5 minute (or every :5 min):

$T = New-JobTrigger `
  -Once `
  -At (Get-Date).AddSeconds(60-(Get-Date).Second).AddMinutes(4-(Get-Date).Minute % 5 ) `
  -RepetitionInterval (New-TimeSpan -Minutes 5) `
  -RepeatIndefinitely

$O = New-ScheduledJobOption `
  -StartIfOnBattery `
  -ContinueIfGoingOnBattery

Register-ScheduledJob `
  -Name "SumatraPDF Preview Handler" `
  -Trigger $T `
  -ScheduledJobOption  $O `
  -ScriptBlock {Set-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf\shellex\{8895b1c6-b41f-4c1c-a562-0d564250836f}\' -Name "(default)" -Value "{3D3B1846-CC43-42AE-BFF9-D914083C2BA3}" } `
  -RunNow

[GitHubRulesOK]

Since I am running both I let Acrobat preview as default file handler, it used to be Edge would steal the Allocation but Adobe upped their game to defeat that ! every 5 mins seems excessive if its just after Adobe updates. since its hooked into explorer then on login/startup with a manual override would seem adequate.

Previewers generally need the app to install so when you switch on off in adobe it reinstalls from its backup

the problem is its a variable feast so my previewer is not showing under HKCR\.pdf\shellex that is blank and just default.

so default MS Edge PDF previewer is listed as 3A84F9C2-6164-485C-A7D9-4B27F8AC009E
somewhere there was a utility to roll between pdf defaults edge/adobe/sumatrapdf but that may not have included previewer ?

[kjk]

I've opened #3879 to track this