PDM Explorer PDF Preview Default Application

SOLIDWORKS SolidWorks PDM
1

Hi folks,

This question is specifically about the file explorer vault view preview tab (at the bottom or right of the screen when a file is selected, along with tabs like Data Card, Version, Contains, Where Used, etc…).
I am trying to change what application is used to preview PDF files.

It seems like it should be straightforward to achieve, but there isn’t much coming up on an internet search, and nothing on this forum (I will trust the monopolistic search engine to have search the old SW forums and 3D experience).
We recently upgraded computers and the new machines came without adobe pre-installed (hooray!). But my PDF viewer in the preview tab is laggy even on small PDFs and is difficult to navigate around.
On my previous machine, I had switched from Adobe to PDF X-Change and my previewer had changed at the same time.

My windows file explorer uses PDF X-Change to preview PDFs. The view file command from right click or file history in the vault uses PDF X-Change …I don’t know where else to look…

Help me, Obi-Wan Cadmunity, you’re my only hope

2

The “Preview” tab uses either Acrobat or the built in “Outside In” viewer from Oracle. This is set in the registry per user. There is also an entry for Foxit but not sure if it works. Honestly your best bet is to install Adobe Acrobat reader. In the past I managed to get Bluebeam to work with it but you had to associated it with Internet Explorer. Since going to Windows 11, IE is no longer there and I never got it working again.

Since you don’t have Acrobat installed, what you are see is likely the Outside In view. Its old and somewhat serviceable but not great.