Using FileOpen to view protected PDFs
To view PDFs protected with FileOpen DRM, you must have Acrobat Reader and the free FileOpen plugin installed. You must also have an active internet connection to verify your authorisation to view the protected files. FileOpen DRM checks every time to make sure a user can access a FileOpen-protected file.
note
FileOpen is not available on instances that use Thomson Reuters Accounts, please use
Online viewer with DRM
.Select
Enable online viewer with DRM
in Files administration settings.Recommended environments
To ensure the best possible user experience, we recommend keeping both Acrobat Reader and the FileOpen plugin up to date.
This includes:
Operating systems
- Windows operating system
- Mac operating system
Browsers
- Microsoft Edge
- Firefox
- Google Chrome.
note
If are logged into Collaborate using either Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox you will not be prompted to log in to view FileOpen protected files they have downloaded, for up to 24 hours. Though you may not be prompted to log in, the FileOpen software still checks your saved login information with the Collaborate server to make sure you are authorized to view the protected file. This happens each time you open a file in Acrobat Reader.
FileOpen DRM protected PDFs are fully compatible with Safari. However, users will be prompted to authenticate with their Collaborate credentials each time they open a FileOpen protected file using Safari. FileOpen otherwise works the same on other configurations.
Troubleshooting
Make sure FileOpen has been installed
Make sure that the FileOpen plugin has been installed correctly. In Acrobat Reader navigate to
Acrobat Reader
> About Third-Party Plug-Ins
> FileOpen Client...
will be listed among the plug-ins.
FileOpen protected PDFs open as blank files
The common cause is using a PDF reader other than Adobe Reader to open FileOpen protected files. If other PDF reading software is installed, it may have set itself as the default program to open PDF files. Since FileOpen works best with Adobe Reader, the protected PDFs will not display their content in other software.
To ensure that Adobe Reader is the default PDF viewer, click the Help menu in Adobe Reader and then Detect and Repair or Repair Acrobat Installation to reinstall the web browser plugin and set Reader as the default PDF viewer.
PDF fails to open in Google Chrome browser
Chrome has its own built-in PDF viewer which is not capable of displaying FileOpen secured PDFs.
To disable the built-in viewer, follow the instructions on this page.
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Disable Chrome's built-in PDF viewer
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