How you bring back the previewing of PDFs in Google Drive.
A recent change to Google Drive altered the way PDF files are previewed. Previously, when you double-clicked a PDF, a preview overlay would open, allowing you to view the PDF quickly, close it, and move on to the following file. This feature was particularly useful for quick document checks and efficient file management.
Since the change, opening and closing PDFs has become more cumbersome and time-consuming. Now, when you click on a PDF, it opens in a new tab in Chrome. Once you have finished viewing the PDF, you must close the Chrome tab and navigate back to Drive to select the next PDF you wish to view. This is a significant departure from the previous efficient workflow.
This change went down like a lead balloon for many Google Workspace by Kimbley IT subscribers. While Google has not reversed this new default behaviour when viewing PDFs, it has added an option to the settings in Google Drive that lets you revert back to overlayed PDF previews.
Here is how you reenable PDF previews in Google Drive:
Navigate to Google Drive.
Click the Settings Cog in the top right-hand corner.
Click Settings.
Under the section called "Open PDFs".
Select Preview.
When you return to Google Drive and select a PDF, as before this change, PDFs will now open in an overlayed preview rather than a new tab in Google Chrome.
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