When you click on a link to a PDF file or other document types it downloads the file to your hard disk, where you can use a program to view that file. But now you can view that PDF file (or other documents) right inside the Google Chrome using GoogleDocs. Here is how :
- Visit https://chrome.google.com/extensions/ in your Google Chrome browser.
- Click on the blue Install button to install the Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer extension
- It will prompt you for confirmation. Click on Install to proceed.
Now whenever you click on a PDF file link in Google Chrome browser, it will automatically be opened in the Google Docs viewer. Other document types which Google Docs can open, like Microsoft PowerPoint files, are also supported. You can also download the selected file from the top-left download link in the Google Docs.
One of the benefits of this extension is that it neutralizes the PDF based malware attack. When you download an infected PDF file and try to open in in Adobe Acrobat or Foxit PDF Reader, it may infect your PC if you are not using the latest patched PDF viewer program (as older versions are vulnerable to PDF attack). But when using the Google Docs to view PDF files online, you can save yourself from these kind of attacks.