MacOS – Why can’t I save pdf files from Safari

macossafari

I know that this is a fairly common problem, but I've never had it before: if a pdf is displayed in a Safari window, clicking the download icon in the overlay in the bottom middle of the window doesn't do anything. I know that a common cause is the presence of an AdobePDFviewer plugin, but it isn't installed and Preview is my default app for reading PDFs. I know that I can do a "Save As," but I'd like to regain this functionality.

I've tried various other remedies, to no avail.

Best Answer

The problem appeared to be that Safari didn't support downloading the PDF from the popup provided by the website (in my case 1Password with its Emergency Kit PDF). Instead I had to use CMD + S or use the File menu in the Menu Bar to save the PDF.

1Password informed me "That is expected behavior — Safari doesn't fully support downloading the PDF from the popup we provide." One is supposed to press command-S or "File > Save As" when I reached out to them.