Ubuntu – downloaded pdf automatically opens in default system pdf viewer in chrome ubuntu

You can set the auto-open preferences for PDF files by clicking on the download status button in the downloads bar. When you have a downloaded PDF sitting there, click on the arrow and unselect "Always Open Files of This Type" in the pop-up menu.

You can also reset all the user preferences for auto-open by following the directions below from Chrome's help site at http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95759

If you want certain types of files to always open after they're done downloading, click the arrow next to the file button in the downloads bar and select Always open files of this type. To prevent potentially malicious files from automatically downloading to your computer, this option isn't available for executable filetypes, such as those with .exe, .dll, or .bat extensions (for Windows), and .dmg extensions (for Mac).

You can clear auto-opening settings through the Settings dialog. Here's how:

Click the wrench icon on the browser toolbar. Select Settings. Click the Under the Hood tab. In the "Downloads" section, click Clear auto-opening settings. This clears your settings for all file types. Click Close when you're done, if you're using Windows or Linux.

It appears that someone may have finally figured out how to replicate the original behavior you have been hoping for. By disabling the embedded PDF viewer plugin (bear with me), and then adding PDF.JS, you will have the option of opening a PDF inside Chrom{e,ium} or with the external viewer. The behavior sounds as though it will follow the original behavior:

1. clicking on a link to a PDF will open the PDF in PDF.JS
2. downloading a PDF will open with the system viewer

Note: this still disables the default PDF viewer in Chrom{e,ium}, it just replaces it with PDF.JS (the viewer that Mozilla has been developing).

Credit to Michael McFadden.