PDF is shown as binary text in browser instead of being downloaded

Question

In Chrome, when I enter a URL to a PDF file, usually the browser's Save dialog opens to save the PDF file to my hard disk, for example:

http://www.pdf995.com/samples/pdf.pdf

Now I have found a PDF URL where this, unfortunately, does not work:

https://formulare.bmf.gv.at/service/formulare/inter-Steuern/pdfd/2015/U1a.pdf

With this PDF URL, no Save dialog is opened and the binary text of this PDF is shown in the browser:

Why is this and how can I make it download automatically when I click the URL?

OS: Windows 7 x64 SP1

Solution

Why is this and how can I download this PDF file?

The website is broken and is not serving PDF files correctly. Contact [email protected].

Using the Firefox developer tools (press f12, select "Net", then select "All" we can see the response and request headers:

Content-Disposition inline;filename=U1a.pdf

The above tells the browser to serve the page content inline:

In a regular HTTP response, the Content-Disposition response header is a header indicating if the content is expected to be displayed inline in the browser, that is, as a Web page or as part of a Web page, or as an attachment, that is downloaded and saved locally.

You can open the PDF by saving the page locally and opening the PDF:

1. Right click on the page and select "Save as" (or press ctrls)

   

2. Choose a directory and click "Save".

3. Navigate to the chosen directory in Explorer.

4. Double click U1a.pdf.

Comments

[DavidPostill]

Did you actually try this? It doesn't work. The website is not serving PDF files correctly. See my answer.

[user1580348]

Thank you. But I don't want to view the PDF in the browser, I just want to download the PDF when I click on the URL.

[user1580348]

Thank you. How is the website not serving PDF files correctly? Can you please explain the technical details?

[DavidPostill]

@user1580348 There are many different possibilities ...

[user1580348]

Strange: When I enter the PDF URL https://formulare.bmf.gv.at/service/formulare/inter-Steuern/‌​pdfd/2015/U1a.pdf in Firefox, the PDF is displayed correctly as PDF in Firefox (without downloading).

[user1580348]

For example? Can you name some, please?

[DavidPostill]

@user1580348 The most likely is that the web server is serving the wrong mime type for pdf files and is serving it as html. See Properly Configuring Server MIME Types

[Devidas]

Ok sorry I missunderstood. and did not read your question thoroughly.

[user1580348]

I have now activated Chrome PDF Viewer in chrome://plugins, but Chrome still displays the PDF as binary text. So why this (displaying the PDF in the browser) is working in Firefox and not in Chrome?

[Devidas]

but to my surprise it did open in Mozilla and not in chrome very strange behavior I agree to your point.

[Devidas]

this can be bug in either web server or chrome. More probable it is chrome bug as it opens in Mozilla

[user1580348]

Also in Internet Explorer the PDF is displayed correctly as PDF (no download).

[user1580348]

In Opera there is a strange security warning: It says that it is not possible to complete the secure transaction! ???

[user1580348]

IMO, this cannot be, as Firefox shows a correct MIME type for the PDF URL: http://i.imgur.com/iPoybDn.png (application/pdf).

[DavidPostill]

@user1580348 It fails in Firefox in the same way for me. But works in IE. Strange.

[John Keates]

Might be a attachment status header set to inline

[DavidPostill]

@JohnKeates You got it Content-Disposition inline;filename=U1a.pdf

[DavidPostill]

@user1580348 Answer updated.

[user1580348]

Thank you very much for the information! So does this indicate that it's the server's fault or it's Chrome's fault?

[user1580348]

Or more precisely: Is it the server's fault or is there an error in the website's HTML code containing the link to this PDF file?

[DavidPostill]

@user1580348 Content-Disposition inline;filename=U1a.pdf is the response from the server, so it is the server that is misconfigured.

[user1580348]

I needed to know whom I should blame: The server admin or the website developer. BTW, how could the server admin fix this? Thank you! (I am not maintaining the site; it's just for curiosity).

[DavidPostill]

@user1580348 I would ask both of them. It depends where they have decided to split their responsibilities ...