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How to Make a PDF Download Instead of Opening in Browser Using Content-Disposition Header

Learn how to force PDF files to download instead of opening in browser by setting the Content-Disposition header in your web server or PHP script.

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Video transcript

To make a PDF download instead of opening in the browser, set the HTTP header `Content-Disposition` to `attachment`. For example, in PHP: `header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="filename.pdf"');`. This instructs the browser to download the file rather than display it.

Questions and answers

  1. What does the Content-Disposition header do?

    The Content-Disposition header tells the browser how to handle a file, whether to display it inline or prompt the user to download it as an attachment.

  2. How can I force a PDF to download using PHP?

    You can force a PDF to download by setting the HTTP header in PHP like this: header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="filename.pdf"'); before outputting the file.

  3. Why does my PDF open in the browser instead of downloading?

    If the Content-Disposition header is not set to attachment, browsers usually open PDFs inline by default instead of downloading them.

Related questions

Continue exploring

If you're interested in more tips on managing file downloads or handling HTTP headers effectively, check out our related guides on setting content types and customizing browser file behavior for various file formats.