You want to read a PDF without adding another copy to your Downloads folder. On a computer, you have these options.
1. Gmail's own preview (received mail)
- Open the email.
- Click the PDF attachment card itself, not the download arrow that appears when you hover over it.
- Gmail opens the PDF in a full-screen preview. Nothing goes to Downloads. Press Esc to close.
If this opens Acrobat, a new tab, or downloads instead, see Gmail PDF preview not working.
2. Open it in a Chrome tab
Chrome has a built-in PDF viewer. Make sure it is on: go to chrome://settings/content/pdfDocuments and choose Open PDFs in Chrome. With that setting, PDFs that open in a new tab are shown there instead of being saved.
3. Preview it inside Gmail with Attachment Preview
Attachment Preview is a free Chrome extension that adds a Preview button under every PDF and image attachment in Gmail.
- The PDF opens in a viewer on top of your inbox (overlay, page counter). Scroll every page, and select and copy text.
- In version 1.1 and later, password-protected PDFs show an inline Password form with an Open button in that overlay (Gmail's native viewer also prompts). The password is used only to open that file and is never stored, logged or transmitted.
- Nothing is saved to your computer. The file is discarded when you close the viewer.
- It works in compose, reply and forward too. There, Gmail downloads when you click an attachment chip; Preview lets you check the PDF before you send without downloading.
- It runs entirely in your browser, with no account and no tracking.
Which should you use?
| Gmail preview | Chrome tab | Attachment Preview | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stays in Gmail | Yes (full screen) | No, new tab | Yes, overlay over your inbox |
| Works in compose | No (chip click downloads) | n/a | Yes |
| Needs an install | No | No | Yes (free) |
| Images too | Yes | Yes | Yes (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP) |
On a phone?
These steps are for Gmail in Chrome on a computer or Chromebook. The Gmail apps for iPhone and Android open attachments in their own viewer when you tap them.
Related: Preview attachments before sending · Attachments download instead of opening · Attachment Preview vs Gmail's built-in preview