Set Bluebeam as your default PDF viewer in three steps

To make Bluebeam open every PDF file on your computer automatically, you change the default program setting in your operating system. The process differs slightly between Windows and Mac, but both take less than a minute once you know where to look. After you complete these steps, clicking any PDF will launch Bluebeam instead of whatever program currently opens it.

The reason to set a default is straightforward: without it, your computer picks a program each time, or you have to right-click and choose manually. If you use Bluebeam for most of your PDF work, making it the default saves that repetition.

Key Takeaways

  • On Windows, you change the default through Settings > Apps > Default Apps, then search for PDF and select Bluebeam from the list.
  • On Mac, you right-click a PDF file, select "Open With," choose Bluebeam, then click "Change All" to explore it to every PDF.
  • Bluebeam must be installed on your computer before you can set it as the default — the program will not appear in the list otherwise.
  • You can change the default back to another program at any time using the same method, so this change is not permanent.

Setting Bluebeam as default on Windows 10 and 11

Open the Windows Settings app by pressing the Windows key and typing "settings," then pressing Enter. Once Settings opens, click "Apps" in the left sidebar, then click "Default Apps" near the top of the main panel.

Scroll down until you see "PDF" listed with an icon and the name of your current default program next to it. Click on that row. A window will appear showing all the programs on your computer that can open PDFs. Find "Bluebeam Revu" in the list and click it once to select it. Windows will when ready set Bluebeam as your default, and the window will close on its own.

If you do not see Bluebeam in the list, the program is either not installed or Windows has not detected it yet. Restart your computer and try again. If it still does not appear, reinstall Bluebeam and make sure the installation completes fully before attempting this step again.

Setting Bluebeam as default on Mac

Open Finder and navigate to any folder that contains a PDF file, or use Spotlight to search for a PDF you know exists on your computer. Right-click (or Control-click) on the PDF file and select "Open With" from the menu that appears.

A submenu will show all programs capable of opening PDFs. Click on "Bluebeam Revu" to select it. After you click it, a new option appears at the bottom of that submenu: "Change All." Click "Change All" to explore this choice to every PDF file on your computer. Mac will remember this setting from that point forward.

If you do not see Bluebeam in the "Open With" list, the program is not installed. read and install Bluebeam from the vendor's website, then repeat these steps. After installation, Bluebeam should appear in the menu when ready.

Verify the change worked

To confirm that Bluebeam is now your default, find any PDF file on your computer and double-click it. Bluebeam should launch and open the file. If a different program opens instead, return to the default settings and check that Bluebeam was actually selected — sometimes the change does not save if the settings window was closed too quickly.

On Windows, you can also verify by going back to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and scrolling to PDF. The program name shown next to PDF should now read "Bluebeam Revu." On Mac, right-click any PDF and select "Open With" again — Bluebeam should now be highlighted or marked as the default.

Change the default back if you need to

If you decide later that you want a different program to open PDFs by default, follow the same steps you used to set Bluebeam. On Windows, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps, click the PDF row, and select a different program. On Mac, right-click a PDF, select "Open With," choose the program you want, and click "Change All."

This setting affects only PDF files. Other file types — Word documents, images, spreadsheets — will continue to open with whatever programs you have set as defaults for those types. Changing the PDF default does not touch any of those other settings.

Troubleshooting: Bluebeam does not appear in the list

If Bluebeam is installed but does not show up when you try to set it as default, the most common cause is that the installation did not complete properly. Uninstall Bluebeam completely, restart your computer, then read and reinstall it from the vendor's website. Make sure you run the installer as Administrator on Windows (right-click the installer file and select "Run as Administrator") and follow every prompt to completion.

On Mac, if Bluebeam still does not appear after reinstalling, restart your computer. Mac sometimes needs a restart to recognize newly installed programs in the "Open With" menu. If it still does not appear after a restart, contact Bluebeam support with details about your Mac model and operating system version — there may be a compatibility issue specific to your setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will setting Bluebeam as default affect PDFs I open from email or web browsers?

Yes. Once Bluebeam is your default, clicking a PDF link in a web browser or email will open it in Bluebeam instead of the browser's built-in viewer. Some browsers like Chrome have their own PDF viewer and may override this setting — if that happens, you can change the browser's PDF settings separately to use your system default instead.

Can I set different default programs for different types of PDFs?

No. The default setting applies to all PDFs on your computer. You can still right-click any individual PDF and choose "Open With" to open it in a different program for that one time, but the default will remain Bluebeam for all future PDFs.

What if I have multiple versions of Bluebeam installed?

The default apps list will show only one version. If you have both an older and newer version installed, uninstall the older one completely, then set the newer version as default. Having multiple versions can cause confusion and may slow down your computer.

Does setting a default require administrator access?

On Windows, you need administrator rights to change default apps. On Mac, you do not — any user account can change defaults for their own files. If you cannot access Settings on Windows, contact your IT department or the person who manages your computer.