Overview
This article explains how to enable IE mode in Microsoft Edge for Foxit PDF Editor for Windows version 2026.2.0 and later supported releases so that PDF files can be viewed using the Foxit browser plugin. The same procedure applies to Foxit PDF Reader for Windows version 2026.2.0 and later.
Prerequisites
- You have Foxit PDF Editor (Windows) v2026.2.0 or later installed.
- You have administrative privileges to modify Edge settings.
Step 1: Install and Verify the IE Browser Plugin
1. During a fresh Foxit PDF Editor installation, check both options: IE Browser Plugin and Show PDF Files in IE browser to install the required browser compatibility components.
2. If you have already installed Foxit PDF Editor and missed the above two options, open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
3. Locate Foxit PDF Editor, click it and select Change.
4. In the setup window,select Change and click OK.
5 . In the Foxit component list, check the missing IE Browser Plugin option, then complete the component update installation.
Step 2: Configure Foxit File Associations
1. Open Foxit PDF Editor, go to Preferences > File Associations >Advanced.
2. Ensure the option "Include browser when setting default PDF viewer" is checked,click on OK to save the setting.
3 . In the File Associations section, click "Restore file associations" and then "Make default PDF Viewer" options to set file associations. If a UAC prompt appears, enter your administrator credentials.
4. (Optional) Verify the registry entries are correctly applied:
- Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type\application/pdf should have CLSID = {2ce45a33-7a0a-45f7-ac0c-107cd9dc191a}
-Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2CE45A33-7A0A-45F7-AC0C-107CD9DC191A}\InprocServer32
should point to C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\plugins\FoxitPDFEditorBrowserAx64.dll
5.If the above registry entries are incorrect or the browser plugin fails to load, manually register the plugin via command prompt. Run Command Prompt as administrator, then execute the following commands to register the Foxit browser plugin modules:
regsvr32.exe "C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\plugins\FoxitPDFEditorBrowserAx64.dll"
regsvr32.exe "C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\plugins\FoxitPDFEditorBrowserAx.dll"
Step 3: Enable IE Mode in Edge and Add Pages
1. Open Microsoft Edge and go to Settings > Default browser.
2. Under Internet Explorer compatibility, set "Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode (IE mode)" to "Allow".
3.Click "Add a page" and enter the URL or local file path you want to open in IE Mode (e.g., file:///C:/Users/yourusername/Desktop/example.pdf).
4. Confirm that your page has been added to the "Internet Explorer mode pages" list.
Step 4: Verify That IE Mode Is Working
1. Open a new tab in Edge and navigate to the PDF you added to the IE Mode list.
2. If the page shows the message"You're in Internet Explorer mode" at the top, IE Mode is successfully enabled.
3.The PDF should render normally in compatibility mode. By default, it opens in Read Mode. You can press the ESC key to show the Ribbon toolbar (the main menu bar).
Tip: If IE Mode does not take effect immediately, try restarting your Edge browser.
Conclusion
After completing these steps, your target PDF page will open and render correctly in Microsoft Edge using Internet Explorer Mode with the Foxit browser plugin.
Note:Browser-plugin installation remains unchanged for perpetual-license Foxit PDF Editor (Windows, e.g., v14.0.7). IE and Firefox plugins are still installed by default.