Historically, Firefox always showed the download dialog if the site sent a specific "header" with the download:

Content-Disposition: attachment

In the new download workflow in Firefox 98, Firefox no longer shows the dialog automatically, but only if you change your PDF preference from Open in Firefox to Always Ask, which probably would be inconvenient on other sites.

To save the file to your folder of your choice, now you would use the Download button on the PDF Viewer's toolbar instead:

Is that a viable option for your workflow?

Sorry, that image was incorrect. In Firefox 98 when "Open in Firefox" is my default action, when I click the Download button in the PDF Viewer, I get a Save As dialog:

Thank you for your help. This means Firefox no longer cares about the header anymore right? Is there anything I can do about that?

It's a good question, and it's difficult to think of a solution. In theory an add-on could check incoming downloads for this pattern:

• Content-Type: application/pdf
• Content-Disposition: attachment

and change the Content-Type to something else so that Firefox doesn't follow the normal rules for a PDF.

I have an add-on that works the opposite way (it fixes messed up headers) but perhaps it might be possible to build in some special handling. (Not useful for now, but it's called Content-Type Fixer.)

Version 98 screwed up everything about file management

I have users that are now downloading the same file 20 times or more because FF doesn't ask what to do anymore it just blatantly saves to the download folder - When software developers muck with a users settings bad things will happen.

The developers need to learn ask for permissions before you screw me by changing my setting - I didn't want to change to Opera but WTF Mozilla

Another example - I used to be able to look at the contents of a zip file in windows explorer. If I only wanted 2 of the many files listed in the archive I could put a tick mark on both files and then drag them to my mozilla window and the files would get copied there - Well that no longer works. I must export all the files out my archive copy the two want to mozilla then delete everything I just Exported -_ NOT GOOD, LOST PRODUCTIVITY

Version 98 screwed up everything about file management I have users that are now download the save file 20 times or more because FF doesn't ask what to do anymore it just blatantly saves to the download folder - When software developers muck with a users settings bad things will happen.

I think this is why the Downloads list is set to open automatically, so users see their download is completed, similar to how other browsers show something along the bottom of the document.

Obviously not everyone likes this method.

capatosta said

Version 98 screwed up everything about file management I have users that are now download the save file 20 times or more because FF doesn't ask what to do anymore it just blatantly saves to the download folder - When software developers muck with a users settings bad things will happen.

I think this is why the Downloads list is set to open automatically, so users see their download is completed, similar to how other browsers show something along the bottom of the document.

Obviously not everyone likes this method.

NO its awful Why do devlopers think hey can dictate what works for another individual ?

Hi,

I am a website owner .. and I get messages by users who complain that the page suddenly disappears on PDF download.

So opening the downloaded file in the same tab.. is obviously bad UX !

Evidently opening the pdf in the same tab will be fixed in version 101: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1756980

Hi, I am a website owner .. and I get messages by users who complain that the page suddenly disappears on PDF download. So opening the downloaded file in the same tab.. is obviously bad UX !

For now, unfortunately, I think you need to use a fake Content-Type that doesn't open in the PDF viewer (one site I frequent uses "application/force-download").

Evidently opening the pdf in the same tab will be fixed in version 101: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1756980

Yes, this is true: if the PDF download is triggered by <a download="filename.pdf"> or Content-Disposition: atachment, Firefox will direct it to a new tab. Regular PDF links won't change.