When a download should be a PDF, ZIP, or DOCX—but Chrome on Windows saves it as an HTML file (or opens as a web page)—it usually means the site sent the wrong “file type” info, Chrome cached something odd, or Windows is opening the file with the wrong default app.
Start with the quickest fix and work downward.
1. Fastest fix: re-download using “Save link as…” (bypasses preview)
If clicking the link opens a preview page, Chrome may be downloading the page (HTML) instead of the file.
- Right-click the download link.
- Select Save link as… (or Save target as…).
- Save to a simple location like Downloads, then check the file extension.
This often works immediately for PDFs and ZIPs hosted behind “view” pages.
2. Check the filename and extension before saving (and turn on extensions)
Sometimes the file is correct, but Windows hides extensions, making it look like “a web file.”
- Open File Explorer → View → Show → enable File name extensions.
- Re-check the download: does it end in .pdf, .zip, .docx, etc.?
If you see something like report.pdf.html, that’s a strong sign you saved a web page or got redirected to a login/blocked page.
3. Quick reality check: are you being redirected to a sign-in or “Access denied” page?
A very common cause: the download link requires a session, but your click gets redirected to an HTML page (login, error, or permission page) that Chrome then saves.
- Try the download in an Incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N) after signing in fresh.
- If it’s a work/school system, confirm you’re in the right account/profile in Chrome.
- If the site shows “Access denied” or a login screen right before download, fix that first—otherwise you’ll keep getting HTML.
Also check the file size: a “PDF” that’s only a few KB is often an HTML error page.
4. Clear just the site’s cookies/cache (not everything)
If Chrome cached an intermediate “download” page, it can keep repeating the wrong result.
- Open the site that hosts the download.
- Click the padlock icon (left of the address bar) → Site settings.
- Click Clear data.
- Reload the page and try the download again.
This is usually enough without wiping all browsing data.
5. Disable download-related extensions (ad blockers, download managers, security scanners)
Some extensions rewrite links, block file responses, or inject a “safe browsing” interstitial that turns a file download into an HTML page.
- Go to chrome://extensions
- Temporarily toggle off extensions that affect pages/requests (ad blockers, script blockers, antivirus web shields, download managers).
- Retry the download.
If that fixes it, re-enable extensions one-by-one to find the culprit.
6. Reset Chrome’s download behavior (and check “Open PDFs in Chrome”)
Two settings can make downloads feel “wrong,” especially for PDFs.
- Open chrome://settings/downloads and confirm the download location is valid.
- Toggle Ask where to save each file before downloading on temporarily, so you can see the filename and type each time.
- For PDFs: open chrome://settings/content/pdfDocuments and choose whether PDFs should open in Chrome or download automatically (pick the behavior you prefer and test again).
This won’t fix a server sending HTML, but it helps you spot what’s happening earlier.
7. Fix Windows default apps (when the file is correct but opens “wrong”)
If the file extension is correct (for example .pdf), but double-clicking opens Chrome or looks like a web page, Windows file associations may be off.
- Windows Settings → Apps → Default apps.
- Search for .pdf, .zip, or the extension you care about.
- Set the default to the correct app (e.g., a PDF reader for .pdf, File Explorer for .zip).
This is especially useful after installing/uninstalling PDF tools or archive apps.
8. Advanced: test with a clean Chrome profile (rules out profile corruption)
If it only happens in your main Chrome profile, a setting/extension/cache combination may be stuck.
- Click your profile icon in Chrome → Add → create a temporary profile.
- Don’t install extensions yet.
- Sign in to the site and try the download.
If the new profile works, migrate gradually (bookmarks, then extensions) instead of doing a full reinstall first.
9. Advanced: when it’s the website (MIME type / Content-Disposition is wrong)
Sometimes the site is simply sending the wrong headers, so Chrome treats the response as a web page.
- If another browser on the same PC (Edge/Firefox) gets the same “HTML instead of file,” it’s likely server-side.
- If other browsers download correctly, capture the exact link you clicked and try “Save link as…” again—then report it to the site admin if needed.
- For work portals, ask IT to check the server’s Content-Type and Content-Disposition settings for that file type.
In that case, your local fixes can only work around it, not permanently correct it.
Final thoughts
If you need the fastest win, try Save link as… and then clear data for just that site. Those two steps fix a big chunk of “HTML instead of PDF/ZIP” downloads without resetting everything.
If it’s still happening across browsers, it’s usually a redirect/permission issue or the website sending the wrong file headers.