The Premature Launch
Google Chrome aims to streamline the file acquisition process. Occasionally, users will accidentally enable a specific setting that causes the browser to execute files the second they finish downloading. If you download a PDF, an image, or a ZIP archive, instead of just sitting quietly in your “Downloads” bar, the file instantly rips open in its associated desktop application (like Adobe Acrobat or a photo viewer). This is highly disruptive if you are batch-downloading a dozen different files for a project; your screen will be bombarded with launching applications, stealing your focus and lagging your computer.
Clearing the Auto-Open Exceptions
To restore standard download behavior and stop Google Chrome from automatically opening downloaded files, you must clear the specific file-type exceptions stored in the browser’s settings.
You cannot toggle this on or off while a file is actively downloading; you must clear the memory. Click the three vertical dots (the customize menu) in the top-right corner of Chrome and select Settings. In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Downloads. Look at the main panel. If you have previously instructed Chrome to auto-open certain file types (by clicking the small arrow next to a downloading file and selecting “Always open files of this type”), you will see a section here titled Open certain file types automatically after downloading. Right next to this text, there is a button labelled Clear. Click the Clear button. The section will vanish. From now on, all files you download will simply save to your hard drive and wait for you to manually click them.