diff --git a/src/LyXAction.cpp b/src/LyXAction.cpp
index 32a2604a01..818011ac31 100644
--- a/src/LyXAction.cpp
+++ b/src/LyXAction.cpp
@@ -2829,13 +2829,14 @@ void LyXAction::init()
  * \li Action: Sets the cursor position in the previewed (e.g. dvi) file based on the row
                number in LyX window.
  * \li Notion: The external program used for forward search call can be specified in
-               \\forward_search RC setting. By default its value is\n
+               \\forward_search_dvi and \\forward_search_pdf RC settings.
+	       By default, the value for pdf is empty, while for dvi it is\n
 	       "xdvi -sourceposition $$n:$$t $$o"\n
 	       The values replaced in the call: $$n for row number, $$t for
 	       exported temporary .tex file, $$o exported output file, either
-	       dvi or pdf, depending on the argument of #LFUN_FORWARD_SEARCH.
- * \li Syntax: forward-search [dvi|pdf]
- * \li Params: By default dvi route is taken.
+	       dvi or pdf, depending on which one exists in the temp dir
+	       (preferred is dvi).
+ * \li Syntax: forward-search
  * \li Origin: sanda, 14 Apr 2010
  * \endvar
  */
diff --git a/src/LyXRC.cpp b/src/LyXRC.cpp
index 319d21692b..c0eeda2add 100644
--- a/src/LyXRC.cpp
+++ b/src/LyXRC.cpp
@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@ LexerKeyword lyxrcTags[] = {
 	{ "\\example_path", LyXRC::RC_EXAMPLEPATH },
 	{ "\\font_encoding", LyXRC::RC_FONT_ENCODING },
 	{ "\\format", LyXRC::RC_FORMAT },
-	{ "\\forward_search", LyXRC::RC_FORWARD_SEARCH },
+	{ "\\forward_search_dvi", LyXRC::RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_DVI },
+	{ "\\forward_search_pdf", LyXRC::RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_PDF },
 	{ "\\fullscreen_limit", LyXRC::RC_FULL_SCREEN_LIMIT },
 	{ "\\fullscreen_menubar", LyXRC::RC_FULL_SCREEN_MENUBAR },
 	{ "\\fullscreen_scrollbar", LyXRC::RC_FULL_SCREEN_SCROLLBAR },
@@ -327,7 +328,8 @@ void LyXRC::setDefaults()
 	user_email = to_utf8(support::user_email());
 	open_buffers_in_tabs = true;
 	single_close_tab_button = false;
-	forward_search = "xdvi -sourceposition $$n:$$t $$o";
+	forward_search_dvi = "xdvi -sourceposition $$n:$$t $$o";
+	forward_search_pdf = string();
 
 	// Fullscreen settings
 	full_screen_limit = false;
@@ -1158,9 +1160,13 @@ int LyXRC::read(Lexer & lexrc)
 		case RC_SINGLE_CLOSE_TAB_BUTTON:
 			lexrc >> single_close_tab_button;
 			break;
-		case RC_FORWARD_SEARCH:
+		case RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_DVI:
 			if (lexrc.next(true)) 
-				forward_search = lexrc.getString();
+				forward_search_dvi = lexrc.getString();
+			break;
+		case RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_PDF:
+			if (lexrc.next(true)) 
+				forward_search_pdf = lexrc.getString();
 			break;
 
 		// Obsoteted in 1.4.0
@@ -1857,10 +1863,17 @@ void LyXRC::write(ostream & os, bool ignore_system_lyxrc, string const & name) c
 		}
 		if (tag != RC_LAST)
 			break;
-	case RC_FORWARD_SEARCH:
+	case RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_DVI:
 		if (ignore_system_lyxrc ||
-		    forward_search != system_lyxrc.forward_search) {
-			os << "\\forward_search \"" << escapeCommand(forward_search) << "\"\n";
+		    forward_search_dvi != system_lyxrc.forward_search_dvi) {
+			os << "\\forward_search_dvi \"" << escapeCommand(forward_search_dvi) << "\"\n";
+		}
+		if (tag != RC_LAST)
+			break;
+	case RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_PDF:
+		if (ignore_system_lyxrc ||
+		    forward_search_pdf != system_lyxrc.forward_search_pdf) {
+			os << "\\forward_search_pdf \"" << escapeCommand(forward_search_pdf) << "\"\n";
 		}
 		if (tag != RC_LAST)
 			break;
@@ -2816,7 +2829,8 @@ void actOnUpdatedPrefs(LyXRC const & lyxrc_orig, LyXRC const & lyxrc_new)
 	case LyXRC::RC_VISUAL_CURSOR:
 	case LyXRC::RC_VIEWER:
 	case LyXRC::RC_VIEWER_ALTERNATIVES:
-	case LyXRC::RC_FORWARD_SEARCH:
+	case LyXRC::RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_DVI:
+	case LyXRC::RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_PDF:
 	case LyXRC::RC_LAST:
 		break;
 	}
diff --git a/src/LyXRC.h b/src/LyXRC.h
index 2eccbc539f..d659d052d2 100644
--- a/src/LyXRC.h
+++ b/src/LyXRC.h
@@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ public:
 		RC_EXAMPLEPATH,
 		RC_FONT_ENCODING,
 		RC_FORMAT,
-		RC_FORWARD_SEARCH,
+		RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_DVI,
+		RC_FORWARD_SEARCH_PDF,
 		RC_FULL_SCREEN_LIMIT,
 		RC_FULL_SCREEN_SCROLLBAR,
 		RC_FULL_SCREEN_TABBAR,
@@ -492,7 +493,9 @@ public:
 	///
 	bool single_close_tab_button;
 	///
-	std::string forward_search;
+	std::string forward_search_dvi;
+	///
+	std::string forward_search_pdf;
 };
 
 
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp
index 12fd696285..57ff7c8492 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiView.cpp
@@ -3224,25 +3224,27 @@ void GuiView::dispatch(FuncRequest const & cmd, DispatchResult & dr)
 			break;
 
 		case LFUN_FORWARD_SEARCH: {
-			string out_type="dvi";
-			if (argument == "pdf")
-				out_type = "pdf";
-
+			string command = lyxrc.forward_search_dvi;
 			FileName const path(doc_buffer->temppath());
-			support::PathChanger p(path);
 			string const texname = doc_buffer->latexName();
-			string const outname = support::changeExtension(doc_buffer->latexName(), out_type);
+			string outname = support::changeExtension(texname, "dvi");
+			if (!FileName(addName(path.absFilename(), outname)).exists()) {
+				outname = support::changeExtension(texname, "pdf");
+				command = lyxrc.forward_search_pdf;
+				if (!FileName(addName(path.absFilename(), outname)).exists())
+					break;
+			}
 
 			int row = doc_buffer->texrow().getRowFromIdPos(bv->cursor().paragraph().id(), bv->cursor().pos());
-			if (!row)
+			if (!row || command.empty())
 				break;
 			string texrow = convert<string>(row);
 
-			string command = lyxrc.forward_search;
 			command = subst(command, "$$n", texrow);
 			command = subst(command, "$$t", texname);
 			command = subst(command, "$$o", outname);
 
+			PathChanger p(path);
 			Systemcall one;
 			one.startscript(Systemcall::Wait, command);
 			break;