The visitors, who have not suffered a group stage elimination in a European competition since 2011, looked to seize the initiative from the first whistle.
A thunderous 25-yard strike from Achraf Hakimi was acrobatically saved by Alexander Schlager, who then brilliantly regained his footing to keep out Goncalo Ramos’ headed rebound, while Lee Kang-In sent a whipped effort just past the post.
Vitinha was the next to have a go, although he was also denied by the goalkeeper, and after Dorgeles Nene had dragged wide at the other end, Ramos had another chance for Luis Enrique’s side, but somehow failed to convert from point-blank range.
The forward did not have to wait long for his goal though, as the deadlock was broken on the half-hour mark when he dived in to stab Hakimi’s knock-down home from inches out.
The French outfit threatened to run riot from there, although Bradley Barcola and Marquinhos missed chances to double the lead before the break.
After half-time, though, they struggled to find the same attacking fluency and did not increase their advantage until the 72nd minute, when Nuno Mendes ran onto Desire Doue’s cut-back and fired into the far top corner.
That well and truly put the match to bed, as Pepijn Lijnders’ side failed to lay a glove on their opponents. They had had their only shot on target of the match by this point when Nene tamely fired straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Parisians were not done though, with Doue grabbing his first Champions League goal by hooking into the top corner after Hakimi unselfishly picked him out near the penalty spot.
As such, PSG picked up their first victory in four outings, gaining their first-ever victory in Austria in the process, whereas Salzburg suffered a fourth league-phase defeat in six outings and now face an uphill battle to make the knock-out playoffs.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain)