Read pdf files online. How to open PDF files

The .PDF format appeared in 1993, and was developed by Adobe Systems. Explanation of the abbreviation in the extension name - Portable Document Format.

Program to open PDF files

The standard option for those cases when you need to open a PDF file and view its contents. This program was created by the same company that developed the .PDF format, and is undoubtedly the most popular “reader”. We also convert Pdf using this program. Free software (a paid subscription to the Pro version will allow you to create and edit files with the PDF extension).

What are PDF files used for?

Most often, files with this extension are product manuals, e-books, flyers, work applications, scanned documents and brochures.

The reason for the popularity of this format is that PDF files do not depend on the programs in which they were created, nor on any specific operating system or hardware. They will look the same from any device.

PDF is one of the most common formats for documentation, e-books and instructions. In PDF format, you can save information in any form, and it will be displayed the same everywhere, i.e. The formatting and layout of the document will always be the same. This is why the PDF format has earned its recognition.

To begin with, I would like to immediately clarify that the programs that will be discussed open PDF files only FOR VIEWING, i.e. It is IMPOSSIBLE to change anything in a document using them. Some programs only allow you to modify the text, but not the content. The PDF format itself is quite specific, and even with the help of editors, the process of editing it is not at all similar to working with a Word document.

In the simplest case, you can read the file in any modern browser: Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, Edge. The functionality will be limited: only viewing content and printing. To do this, simply drag the file to an empty browser tab. But if the PDF file does not open this way, then try installing one of the programs.

Uncompromising Acrobat

In order not to have any problems with displaying PDF files, it is best to install the program of the format developer itself - Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Just select the program language “Russian” if the download page itself does not correctly determine it. The installation process is trivial, just click “Next” all the time.

Adobe has a complete package for working with PDF documents, including creating and editing - but it is paid.

Acrobat Reader provides a good range of features and customization flexibility for ease of use. It's completely free for both home and commercial use and is on my list. When you first start, you will need to confirm the use of a free license. Most likely, you won’t even have to go into the settings, because the program works great by default.

In the latest versions of Adobe Reader, there is still a very small opportunity to change the file. These are tools for highlighting text and inserting comments. The title “Text Highlighting” is probably not a very good Russian translation, because... “Text highlighting” is more suitable. To highlight the text, click on the icon in the toolbar and select the text, and the add comments icon is located immediately to the left.

By default, text is highlighted in yellow. You can change the highlight color only after highlighting with the default color. To do this, double-click on the selection and in the window click on the icon and select “Properties”. From there you can remove the highlight and add or change a comment.

Alternative programs for PDF

Acrobat Reader, of course, is far from the only PDF viewer. The developers managed to make an ordinary viewer a relatively heavy product. Basically there are no problems, but the program takes a long time to install and sometimes slows down.

Foxit Reader

The program is lightweight and has a simple interface. As a result, Foxit Reader launches quickly and is less demanding on computer resources.

Particular attention is paid to security, namely, at the first launch it is suggested to set the safe mode, in which attachments in the document are not opened and scripts are not run. Foxit Reader allows you to select text, insert comments, graphic objects, multimedia files (video and audio), but you can edit text only in the paid package Foxit PDF Editor.

However, over time, Foxit Reader has also become heavier, so I advise you to run its portable version.

Portable versions are distinguished by the fact that they are lighter and installation is very quick or not required at all. When you first start it, a window with two buttons will pop up, select “Not Now”. For the program to become in Russian, you need to go to the menu “File -> Preferences -> Language -> select Russian”

And restart the program with the “Restart Now” button.

The easiest one is Sumatra PDF

This is already an open source project, the program is the lightest and is not at all demanding on resources. Can open not only PDF, but also CHM, XPS, DjVu, CBZ and CBR files.

Two versions are available: for installation and portable (works without installation). Since Sumatra PDF is already very lightweight, I advise you to download the full version, so you can immediately install the program to open all PDF files by default.

The program has practically no settings, everything is easy and simple.

This category of programs includes free programs for reading and commenting (annotating) PDF documents that can replace the slow and bloated Adobe Reader. Despite many years of experience, Adobe Reader still lags behind its analogues in a number of parameters.

Note: Of course, here it is necessary to take into account that Adobe is a commercial company, so it cannot be particularly eager to develop the free version.

In any class of programs, it is necessary to define criteria based on which favorites can be identified. However, they must be balanced against the fact that each user has their own needs and preferences. Therefore, within this category, diverse criteria have been taken that are likely to take into account most needs. The criteria themselves:

• Ability to open PDF files. No, this is not a joke. Not all PDFs are created equal. The test set consisted of about a dozen different files. Different sizes, with different security settings, shapes and graphic content. Basically, these are the typical files used by most people. It is worth noting that none of the programs reviewed was able to correctly display the test file with an Adobe 3D image. During the tests, a strict selection took place. Any reader that could not correctly read a PDF document, with the exception of this 3D file, was immediately excluded from consideration.
• File opening speed. In this case, the criterion was somewhat softer. It was a matter of seconds. If the difference in opening was a second or two, then it was acceptable. Agree that delays of a few seconds cause indignation. Especially if the document is small.
• Graphical user interface (GUI). In this case, both functionality and ease of use were taken into account. In slightly different words, how aesthetically pleasing the controls and functions are located, as well as how easy the entire interface will be for ordinary users to use.
• Experience in reading documents. This factor includes both intuitiveness (what to expect? where to look? what to click? etc.; essentially all navigation elements) and the speed of rendering text and images.
• Annotation (commenting) tools. One of the important aspects of PDF readers is the ability to mark, annotate, and add images to an existing document. And subsequently save the result without watermarks of trial versions.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR). OCR is the ability to convert a scanned image into readable text. And this is a fairly important feature. This feature makes the text inside the document searchable and copyable. Unfortunately, only one of the products reviewed contains this feature. Details later in the discussion.
• Installation process. In addition, all programs were considered from the point of view of ease of installation. There is a sad tendency to include various third-party and unnecessary, and sometimes even harmful, software products in the installer.

Note: The software has not been tested on Windows 8. However, there is information about support for Windows 8 on the developer sites.

Review of free programs for reading PDF files (readers)

Of the entire range of free PDF document readers available, the first two stand out the most. They include extensive capabilities for viewing and commenting on PDF files. But, about this in more detail and in order.

PDF-XChange Viewer full-featured reader

This full-featured horse remains the top choice in this category. Subject to the exclusion of files with 3D images indicated above. The program was able to quickly open and accurately display all files from the test build. At the same time, you can change the size of the pages and turn them over. Export documents and their parts to various image formats.

A tiled window interface with multiple tabs allows you to read and comment on multiple documents at once, without having to navigate through multiple open copies of the program. Plus, for quick navigation, there are not only different options for displaying documents in the program window, but also maintaining a navigation history. You can go through all the viewed parts of different documents with just a few clicks.

In addition to viewing capabilities, PDF-XChange includes a wide range of tools for annotating and bookmarking PDF documents. The Annotation Toolbox contains a variety of drawing tools, including grid display for creating precise drawings. Comments can be hidden, exported, or imported.

The program also supports document encryption, security and document properties management. All controls are easily accessible and easy to use. Unfortunately, unlike some other PDF readers, XChanger lacks the ability to add digital signatures.

One of the important parts of any PDF reader is searching for text in the file. And this is where PDF-XChanger outperforms all its peers. It can convert and save a scanned image or text as a picture in a PDF document into readable and searchable text. The OCR process allows you to obtain a convenient and indexable document.

Note: If you use various services or programs that can index the text of PDF documents, then, most likely, you have already remembered those foolish documents that, by chance, are made up of many beautiful pictures, including text.

It is worth noting that the interface is somewhat reminiscent of Windows XP. However, once you open the program, you will not have any particular complaints. The graphical interface is designed quite neatly and pleasantly.

Unfortunately, the installer includes a special browser panel. So if you do not like to use portable versions and prefer to install programs, then you should be careful during the installation process to avoid installing unnecessary and unnecessary software.

Foxit Reader PDF reader alternative to PDF-XChange

A worthy contender in this category is Foxit Reader, especially if you don't need OCR tools. The program was able to open and accurately transfer all the same files, even a little faster than PDF-XChanger.

Foxit includes similar features for viewing and navigating documents, adding the ability to read documents aloud. Like XChanger, all documents open as tabs, allowing you to quickly read and comment on multiple documents at once.

While other programs in this category have been relatively static in their development, Foxit has been constantly evolving. The latest version of Foxit already offers different GUI display options. Depending on how accustomed you are to different kinds of views, you may like both the "classic" interface and the "ribbon" interface. The Ribbon is somewhat similar to Microsoft Office panels.

Of course, the annotation form tools may initially cause some problems, but other than that, navigation and editing, the controls are fairly well organized. Speaking generally about the interface, it is largely intuitive.

The array of annotation tools is as vast and impressive as PDF-XChange's. The user can fill out forms, fully comment on documents and save all work in the form in which he did it. Foxit includes some unique controls that allow you to add pictures, media files, and so on.

The program supports some functions for collaborative editing and sharing via social media. The program allows you to sign and check for validity documents with an electronic signature using the commercial service DocuSign. Although Foxit can open encrypted files, it unfortunately lacks features to configure file security.

Carefully! Foxit comes with various unwanted components that will try to install toolbars in the browser and change system settings. The components themselves change regularly. Users need to take great care during the installation process to avoid problems.

Sumatra PDF Viewer is an excellent simple program for reading pdf files

If all you need from a PDF reader is reading and printing. Then Sumatra is what you were looking for. Perhaps the utility is not so rich in capabilities and has a number of limitations in image rendering, but this is compensated by a large set of different viewing options. As you probably already understood, Sumatra does not allow editing or commenting on documents.

Note: To be somewhat honest, not many ordinary users know about the very possibility of commenting. Most people use this class of programs exclusively for reading documents.

Quick Selection Guide (links to download programs for reading PDF files)

PDF-XChange Viewer

Foxit Reader

How to open a pdf file? Which program is best to use?

PDF is a portable document display format created by Adobe.

The main feature of this type of file is that all elements of the document are displayed the same way, regardless of the device on which you open the file.

In PDF tables, there is no “wrong” line formatting, problems with displaying fonts, or accidental deletion of data from an important cell.

There are sometimes problems with opening this format, for example, if the appropriate software is not installed on the computer, this will be discussed in the article.

Main functions of the format:

• hyperlink support;
• the ability to edit only in special programs;
• free software to open pdf files.

Let's look at how you can quickly open the PDF format in modern computer and mobile operating systems, as well as using online services.

Best online services

If a program for opening pdf files is not installed on your computer, but you need to open the file immediately, you can use free online services.

An undeniable advantage of such sites is that they can be used on any device that has access to the global network.

KAKVSE

The first site, KAKVSE is one of the simplest and fastest online tools for viewing PDF, Doc or PostScript files.

You can view the file for free by uploading it to the site from your computer. The user can also enter an active link to the document in the appropriate line.

Let's open the document by uploading it to the service:

After clicking the View button, wait a few seconds for the file to be uploaded to the service. It will then open in a new website window.

To navigate through the document, use the toolbar, which is located on the left of the page. You can also use hotkey combinations to navigate:

• Alt +N – next page;
• Alt +P – previous page.

To return to the start page, press the Viewer Home button.

PDF Online Reader

The next good website to display PDF documents is Pdf Online Reader. The service has a well-designed toolbar and wide functionality.

To open the file, click on the main page Upload a PDF. Your device's file browser window will then open.

Select the desired file and wait for it to finish uploading to the site.

Navigation is carried out using the up and down arrows located at the top of the toolbar.

You can also go to the specified page, change the window scale and page width.

In addition to standard viewing functions, users can make some edits to documents:

• adding annotations;
• text selection. The text is highlighted automatically after the user has selected the fragment of interest;
• adding external or internal hyperlinks.

The functionality of the service is demonstrated in more detail in the video.

Google Docs

To open a PDF document, go to the main page of the repository and click on the “Create” icon (on the left of the toolbar). In the drop-down menu, click "Upload Files".

You just need to drag and drop the desired document into the window that opens.

After a few seconds, the file will open in a new online viewer window.

Opening PDF in Windows

There are a huge number of utilities for viewing PDFs in the Windows operating system. Let's take a closer look at the best programs for different versions of this OS.

Windows 7

STDU Viewer

STDU Viewer is one of the best free programs for working with electronic documents and books for the Windows 7 operating system.

The main goal of the application is to replace a huge number of viewers with one simple utility. The installation file takes only 3 MB.

Among the features of the application are a convenient user interface, support for more than 40 languages, and a convenient file navigation system.

Adobe Reader DC

Another good program for opening PDF files for free is the well-known Adobe Reader - the official PDF viewer from Adobe Corporation.

Using the utility, users can do standard procedures with documents - open them, print and send them.

Windows 8/10

The eighth and tenth versions of the Windows operating system have a standard program for viewing PDF files - Adobe Reader Touch.

You can find the Reader through a search on the taskbar or through the Start menu (All Programs tab).

The functionality of the program is minimal. The user can only view the document, adjust the zoom and print files. There are paid extended versions.

In addition to standard utilities, Windows 8/10 users can install third-party software, for example, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader DC, STDU Viewer, Cool PDF and others.

Advice: Do not forget , that most browsers in Windows can open PDFs in viewing mode without any problems: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Tor, Orbitum, Opera and others. To do this, right-click on the documents and in the “Open with” tab, select one of the available browsers.

PDF files on Mac OS

PDF Reader X

PDF Reader X for Mac OS allows you to quickly open files and easily organize all the documents on your computer associated with pdf.

Immediately after opening the program, the last viewed files (up to 10 pieces) are displayed on the left side of the main window.

The program has a convenient search in the PC file system - it is easy to find other documents. On the pages of the opened file, you can add your own notes and save them.

Skim is a simple, yet functional program for opening PDF files.

The main task of the application is to conveniently display text and graphic data in one document.

If you don't want to reboot your PC with large programs for viewing e-books and files, install Skim.

In addition to the browsing function, users can highlight text, add notes, create bookmarks, save images and text.

Programs for Android

On Android you cannot view electronic documents without special software. You need to download it yourself, because the device does not have standard readers or file editors.

The key feature of the program is the presence of three modes for reading documents (page by page, two pages on the screen and “scroll”).

Users can quickly navigate through a file by searching for keywords.

Creating personal notes, highlighting text with multi-colored markers and scrolling with gestures make PocketBook one of the best mobile readers today.

ezPDF Reader

In this program I would like to highlight the quality of file display. All graphic elements (pictures, graphs, tables, notes) are highlighted in different colors.

Pages are turned using flips (a gesture that imitates flipping through a paper publication). Overall, users get the impression of reading a real magazine.

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