The PDF format has become one of the most popular formats for distributing documentation, typographic layouts, and even books. This is explained by two factors. First, a PDF file, unlike a regular text file, cannot be changed by the recipient. This is important, for example, for documentation. Second, the recipient of the file can easily open it with the freely available free Adobe Reader. And at the same time, you do not need to install fonts, or adjust any spacing and indents - constant companions when you open a complex document prepared by someone in Word. Adobe's PDF viewer isn't the only tool today. We will show you several products that will allow you to create or view a PDF file.
How to create PDF
All modern office suites, be it the paid Microsoft Office or the free Libre Office, support the PDF format. This is what the "Save As ..." dialog looks like in Word.
And for the rest of the programs, the applications that I will describe in this article create a virtual printer, and printing to PDF is performed as an option for normal printing. It's just that instead of a physical printer, you choose "print to PDF". This is how such a printer looks like in Foxit Reader.
If you have a text file and you want to get a PDF from it, but you don’t want to install an office suite for this, you can do it from the online services Google Drive or Office Live. Both are free.
How to read PDF
Regular browser
Almost all modern browsers can read PDF format. Only it turns out they are still bad. Those who tried to view some really complex PDF through them will understand what I mean.
Scaling of the document is not so convenient in browsers, sometimes it leads to incorrect display of content. Plus, the navigation through the table of contents is not very convenient. The functionality for viewing PDF files ends only with the viewing function itself, which is somewhat reminiscent of the print preview mode.
Foxit Reader
Download Foxit Reader 6.1.5.0624 RUS
Foxit Reader is much better with PDF display and functionality. This is perhaps the most popular after Adobe Reader, and the most convenient "reader" for PDF files. It is smaller than Adobe Reader and faster.
Foxit Reader implements a convenient fragment search that works only in those files where the manufacturer has allowed text to be left. There is also a version of a PDF file that is closed from searching and extracting text, which can only be turned into text by an automatic recognizer like FineReader.
Those who have met this program for a long time will be greatly surprised by its new appearance. Foxit Reader is very close to Microsoft Office in appearance! It is difficult to list all the operations that it allows you to do with PDF files - there are a lot of them.
You can mark chunks of text with a marker, take notes on individual words and paragraphs, write text directly over the PDF file.
Cool PDF Reader
Download Cool PDF Reader
The Foxit Reader interface may seem overly sophisticated and complex to you. Then you better pay attention to Cool PDF Reader. It is the leader in the smallest program size. Its size is a little more than one megabyte, but this does not in the least prevent this program from performing well its responsibilities for viewing PDF files and searching through text.
In addition, the program can convert PDF to a number of graphic formats (GIF, BMP, PNG, WMF, JPG, EMF, EPS) and text (TXT). And Cool PDF Reader can also remove graphics from a PDF file for easy viewing. But this is a paid feature.
Viewing PDF in Windows 8
And finally, I'll tell you about PDF support in the Windows 8 operating system. In it, a standard application called "Reader", executed in a "modern" full-screen interface, is responsible for the function of viewing files of this format.
There are no special settings, and the possibilities are minimal, although the search by fragment is implemented. At the same time, a very good and useful search results window has been made.
When you need to open a file in PDF format, usually your choice is limited to two options: use a standard application for the Windows 8 or 10 operating system (usually installed by default with the operating system, or available for download in the Windows Store), or use the good old Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Both are great, but there are many other free PDF readers out there that can do even more. Whether you want to combine documents, convert them to different formats, or extract images, in our review we will tell you about other PDF readers that will do it quickly and easily.
After installation, each of the applications will prompt you to use the default PDF reader. We recommend that you do not change your settings until you try new software and make sure it works for you. If you are satisfied with the result of the application, then in order to install the program for reading PDF files by default, you should right-click on the file once, and then select "Open with". Select the exe file of your new application, put a tick in the box "Always use this application to open .pdf files" and click "OK".
Foxit Reader is more flexible and powerful than the Windows built-in PDF reader. Once you install it, you will no longer want to bring everything back.
A clean interface and a lot of tools you could wish for in a PDF reader application.
Foxit Reader is arguably the best known Adobe Reader alternative. It is quite obvious why Foxit Reader is considered the best free PDF reader.
The Ribbon interface is borrowed from Microsoft Office, so you can intuitively guess where to find the tools you need. Tabbed document viewing makes it easy to work with multiple PDFs at the same time. There are also great features like form filling and PDF comments.
Because of its prevalence, PDF is a frequent target for virus and other malicious software developers, so Foxit Reader offers a Safe Browsing mode that allows you to control click-throughs and Javascript functions.
The program extensions, which can be downloaded and installed additionally, allow you to convert PDF files to other formats (and vice versa), as well as combine different PDF files into one. Format conversion is easily accessible due to the fact that the function is built into the context menu of Windows Explorer.
Power and versatility makes Foxit Reader the best free PDF reader available. Try it now, you will not be disappointed.
Nitro PDF Reader is not even close in functionality with Foxit Reader, however, text highlighting and the ability to leave comments are very convenient functions
Great PDF program that supports change tracking and sticky notes.
As with Foxit Reader, Nitro PDF Reader's interface resembles that of Microsoft Office software - but it's not bad at all. Initially, the program looks like advanced software that allows you to perform many functions when viewing documents.
But this free e-reader offers more than document viewing. In addition to adding text highlighting, notes and comments, Nitro PDF Reader allows you to add sticky notes to the documents you work with.
Nitro PDF Reader lets you convert documents to PDF and vice versa. You can also extract all images from a PDF file with one click of the mouse, as well as sign an electronic document with your electronic signature. Without a doubt, Nitro PDF Reader is one of the best free software for working with PDF files.
Few free PDF programs allow you to not only read, but also edit files. PDF-XChange Editor is one of them.
A classic free PDF reader fully adapted for the Windows 10 operating system.
The free version of PDF-XChange Editor offers available features such as comments and the ability to add or extract pages (however, this feature is only available in the paid “Pro” version).
The key and distinctive feature of the free version of PDF-XChange Editor is optical character recognition (OCR). You have the option to scan the printed document, save it in one of the available formats, and convert the result to PDF.
During installation, we recommend that you select Custom installation rather than Full, and then select the components you do not want to install. They are presented in the form of a tree, so you need to click on the "+" button to display all the components of the installation.
If you do not work with PDF format very often, you can close your eyes to the lack of functions such as highlighting text or leaving comments. SlimPDF Reader does not have an arsenal of options, but it contains all the necessary tools for comfortable reading.
The simplest free PDF reader that doesn't take up much space on your disk.
SlimPDF Reader is perhaps the lightest program that takes up only 1.43MB of free space, the main merit of which is its simplicity.
SlimPDF Reader is really nothing more than a document viewer, but it cannot be called a drawback. The control buttons and navigation are easy to use and self-explanatory. One of the main advantages of the program is the lightning speed of work.
Search, Print and Rotate are some of the few features of SlimPDF Reader, but a free trial version of the PDF to Office converter is also offered.
If you are looking for a no-nonsense free PDF reader, SlimPDF Reader is the perfect choice. The only drawback of the program is the inability to view a two-page spread on the screen.
If you are looking to read PDF documents in a two-page format, Icecream Ebook Reader is a great choice.
Icecream Ebook Reader is great not only for formats that e-readers support, but also for reading PDF format.
As the name suggests, Icecream Ebook Reader was originally designed for viewing EPUB and MOBI documents, but it is great for viewing PDFs.
Since the program is used as an e-book reader, you have the ability to organize your books in the form of a library and sort by searchable type, but no one forbids you to use the application for regular viewing of PDF files.
The program has an unusual, but still quite pleasant to use interface. Navigation of PDF files is striking in its simplicity, there is a choice of viewing modes, including an eye-friendly night mode. You can quickly add bookmarks and create notes available in the drop-down Content panel.
Most e-books and text documents are in PDF format. In this regard, novice users have problems when opening a document with this format. If you are faced with a similar problem, then do not worry, as today we will tell you in detail how to open a PDF file on a computer.
It is worth noting that there are several ways to work with PDF documents, which vary in complexity. Thus, the following methods will be listed in increasing complexity.
How to open a PDF file on a computer using a browser
As you know, most modern browsers allow you to work with a variety of file formats. Thus, now we will look at how you can open a PDF file through the browser Google Chrome, Opera, Mozila Firefox.
Google chrome
- Right-click the PDF file, point to Open With, and select Google Chrome.
- This will launch the Google Chrome browser with the PDF file tab.
Opera
- Right-click the PDF file, point to "Open With" and select Opera.
- This will launch the Opera browser with the PDF file tab.
Mozila Firefox
- Right-click the PDF file, point to Open With, and select Mozila Firefox.
- This will launch the Mozila Firefox browser with the PDF file tab.
How to open a PDF file in Word
Many users are wondering why it is impossible to open a file in Word without transformations. It is worth noting that initially the Word application was intended to work with a certain number of document formats, such as:
- Word documents (* .docx)
- Word Macro Documents (* .docm)
- XML files (* .xml)
- Word 97-2003 documents (* .doc)
- All web pages (* .htm; *. Html; *. Mht; *. Mhtml)
- All Word Templates (* .dotx; *. Dotm; *. Dot)
- Word Templates (* .dotx)
- Macro-Enabled Word Templates (* .dotm)
- Word 97-2003 Templates (* .dot)
- RTF text (* .rtf)
- Text files (* .txt)
- OpenDocument Text (* .odt)
- Recover text from any file (*. *)
- WordPerfect 5.x (* .doc)
- WordPerfect 6.x (* .wpd; *. Doc)
- Works Document 6 - 9 (* .wps)
However, you can use Word to work and edit PDF files. Just keep in mind that you won't be able to open a PDF file in Word without conversions, due to the peculiarities of the format.
- Right-click the PDF file, point to Open With, and select Word.
- After that, the Word application will start, a window will appear, which will say that a conversion must be performed to open the PDF file. Click on the "OK" button.
- Wait for the conversion process to complete and open the PDF file. Please note that if the file contains many images, they may disappear during the conversion process, as a result of this, the contents of the PDF file may not be displayed correctly.
How to open a PDF file on a computer using the Pdfio online service
The universal online service Pdfio provides the ability to work with various types of document formats, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
- Go to site and click on "Unblock PDF".
- Now click on the "Select PDF" button, specify the path to the document in PDF format.
- Wait until the PDF document is uploaded to the server, then check the box "I have the right to change this file and remove its protection." and click on the "Unblock PDF" button.
- You will be redirected to a window with a notification about the successful unlocking of the PDF document. Click on the button that looks like the pupil of the eye.
- A new tab will open the PDF document, which is already ready to read and work with. Enjoy!
How to open a PDF file on a computer using Adobe Acrobat Reader
This method can be used when you are actively working with documents in PDF format. Again, if the first method allows you to work with PDF files only in the presence of the Internet, then this method can be used without the Internet.
- First of all, install the Adobe Acrobat Reader program by going to link and clicking on the "Download" button.
- After that, you will be redirected to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Be sure to uncheck the "Additional Offers" option and then click on the "Install Now" button.
- Then the initialization of the Adobe Acrobar Reader will begin, and at the end you will be prompted to save the file named "readerdc_ru_xa_cra_install".
- When the file finishes downloading, open it to begin downloading and installing Adobe Acrobar Reader.
- At the end of the installation of the program, click on the "Finish" button.
- Now you can try to open any document or PDF file.
This category of programs includes free programs for reading and annotating PDF documents that can replace the slow and bloated Adobe Reader. Despite many years of experience, in a number of parameters, Adobe Reader still lags behind its counterparts.
Note: Of course, here it is necessary to take into account that Adobe is a commercial company, so it cannot have much zeal in the development of the free version.
In any class of programs, it is necessary to determine the criteria based on which the favorites can be identified. However, they need to be balanced against the fact that each user has their own needs and preferences. Therefore, within this category, multiple criteria have been taken that are likely to meet most needs. The criteria themselves:
- Ability to open PDF files... No, this is not a joke. Not all PDFs are the same. The test suite consisted of about a dozen different files. Different sizes, with different security settings, forms and graphic content. Basically, these are typical files used by most people. It should be noted that none of the reviewed programs was able to correctly display a test file with an Adobe 3D image. During the tests, there was a strict selection. Any reader that could not correctly read the 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 about seconds. If the difference in opening was a second or two, then that was acceptable. Agree that delays of a few seconds cause resentment. Especially if the document is small.
- Graphical user interface (GUI)... In this case, both functionality and ease of use were taken into account. In other words, how aesthetically 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 find? What to click? Etc; essentially all navigation elements) and the speed at which text and images are rendered.
- 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 then save the result without watermarking trial versions.
- Optical Character Recognition (OCR)... OCR is the ability to convert a scanned image into readable text. And this is quite an important feature. This capability makes the text within the document searchable and copyable. Unfortunately, only one of the products in question contains this feature. Details are further in the discussion.
- Installation process... In addition to everything else, 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 on support for Windows 8 on the developer sites.
Review of Free PDF Readers (Readers)
Of the entire set of free PDF document readers available, the first two stand out the most. They include extensive options for viewing and annotating PDF files. But, about this in more detail and in order.
PDF-XChange Viewer full featured reader
This fully functional horse remains the top choice in this category. Subject to the exclusion of the 3D image files above. The program was able to quickly open and accurately display all the files from the test build. In this case, you can change the size of the pages, turn them over. Export documents and parts thereof to various image formats.
A tiled windowed interface with many 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 fast movement, not only different options for displaying documents in the program window are provided, but also maintaining the 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 commenting and bookmarking tools for PDF documents. The annotation toolbox contains many drawing tools, including a grid display for accurate drawing. Comments can be hidden, exported or imported.
The program also supports document encryption, security management and document properties. 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 essential parts of any PDF reader is finding text in a file. And it is here that PDF-XChanger bypasses all of its counterparts. 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 produces a usable 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 idiotic documents, which, by a lucky chance, are composed of many beautiful pictures, including text.
It should be noted that the interface is somewhat similar to Windows XP. Nevertheless, having opened the program, you will not have any special complaints. The graphical interface is quite neat and pleasant.
Unfortunately, the installer includes a dedicated browser panel. So if you do not like to use portable versions, but 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
Foxit Reader is a worthy contender in this category, 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 provides similar functionality for viewing and navigating documents, adding to them the ability to read documents aloud. As with 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 evolved continuously. The latest version of Foxit already offers different GUI display options. Depending on how accustomed you are to different views, you may like both the "classic" interface and the "ribbon" interface. The Ribbon is somewhat similar to the Microsoft Office bar.
Sure, the annotation form tools can cause some problems initially, but other than navigation and editing, the controls are reasonably well organized. Generally speaking, the interface is very intuitive.
The array of annotation tools is as huge and impressive as PDF-XChange. The user can fill in the forms, fully comment on the documents and save all the works in the form in which he did them. Foxit includes some unique controls that let you add pictures, media files, and more.
The program supports some functions for co-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 functionality for configuring 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 are regularly changed. Users need to take great care during the installation process to avoid problems.
Sumatra PDF Viewer is a great simple pdf reader
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 features and has a number of limitations in image rendering, but this is compensated by a wide range of different viewing options. As you probably already figured out, Sumatra does not provide for editing or commenting on documents.
Note: To be somewhat honest, not so many ordinary users know about the very possibility of commenting. Most use this class of programs exclusively for reading documents.
Quick Pick Guide (PDF Readers Download Links)
PDF-XChange Viewer
|
Reasonable download speed. Printing of documents. Extensive commenting capabilities without adding watermarks. There is OCR (image recognition). It can recognize not only scanned images, but also PDF documents themselves. A huge number of settings, including encryption, properties and security. Nice and nice interface. |
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| The installer contains redundant and unnecessary software. |
Foxit Reader
| Fast. Various types of user interface. Extensive commenting capabilities. Partial integration with social media. Can check and add electronic signatures. A large set of functionality. Can read encrypted files. | ||
| No OCR support. The installer contains unwanted components that will constantly try to change the browser and system settings. Therefore, during installation, care must be taken in the selection of components. The operating instructions are downloaded separately. |
Size: 24139 KB
Price: Free
Russian interface language: yes
Adobe Reader is the most popular PDF reader application. An important factor in the distribution of Adobe Reader is its presence on many discs with drivers, games and other applications. The developer has attached PDF documentation to his product, but standard Windows tools do not allow reading it. You need to add a special program to the disk. Her choice in the overwhelming majority of cases is not original - it is Adobe Reader.
New versions of applications, the development of which began a long time ago, often acquire a mass of secondary functions, the interface becomes more complicated, and the speed of work decreases. And now more progressive and nimble competitors are slowly pushing the old man out of the market. But this has nothing to do with Adobe Reader. On the contrary, the latest versions of the program are much easier to learn than their older brothers. The program is developing, first of all, towards support of new PDF standards, allowing to display more complex documents using the latest visualization technologies.
The working window of Adobe Reader contains a toolbar with a small number of buttons (nothing superfluous), as well as a small sidebar from which the main service modes of the application are called. There is no status line in its usual sense.
Toolbars are flexibly customizable. You can add or remove buttons on them, move them, block changes.
Ease of reading documents is provided by a powerful scaling system. You can show the entire page on the screen, snap its scale horizontally or vertically. The latter option is not found in other applications. In addition, you can bind relative to the page content. The document is shown a little larger due to the exclusion of fields.
Full screen viewing is supported. Unlike some competitors, this mode lives up to its name one hundred percent. There are no controls left on the screen, only the pages of the open document. There is also a second, less radical regime. It hides all panels, except for the window title and the main menu. Again, there is a big saving of free space on the screen.
The program has a powerful search engine. You can search for text not only in the open document, but also in all PDFs inside the specified folder. Full word search is supported, case sensitive. You can search not only directly in the text of the document, but also in bookmarks and in comments.
Adobe Reader has support for working with forms. With its help, you can enter, save and send information. There is support for bar codes. You can customize the rules for automatic form filling. If you have permission, you can add comments to the forms. And, the main thing that distinguishes Adobe Reader from other applications is the ability to check spelling in text input fields.
There is support for document authentication, viewing protection. You can specify trusted persons, certificates. The Accessibility Assistant allows you to change the rules for displaying the current document, if its protection does not prohibit such actions. This is necessary, for example, for visually impaired users. Adobe Reader makes it easier for people with disabilities to view and navigate PDF documents. Advanced features include automatic text scrolling, PDF reflow, keyboard-only control, and text reading aloud.
A separate panel allows you to view a list of document comments. You can search them for text. It is possible to sort them by type, status, reviewers. All changes made to the document are monitored by the revision inspector. You can view your own adjustments, history of changes, a list of what needs to be done.
The program contains an RSS news reader. You can subscribe to channels, read them in a separate dialog box. To be honest, it's not entirely clear why the PDF reader also needed an RSS reader. Network functions are not limited to this. You can also organize online conferences using Adobe Reader, as well as carry out joint viewing of documents.
You can work with digital signatures. For this, certificates are used. By configuring directory servers, you can determine the location of certificates, store them.
The latest version of Adobe Reader supports all modern standards used in PDF documents. For this reason, a hardware accelerated 3D viewer is included in the product. A special panel of models allows you to view their list, open, rotate, scale.
The program has a fairly detailed local help system. But the most complete information is provided online, on the official page of the application. It is already in English.
If there are no specific requirements for the application, then Adobe Reader is by far the best choice for reading PDF documents. Support for all standards allows you not to worry about whether any complex file will display correctly. In addition, the program is built into modern browsers, which makes it possible to quickly view online documents downloaded from the Web.
The only point where an alternative application can be at its best is system requirements. Adobe Reader has a fairly large distribution size, takes up quite a lot of RAM space, and runs a little slower than some of its competitors. However, the program was tested on a fairly old machine, and even opening the electronic versions of magazines, books with a volume of tens of megabytes did not lead to noticeable slowdowns in Adobe Reader.
