A PDF reader is any software that will open a PDF file, probably the most recognizable document format in the world. Your downloadable bank statements, the newsletters from school — they're probably all in PDF format.
As well as including an annotation and highlighting option, Nitro PDF Reader also lets you add sticky notes to the documents you open. You can use Nitro PDF Reader to convert text documents to PDF. Split a PDF into separate pieces using defined split methods; split, extract and delete PDF pages efficiently on Mac OS. A-PDF Split for Mac is a useful utility application for those who have a regular demand for splitting large PDF documents into smaller pieces, extracting defined pages or page ranges and deleting unwanted pages from source PDF files.
More and more operating systems, smartphones, and other devices contain built-in abilities to show PDF files. Even so, a dedicated PDF reader often has a number of advantages over the built-in PDF reader you may already have, like viewing options, better search, and a lot more.
Need to edit or change a PDF file, and not just open it for reading? An easy way to do that is to convert it to Word format. If you want to make PDFs use a PDF creation app.
SumatraPDF
What We Like
Open source and lightweight.
Available in 69 languages.
Central Access Reader 2.21 for Mac is free to download from our software library. This free software for Mac OS X was originally developed by Central Washington University. The latest installer occupies 80.6 MB on disk. The application lies within Productivity Tools, more precisely Office Tools. Free access reader for mac.
What We Don't Like
No ability to edit or annotate PDFs.
No anti-aliasing, so some fonts look wonky.
SumatraPDF is an easy to use free PDF reader for Windows. While it is easy and simple to work with, it's also open for heavy customization if you so choose.
Different types of viewing modes are available, like Single Page, Facing, Book View, and Presentation. The latter view is great for distraction-free reading.
There are tons of keyboard shortcuts you can use that make it easier to move around a PDF file, which you can refer to in the SumatraPDF Manual.
You can download SumatraPDF in portable form (uses only 6 MB) or install it like a regular program.
PDFlite is another free PDF reader that's based on SumatraPDF. It looks extremely similar and works the same.
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
What We Like
Handy drag-and-drop feature makes it easy to combine PDFs.
Excellent integration with the Adobe Cloud system.
What We Don't Like
Accessibility checker identifies problems, but it doesn't tell you how to fix them.
The free version is very limited in its features.
Adobe Systems, the creator of the PDF file format, has a free PDF reader called Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
Tons of feature are included in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. You can take snapshots of text and images, view a PDF in Read Mode for a more concise reading pane, and have Adobe Acrobat Reader DC read text out loud.
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC works with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. The Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile app is also available for Android, Windows Phone, and iOS.
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A download manager is used download Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. So while the download manager is really small in size, the actual download for the PDF reader is much larger (possibly around 50 MB).
On the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC download page, you may be asked to install McAfee Security Scan Plus and/or another program alongside Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. You must manually deselect the offer if you don't want it installed as well.
MuPDF
What We Like
Supports XPS and CBZ files as well.
Easy to use.
What We Don't Like
Interface is a little too bare bones.
Zoom feature is less than perfect.
MuPDF is a super-lightweight free PDF reader for Windows and Android.
When you launch MuPDF, you are immediately prompted to choose a PDF file before you even see the program interface. Once you have, there are literally no options to be seen but instead the full program window is dedicated to showing the PDF.
Click the top left program icon on MuPDF's title window, then select About MuPDF to see all the supported shortcut keys you can use to flip through pages, zoom in, and search for text.
When you extract the files from the download, open 'mupdf.exe' to run the program.
Expert PDF Reader
What We Like
Faster than other free options.
Intuitive interface.
What We Don't Like
Editing features are rather limited.
Tries to install other software during set up.
Expert PDF Reader is another free PDF reader for Windows.
You can view bookmarks and a list of pages found in the PDF in an easy to read index on the side of the viewing area.
There are also advanced options like signing and adding text to a PDF.
Visit CNET.com if the official download links aren't working for you.
Nuance PDF Reader
What We Like
Adding videos and images to documents is a breeze.
Dictation features makes this app ideal for the visually impaired.
What We Don't Like
No mobile version.
You can only open one PDF at a time.
Another free PDF reader for Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP is Nuance PDF Reader.
A really valuable search function is included in Nuance PDF Reader. The words you search for show up with a bit of context for easier understanding as to where the search terms are at in the text.
You can also highlight text in Nuance PDF Reader, which is great if you're using a PDF for study notes or a reference document.
PDF-XChange Editor
What We Like
Premium version is reasonably priced for what you get.
Adding and placing text is exceptionally easy.
What We Don't Like
PDFs created with the free version often include a big ugly watermark.
Doesn't automatically detect fields when creating forms.
PDF-XChange Editor is another completely free PDF reader for Windows XP and newer.
The program interface can be a bit nauseating to look at because there are buttons, toolbars, and side panels all over the place. You can easily disable most of these, though, for a much cleaner viewing experience.
In addition to opening a PDF from your own local computer, you can also enter a URL of a PDF file for PDF-XChange Editor to open (the PDF will still be downloaded, but the program does it for you).
PDF-XChange Editor also lets you add notes, record and attach audio, highlight text, attach files, and add a strikethrough to words.
Lots of features are only available in the professional version of PDF-XChange Editor, but they're clearly marked as such and aren't difficult to spot.
Evince
What We Like
Also ideal for reading comic books and power point presentations.
Excellent integration with the GNOME desktop environment.
What We Don't Like
Scrolling isn't always smooth.
The window size cannot be adjusted, and there is no full screen mode.
Evince is another free PDF reader for Windows and Linux operating systems.
The interface isn't cluttered and you can customize the toolbar with any of the included tools, like a search function and different view modes.
Evince also supports auto scroll. This is an awesome feature that lets you adjust your mouse position on the screen so as to scroll through a PDF automatically. You can fine-tune the speed for different reading paces.
Sorax Reader
What We Like
Fast and lightweight.
Doesn't even require installation.
What We Don't Like
Limited zooming options.
Doesn't come with help files.
Sorax is available for Windows as a free PDF reader.
You'll find all the basic features of a PDF reader, like the ability to search through text, copy text out of a PDF, zoom, and change the viewing mode.
Sorax also allows you to send the currently opened PDF to someone over email with the Email toolbar button.
A portable version of Sorax is available from the download page that's just around 8 MB and is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows.
Javelin PDF Reader
What We Like
Mobile version lets you access and manage metadata.
Advanced encryption options.
What We Don't Like
Occasional clunky performance.
The installation process is unnecessarily complicated.
Javelin PDF Reader is just that: a free PDF reader. No extra features like editing or converting litters the program interface.
Everything is super clean and easy to read and understand. The search feature isn't the best to be had, but it works well as is.
Javelin PDF Reader can launch a PDF in full screen to make reading easier, and you can just click the screen to move down the PDF pages.
The download size of Javelin PDF Reader is only 2 MB for Windows. It can also be downloaded for Macs and mobile devices like Androids and iPads.
Cool PDF Reader
What We Like
You can use it to convert PDFs to other formats including TXT, JPG, GIF, and PNG.
Command icons tell you what they do when the mouse hovers over them.
What We Don't Like
Very limited features compared to the alternatives.
The help file isn't very helpful.
At under 4 MB for the portable version, Cool PDF Reader is a free PDF reader for Windows that's light on system resources.
While Cool PDF Reader may not require much disk space, it's not the best PDF reader available. There isn't a search function and scrolling isn't the smoothest.
However, it still works as a free PDF reader if you don't like the others on this list.
You can install Cool PDF Reader to your computer or use the Standalone Package to use it without installing anything.
A dedicated free PDF reader will let you do so much more than just open documents. If you want to merge several PDFs, convert them to a different format, extract images, tweak text or split them into individual pages, there's a free PDF reader that will make it straightforward.
Once you've installed a new PDF reader, it will display a prompt asking if you'd like to make it your default PDF reader. We recommend leaving your settings as they are until you've had a chance to try the new reader and see if it's right for you.
If you're satisfied with its performance, you can make it your default PDF reader by right-clicking one and selecting 'Open with'. Browse to the EXE file for your new PDF reader, check 'Always use the selected program to open this kind of file', then click 'OK'.
1. Foxit Reader
A clear interface and every tool you could want in a PDF reader
Free Pdf Reader For Mac
Foxit Reader is a joy to use, and makes working with PDFs effortless. Its ribbon-style interface is intuitive, and there's practically no learning curve if you're familiar with recent versions of Microsoft Office.
The ubiquity of the PDF format makes it a popular target for malware and virus developers, so Foxit Reader offers a Safe Reading mode that provides control over things such as internal links and Javascript integration.
Downloadable add-ons are available to convert PDFs to other formats (and vice versa) and to combine multiple PDFs into a single file. File conversion is incredibly simple thanks to the inclusion of an entry in Windows' context menu.
This power and flexibility makes Foxit Reader the best PDF reader you can download today. Try it now and you won't look back.
2. Nitro PDF Reader
A great PDF reader for collaboration, with tracked changes
Like Foxit Reader, Nitro PDF Reader bears more than a passing resemblance to Microsoft Office applications – and this is no bad thing. Right from the start this feels like a highly accomplished piece of software and there are plenty of document viewing options to choose from.
Free Adobe Pdf Reader For Mac
But this free PDF reader is about more than just viewing. As well as including an annotation and highlighting option, Nitro PDF Reader also lets you add sticky notes to the documents you open.
You can use Nitro PDF Reader to convert text documents to PDF format, and vice versa. You can also extract all of the images from a PDFs in one fell swoop, digitally sign electronic documents with an e-signature. This is without doubt one of the most polished free PDF readers out there.
3. PDF-XChange Editor
A classic free PDF editor, fully overhauled for Windows 10
The free edition of PDF-XChange Editor contains handy features such as tracked comments and the ability to insert or extract pages, but those marked 'Pro' in the menu are only available in the paid-for version.
This free PDF reader's killer feature is OCR (optical character recognition). You can scan printed documents, have the text converted into searchable format, and save the resulting document as a PDF.
While installing this free PDF readers, we recommend selecting the 'Custom' option rather than 'Complete', then deselecting the components you don't want to install. They are presented as an expandable tree, so make sure you click all the '+' icons to discover what's hidden there.
Nitro Pdf Download
4. SlimPDF Reader
A frill-free PDF reader that barely makes a dent in your drive space
SlimPDF Reader is by far the smallest free PDF reader in this roundup, occupying just 1.43MB of space, and makes a virtue of its frill-free approach.
SlimPDF Reader really is little more than a viewer, but that's no bad thing. Controls and navigations are simple and self-explanatory, and the program benefits from being lightning-fast.
I read books for a living. And I do have the latest IPAD. I do most of my work on the iPad for the purpose of utilizing excellent annotation apps. Kindle book reader for mac. • Answered by H Gayle L from Davenport • Jul 28, 2013 •.
Search, print and rotate are the most advanced features you'll find, although you are invited to try a free trial of the PDF to Office converter.
If you're looking for a free PDF reader without the bloat, SlimPDF Reader could be the ideal choice. The only real drawback is the inability to view two pages side-by-side as a spread.
5. Icecream Ebook Reader
Icecream's great ebook reader is also a good choice for PDFs
As the name suggests, Icecream Ebook Reader is designed primarily for viewing EPUB and MOBI documents, but it doubles as a simple free PDF reader.
As this is an ebook reader, you-re encouraged to organize all of your books into a library, sortable by type and fully searchable – but there's nothing to stop you from just opening individual PDFs.
The program has a slightly unusual look, but it is a joy to use. Navigation of PDFs is wonderfully simple, and there are a number of viewing modes to choose from, including an eye-friendly night mode. You can quickly add bookmarks and create notes, which are accessed through the fly-out Contents pane.
If you have a Word document or ebook that you'd to convert to PDF format, or vice versa, you might like Icecream PDF Converter, from the same developer.
- Discover how to convert PDFs to Word documents with our guide