A PDF viewer that opens files in your browser
This PDF viewer lets you open and read a PDF without installing anything. Drop the file on the page and it opens in a reader with continuous scrolling, page thumbnails, the document's own bookmarks, zoom, rotation and full-text search. It uses pdf.js, the PDF engine that also powers the built-in viewer of a major web browser, and everything runs on your device: the PDF is not uploaded.
Features
- Continuous scroll that stays fast. Only the pages near the part you are looking at are drawn. Pages far away are released again, so a long manual with hundreds of pages stays responsive.
- Thumbnails and outline. The side panel shows a small picture of every page; the Outline tab lists the bookmarks stored in the file, nested as in the document. On a phone the panel is closed at first — open it with ☰.
- Zoom. Fit width, fit page, or 50% to 400%. Fit width follows the window when you resize it.
- Rotate the view in 90° steps. This changes only how you see the pages; to save rotated pages in the file, use Rotate PDF.
- Search. Every match is highlighted in yellow and the current one in orange, with a count such as Match 3 of 12 · page 5 · on 4 pages. Search ignores upper and lower case and extra spaces.
- Select and copy text. An invisible text layer sits on each page, so you can select words with the mouse and copy them.
- Document info. File size, number of pages, PDF version, title, author, subject, keywords, the app that created it, the PDF producer, creation and modification dates, page size with the paper name (for example A4 or Letter) and whether the file is optimised for fast web view. For the full metadata, XMP and security settings, use the PDF Metadata Viewer.
- Download and print. Download saves the original file unchanged. Print opens the PDF in a new browser tab with your browser's own PDF reader, where you print it with Ctrl+P or ⌘+P — so you print the document, not this web page.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| → or N / ← or P | Next / previous page |
| Home / End | First / last page |
| + / − | Zoom in / out |
| 0 / 9 | Fit width / fit page |
| R / Shift+R | Rotate clockwise / counter-clockwise |
| / or Ctrl+F (⌘+F) | Jump to the search box |
| Enter / Shift+Enter | Next / previous match while searching |
| Esc | Clear the search highlights |
The shortcuts work while the viewer has focus (click on a page first), and they are ignored while you type in a box. The arrow keys up and down, Page Up and Page Down scroll as usual.
Password-protected PDFs
If a PDF needs a password to open, the viewer asks for it. The password is used only by your browser to decrypt the file for display; it is not stored or sent anywhere, and it is forgotten when you leave the page. The file itself is never changed.
Common questions while reading
Search finds nothing
The PDF is probably a scan: its pages are pictures, with no text to search. Run it through Image to Text (OCR) to recognise the text, and tick the option to make a searchable PDF.
A page looks blurry for a moment
After a big zoom change, pages are redrawn at the new size. Very large pages are drawn at a slightly lower resolution so that phones with limited memory can still show them.
Print opens nothing
Your browser may have blocked the new tab as a pop-up. Allow pop-ups for this site, or download the PDF and print it from your usual reader.