A fast, private PDF viewer that runs in your browser
This PDF viewer opens PDF files straight in your browser tab, with the tools you expect from a desktop reader: smooth continuous scrolling, zoom and fit-to-width, page thumbnails, the document’s outline and bookmarks, text search with highlighted matches, view rotation and a dark page mode for reading at night.
The file is opened from your device and rendered on your device. It is never uploaded, so it is safe for bank statements, contracts, payslips and medical reports. Large documents stay responsive because only the pages you are looking at are drawn; the rest are rendered as you scroll and released again when you move away.
It is handy on shared or locked-down computers where you cannot install a reader, on Chromebooks, and on phones when a PDF arrives by email or WhatsApp and you want search and thumbnails rather than a basic preview.
How to view a PDF online
- Drop the PDF onto the box or click it to choose the file. Password-protected files ask for their password.
- Scroll to read. Type a number in the page box, or use the arrows, to jump to a page.
- Use −, + or the zoom menu — Fit width, Fit page or a percentage. On a laptop, Ctrl + mouse wheel or a trackpad pinch zooms as well.
- Open the sidebar for page thumbnails, the outline (bookmarks), attached files and document properties.
- Press the search button (or Ctrl+F) to find words; Enter jumps to the next match. Rotate, switch on dark pages, print or download from the toolbar.
PDF Viewer features
Handles big documents
Pages are rendered on demand and freed when you scroll away, so hundreds of pages open quickly without filling your memory.
Search with highlights
Every match is counted and highlighted on the page. Searching ignores letter case by default and tolerates line breaks and extra spaces.
Thumbnails, outline and links
Navigate with page previews or the bookmark tree, and click internal links and web links inside the PDF.
Selectable text
Text in digital PDFs can be selected and copied directly from the page, just like in a desktop reader.
Comfortable reading
Fit width or fit page, 25–500% zoom, rotate the view, full-screen mode and dark pages that soften bright white backgrounds.
Properties and attachments
See title, author, dates, page size, PDF version and producer, and save files embedded inside the PDF.
Why use a browser-based PDF viewer?
Most browsers can already show PDFs, but their built-in viewers differ widely: some phones offer only a basic preview with no search, and many cannot show attachments or the full outline. This viewer behaves the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone, and shows extra detail such as page size, PDF version and embedded files.
It is also private by design. Online viewers that upload your document to a server can keep a copy; here the PDF is read with the open-source pdf.js engine inside your tab and disappears when you close it.
What this viewer can and can’t do
- It shows the PDF exactly as it is: rotating the view does not change the file. To save rotated pages, use Rotate PDF.
- Search works on real text. Scanned pages are pictures, so searching them finds nothing until you run PDF OCR to add a text layer.
- Form fields and comments are displayed as part of the page but cannot be filled in or edited here. To add text, shapes or highlights, open the file in the PDF Editor.
- Printing renders each page as a 150 DPI image, which keeps output identical across browsers; very long documents take a moment to prepare.
- To change the title or author shown under Properties, use the PDF Metadata Editor.
Keyboard and touch shortcuts
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Find text | Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) while the viewer has focus, then Enter / Shift+Enter for next / previous match |
| Zoom | Ctrl + mouse wheel, trackpad pinch, or the − / + buttons |
| Go to a page | Type the number in the page box and press Enter |
| Scroll by screen | Page Up / Page Down or Space after clicking the pages |
| Phones | Open the sidebar for thumbnails; it closes itself when you pick a page |
PDF Viewer FAQ
Is this PDF viewer free and private?
Yes. It is free with no sign-up, and your PDF is opened locally in your browser. The file is never uploaded, so nobody else can see it.
Can it open large PDF files?
Yes. Only the pages on screen are rendered, so long reports and books with hundreds of pages scroll smoothly. The practical limit is your device’s memory; most phones handle files of 100 MB or more.
Can I open a password-protected PDF?
Yes. The viewer asks for the password and opens the file once it is correct. The password is used only in your browser and is not stored.
Why does search find nothing in my PDF?
The pages are probably scanned images with no text. Run the file through PDF OCR or Make PDF Searchable first, then search again.
Can I edit or annotate the PDF here?
This page is a reader. To add text, highlights, shapes or a signature, use the PDF Editor or Sign PDF tools, which also run in your browser.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. The toolbar adapts to small screens, the sidebar slides over the pages, and you can download or print from your phone’s browser.