Download the best free PDF readers
When you need to open a PDF, you'll usually opt for one of two options: the Reader app for Windows 8 and 10 (often pre-installed with the operating system, or available from the Windows Store), or trusty stalwart Adobe Reader.
Both are solid options, but there are many other free options, each with its own advantages. If you want to merge documents, convert them to a different format or extract images, there's a free tool that will make it straightforward.
If you're short on drive space, there are also ultra-lightweight viewers available that will occupy under two megabytes (compared to Adobe Reader, which takes up 148MB), plus portable apps that run directly from a USB stick.
After installation, each of these programs will ask if you want 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 software and see if it's right for you. If you're satisfied with its performance, you can make it your go-to program for PDFs 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'.
Most programs will also ask you to install their corresponding browser extensions. Again, we recommend skipping this until you've had a chance to get used to the new software. You can always install the extensions through your browser's store at a later date.
Foxit Reader
Foxit Reader is perhaps the best known alternative to Adobe Reader, and it's easy to see why. Its ribbon-based interface takes inspiration from Microsoft Office, so you'll instinctively know where to find its impressive array of tools.
The tabbed interface makes it easy to work with multiple PDFs at the same time, and there are some nice extra touches such as form filling and PDF annotation.
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 integration Javascript.
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.
It's very easy to see why Foxit Reader is so popular. Read on to discover four more of our recommended PDF readers. Have we missed your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
Nitro Reader
Like Foxit Reader, Nitro Reader bears more than a passing resemblance to Microsoft Office -- 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.
But this is a program that's about more than just viewing. As well as including an annotation and highlighting option, Nitro PDF also lets you add sticky notes to the documents you open.
If you need to create PDFs from other documents, this can be one with Nitro PDF, and it is also possible to convert in the opposite direction -- PDF to text, for example. 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 PDF tools out there, and it would be easy to forget that it is completely free of charge.
PDF-XChange Editor
PDF-XChange Editor replaces the now discontinued PDF-XChange Viewer, and it is available as both a portable app and a regular installable program.
The free edition contains handy features such as tracked comments, the ability to insert or extract pages, and digital signing, but those marked 'Pro' in the menu are only available in the paid-for version. The free edition's killer feature is OCR. You can scan printed documents, have the text converted into searchable format, and save the resulting document as a PDF.
During installation, we recommend selecting the 'Custom' option rather than 'Complete', then deselect 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.
Slim PDF Reader
Slim PDF Reader is by far the smallest download in this roundup, occupying just 1.43MB of space, and makes a virtue of its frill-free approach.
This 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.
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 PDF reader without the bloat, this could be the ideal choice. The only real drawback is the inability to view two pages side-by-side as a spread.
Icecream Ebook Reader
As the name suggests, Icecream Ebook Reader is designed primarily for viewing EPUB and MOBI documents, but it doubles as a simple PDF reader.
As this is an ebook reader, you are encouraged to organise 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. You be forgiven for finding the app a little out of the ordinary to start with, but it could very quickly become your favourite PDF tool.
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.
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