Free PDF Reader

Pros

• Offers a basic way to view PDF files
• Has some features for editing PDF files
• Serves as one of the top free ways to use PDF files
• Large buttons at the top make it easy to zoom in and out and make basic changes to a page
• Has a find text feature that lets you search pages for specific words and phrases

Cons

• Has a somewhat outdated look
• Lacks some of the editing and viewing features found on paid PDF programs
• Comes with too many ads
• Requires that you sent through those ads each time you want to use it
• Some features are a little confusing to use

Free PDF Reader is one of the only free programs that gives you the options to view PDF files and make some basic edits or changes to those files. While there are a number of paid programs, like Adobe, this program is completely free to use. Though it may not come with as many features as those paid programs, it serves as a simple alternative.

No matter how you use your computer, the odds are good that you come across at least a few PDF files every day, and you may need to use some of those files for work or for school. Depending on the web browser that you use, you may want the option to download an extension that will open files and let you view each one online. Some other browsers and operating systems will download the PDF file to your computer and ask you which program you want to use to open it. With Free PDF Reader, you can open and view those files in seconds.

A toolbar that runs across the top of the program gives you access to all the features you might need. You can click the File button in that toolbar to open a new file, and then you can save a copy of the opened file or print the document. You can also use the View button to change the way the page looks. With this option, you'll have the ability to alter the font style, the color of the font, and the size of that font. The program also comes with some basic editing tools as well.

Many of the tools that you may need to use are available as large buttons, located at the top of the page, underneath the toolbar. These buttons enable you to save a copy of the page, print the page, or even email the page as an attachment. The first time that you email a page, you will need to set up the email address that you want to use and sign into your account. You can use that same account later, or you can select a new email account.

Other buttons make it possible for you to change the orientation of the page, which is a helpful tool when you're viewing brochures or papers that have a landscape orientation. With the zoom in and out buttons, you can change how much of the page fits on your screen at any given moment. Zooming in will give you the ability to read the finer print on a document, and zooming out helps you see more of the page at once.

The program also comes with features designed for use on documents that contain multiple pages. Clicking on the icon of a hand at the top of the page will turn your mouse into a hand that flips through those pages. You can also grab the page and then flip to the next page, or you can use this feature to drag and move the page around on your screen. Other buttons allow you to flip to the next page or the previous page quickly. It also comes with buttons designed to make flipping through multiple pages at once a fast process.

If you use longer PDF documents for writing research reports in school or doing presentations at work, you'll like that Free PDF Reader comes with a table of contents feature. This option reveals a new box that sits on the left side of the screen, and the box displays every chapter in a document or each page in a document. You can click on any page or chapter to load that section of the document.

Using the search function helps you find the exact information that you need. When you click the search feature, the program places a search box in the center of the page. You enter the word or phrase that you want to look for and click enter. It will then automatically search each page in the document and will show you each instance that it found. This is perfect for locating quotes when you need to cite your references.

This program also comes with a copy and paste feature that is perfect for both working professionals and busy students. When you find a key piece of information that you want to add to another document, use your mouse to highlight that section and save it on your clipboard. You can then use the other program and paste that section in the new document.

As Free PDF Reader requires less space and uses less of the resources on your computer, it's a great option for those running an older operating system. It works effectively with most versions of Windows and will work with most other systems too.

The biggest downside to this free program is that it has a somewhat outdated design. The first time that you use it, you might feel like you just opened a program from the late 1990s or even earlier. While Adobe releases new updates for its PDF software that gives those programs a more modern look, this one tends to look almost archaic.

If you need a PDF viewer that can do some basic editing though and want a program that doesn't cost a lot of money though, this is a great option. Free PDF Reader can do most of the things that you need to do with PDF files.

Pros

• Offers a basic way to view PDF files
• Has some features for editing PDF files
• Serves as one of the top free ways to use PDF files
• Large buttons at the top make it easy to zoom in and out and make basic changes to a page
• Has a find text feature that lets you search pages for specific words and phrases

Cons

• Has a somewhat outdated look
• Lacks some of the editing and viewing features found on paid PDF programs
• Comes with too many ads
• Requires that you sent through those ads each time you want to use it
• Some features are a little confusing to use