View PDF Files

• Open a PDF File
• Save a PDF File
• View PDF Properties
• Render Text, Line Art, and Thin Lines
• Read PDF Files in a Single Tab or Multi-tabs
• Read Multipe PDF Files in the Parallel View
• Adjust PDF Views
• Read PDFs with Read Out Loud
• Read and Interact with PDF with Screen Reader
• Display Rulers, Guides, Transparency Grid, and Line Weights
• Show or Hide PDF Layers
• View PDF/A Files
• View PDF Portfolios
• Work on 3D Content in PDFs
• Search & Index in PDFs
• Take a Snapshot of Selected PDF Contents
• Navigate PDF Files
• Open a File Attachment
• Play Audio & Video
• Word Count
• Spelling Check
• Trust Settings

Open a PDF File

Please choose one of the following to open a PDF file with Foxit PDF Reader:

• Launch Foxit PDF Reader, then drag and drop the PDF file in the Foxit PDF Reader workspace.
• Right-click the PDF file, and choose Open With > Foxit PDF Reader.
• (Only available in the edition downloaded from Foxit official website) If you have set Foxit PDF Reader as the default PDF reader, you can double-click the PDF file directly to open it with Foxit PDF Reader.  
• Click the Open button  on the Quick Access toolbar, or choose File in the menu bar > Open. In the Open dialog box, select the PDF file, and click Open.
• Choose File in the Ribbon > Open, and do any of the following:
  • To open a recently-opened PDF file, click Recent Documents > select the PDF file from the Recent Documents list.
  • To open a PDF file from your local device, click Computer > Browse > select the PDF file > click Open.  
  • To open a PDF file in your ECM system (Microsoft SharePoint) or cloud services (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and box), click Add a place, and choose Add under the ECM group or cloud service that you want to connect to. For more information, please refer to “Share PDF Files”.
• (Only available in the edition downloaded from Foxit official website) Click the Start tab, and click any file in the Recent Files list (if any) to open a recently opened file, or click Open File to open a file from your local device.

Tips:

• With Foxit PDF Reader, you can also open an XFDF, FDF, or XDP file which is a data file containing comment or form field information exported from a PDF file. When you try to open an XFDF, FDF or XDP file, Foxit PDF Reader will attempt to locate the PDF file associated with the XFDF, FDF or XDP file and then open that PDF file with the data filled in. Therefore, make sure that the source PDF file associated with the XFDF, FDF, or XDP file is available with its original file name in case the operation fails.
• If Foxit PDF Reader is closed unexpectedly, it will start automatically with all tabs restored on the next startup of your system. (Tip: To make this feature effective, you need to check the Reopen windows when logging back in option in the system’s prompt message when you shut down or restart your Mac device.) If you want to change this default setting, please choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > General > Application Startup, and uncheck Automatically restart the application with all tabs restored.

Save a PDF File

By default, Foxit PDF Reader saves the changes to a file every 5 minutes automatically in case of system crash or power failure. If the application closes abnormally before you can save changes to a file, Foxit PDF Reader opens the recovery file automatically the next time you open it. The recovery file contains your changes up until the last time Foxit PDF Reader saved the document. You can change the time interval settings in Preferences > Documents > Save Setting > Automatically save file every x minutes.

After editing your PDF file, choose File > Save (or click the Save button  in the Quick Access Toolbar) to save and replace the original file. You can also choose File in the Ribbon > Save As to save the PDF file as a copy in your local disks, ECM servers, or cloud servers.

Foxit PDF Reader allows you to configure the preferred save as location so that your preferred location will be automatically chosen in the Save As dialog box when prompted to specify a location to save a document. To add a preferred save as location, please go to the File tab (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Documents > Preferred Save As Location. Then click Browse to select the location, or input the location in the Preferred Save As Location field. If you need to remove the configured output location, just delete the directory path in the Preferred Save As Location field.

View PDF Properties

To view the PDF properties, please navigate to File > Properties. You can acquire all relevant information as follows:

• Description: This tab shows some basic information about the document. The person who created the document in the source application may have set the title, subject, author, and keywords. Click Custom, and the pop-up Custom Properties dialog box shows some document information (such as comments and the company name).
• Security: This tab describes security permissions and what functionality is allowed within a PDF.
• Fonts: This tab lists the fonts and the font types used in the original document, as well as the encoding used to display the original fonts.
• Advanced: This tab lists the items of Print Dialog Presets for the document, which will be applied automatically when you print the PDF file with Foxit PDF Reader. The Reading Options group allows you to specify the reading direction and language that screen readers use to read the PDF document.

Render Text, Line Art, and Thin Lines

While rendering PDF files, Foxit PDF Reader automatically smooths the jagged edges of text and line art (including path and shading objects) and enhances thin lines to improve their appearance and readability. To change the default settings, please go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Page Display, and modify the following options in the Rendering group.

• Smooth text: Optimally adjust text display that best suits your monitor. The “For Laptop/LCD Screens” option is selected by default. For legacy monitors, please choose Monitor instead. To turn off the smooth text rendering, please choose None.
• Smooth line art: Remove the abrupt angles in lines to make them smoother. Uncheck the option to turn off the feature.
• Enhance thin lines: Enhance the display of thin lines to make them more visible. Uncheck the option to turn off the feature.

Read PDF Files in a Single Tab or Multi-tabs

Read PDF Files in Multi-tabs

By default, Foxit PDF Reader displays multiple PDF files in different tabs in a single application window. In multi-tab reading mode, you can drag and drop a file tab outside of the existing window to create a new window and view the PDF file in that individual window, or move a file tab to any other Foxit PDF Reader windows that are currently open.

Read PDF Files in a Single Tab

You can enable the single-tab reading mode to view PDF files in multiple application windows when double-clicking to open PDF files, which is ideal for reading PDFs side by side.

To enable the single-tab reading mode, choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Documents, check the Always open files in a new window option in the Open Setting group, and click OK to apply the setting. While in the single-tab reading mode, you can revert to the multi-tab reading mode by redoing the steps and unchecking the Always open files in a new window option.

Read Multiple PDF Files in the Parallel View

The parallel view allows you to read two or more PDF files side-by-side (either horizontally or vertically) in the same window. When reading PDF files in the parallel view, you can view, annotate, or modify each PDF file independently. However, the Full Screen Mode operations are simultaneously applied to PDF files that are currently active in all tab groups.

To create the parallel view, do the following:

• Open two or more documents that you want to view in Foxit PDF Reader.
• Right-click on the file tab of the PDF document that you want to move to a new tab group, and choose one of the following options as needed:
  • New Horizontal Tab Group: Display the PDF document in a horizontally parallel view.
  • New Vertical Tab Group: Display the PDF document in a vertically parallel view.
• The PDF document will be displayed in a new tab on a split-screen within the same window. If necessary, you can click and drag the dividing line between the parallel view to resize the portion of the split-screen.

Tip: If you are in the parallel view, when a new PDF file is opened, it will be placed in the last active tab group.

To move tabs in the parallel view, do one of the following:

• Directly drag and drop the file tab to the tab group that you want the PDF document to be moved into.
• Right-click the file tab, and choose Move to Next Tab Group to move the PDF file to the tab group that is opened after it, or choose Move to Previous Tab Group to move the PDF file to the tab group that is opened before it.
• If there is more than one file tab in a group, right-click any file tab in the group and choose Move all tabs to the next group or Move all tabs to the previous group to move all the file tabs in the current group to its next or previous group respectively. When all the file tabs have been moved out, the corresponding tab group will be closed automatically.

To exit the parallel view, do one of the following:

• Close all PDF documents to leave only one opened.
• Move all the opened PDF files to the same tab group.
• Close Foxit PDF Reader, and it will return to the normal view when reopened.

Tip: For a PDF document that has been specified to display the document title in the initial view settings, Foxit PDF Reader will display the document title (instead of the filename) in the file tab and the title bar of the application window. If you prefer to see the filename regardless of the initial view settings so as to locate multiple documents by filename within the application interface easily, please go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Documents, and check Always use filename as document title in the Open Settings group.

Adjust PDF Views

Change the Page Display Mode

For a PDF file that does not include the preset page layout, Foxit PDF Reader will open it with the default page display mode or the last viewing settings (if you have enabled the application to restore the last view settings when reopening PDF files in Preferences > History). To change the default page display mode, please go to the File tab (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Page Display > Default Layout and Zoom, and select the desired option from the Page layout drop-down list. To change the page display mode while reading PDF files, click View in the Ribbon (or choose View in the menu bar > Page Display), and choose any of the following options:

• Single Page: Display one page at a time.
• Continuous : Display the pages in a continuous vertical column.
• Facing: Display a certain number of pages (two or more pages) side by side at a time.
• Continuous Facing: Display facing pages side by side in a continuous vertical column.
• Separate Cover Page: Display the cover page separately. This option is only available when you select Facing or Continuous Facing mode.
• Split: View a PDF with the document pane divided into two panes (Vertically/ Horizontally Split command) or four panes (Spreadsheet Split command).

By default, Foxit PDF Reader displays two pages side by side at a time in Facing or Continuous Facing mode. You can custom the display settings using the following two options by choosing File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Page Display.

• Custom facing: Set the number of pages displayed side by side in Facing or Continuous Facing mode. It is set to be two pages by default. You can input any integer between 2 and 99.
• Custom margin: Set the margins between pages with Facing or Continuous Facing page layout. The default is a margin of 8 pixels. You can input any integer between 0 and 100.

Read a PDF in Full Screen Mode

In Full Screen mode, Foxit PDF Reader Document Pane fills the entire screen, with Menu Bar and Navigation pane hidden behind. The mouse pointer remains active in Full Screen mode so that you can click links.

Set Full Screen Preferences

Before reading a PDF file in Full Screen mode, you can set the Full Screen preferences which include appearances, transitions, and panels that can be shown in the Full Screen mode.

• Choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box.
• Choose Full Screen in the Preferences dialog box, and then do the following:
  • In the Full Screen Navigation group, you can specify how to navigate through PDF files in Full Screen Mode.
    • Specify whether to show the scroll bar, tab bar, navigation panels, exit button or not in Full Screen mode by checking or unchecking the corresponding option in the Full Screen Navigation group.
    • By default, Foxit PDF Reader will display a single page at a time in Full Screen mode. To display pages continuously in Full Screen mode, uncheck the One page at a time option.
    • Usually, you can page through a PDF document in Full Screen mode by scrolling the mouse wheel, or pressing Space, Shift + Space or the arrow keys. You can check the Left click to go forward one page; right click to go back one page option to move to the previous or next page by left-clicking or right-clicking anywhere on the document pane.

      Tip: If you need to use the context menu (for example, to adjust the page views) in Full Screen mode, please keep the Left click to go forward one page; right click to go back one page option unchecked.

    • If you scroll a PDF document automatically in Full Screen mode, automatic scrolling stops when the last page is fully displayed. If you need to return to the first page and page through a PDF file continuously, check the Loop after last page option.
    • To specify the frequency to automatically advance from page to page in Full Screen mode, please check the Advance every _ seconds option, and input a number (any integer between 1 and 99999). With this setting enabled, you can still page through a document manually using your mouse or keyboard shortcuts.
  • In the Full Screen Appearance group, click the color palette to choose the background color in Full Screen mode.
  • In the Full Screen Transitions group, choose a default transition and its direction from the drop-down list. If you need to control the page transition based on your navigation direction, check the Navigation control direction option. To ignore all transitions, check the Ignore all transitions option. Please note that the default transition settings in Preferences are specific to the application. The page transitions specified in a PDF document (if any) will prevail over the default settings.
• Click OK in the Preferences dialog box to apply the settings.

Enter and Exit Full Screen Mode

• To enter Full Screen mode, choose View in the menu bar > Full Screen, or click the Full Screen Mode button  in the status bar.  
• To exit Full Screen mode, click the Exit Full Screen Mode button  on the top right corner, or press the Esc key.

Tip: By default, Foxit PDF Reader will display a prompt message for you to confirm the operation when you open a PDF file that has been defined to be opened in Full Screen mode as the initial view. To change the default setting, please go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Documents, and uncheck the Alert user when documents request Full Screen option in the Open Setting group.

Resize the Page View

Set the Default Zoom Level

For a PDF file that does not include the preset magnification level, Foxit PDF Reader will open it with the default page zoom level or the last viewing settings (if you have enabled the application to restore the last view settings when reopening PDF files in Preferences > History). To change the default zoom level, please go to the File tab (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Page Display > Default Layout and Zoom, and select the desired option from the Zoom level drop-down list. While reading a PDF file, you can use the zoom tools to change the page magnification. For more information, please refer to Quick Zoom, Resize the Page View with Zoom Tools, and Change the Page Magnification with Magnifier, Loupe, or Marquee Command.

Quick Zoom

To quickly zoom in or out on a PDF page, do any of the following:

• Pinch with two finger with Mac trackpad.
• In the Status bar, click the Minus sign  or Plus sign , or drag the slider.
• Press Control, and scroll the mouse wheel.
• Go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > General, and check Make Hand Tool use mouse-wheel zooming in the Basic Tools group. Then you can directly scroll the mouse wheel to zoom in or out on a PDF page in the Hand mode. This method is useful for users to browse large drawings.  

Resize the Page View with Zoom Tools

To adjust the page at a specified size or make it to fit the document or window, do the following:

• Access the Zoom tools by any of the following ways:
  • Choose View in the menu bar > Zoom.
  • Choose Home > Zoom or Page Fit Option.
  • Click any tab (except File or Help) in the Ribbon, and choose Zoom or Fit Width/Fit Page/Fit Visible/Actual Size.
  • Right-click on the document pane, and find the options in the context menu.
  • Click the [Percentage] button (like ) in the Status bar, and find the options in the list.
• Choose any of the options to resize the page view:
  • Zoom Out: Zoom out of the page.
  • Zoom In: Zoom in the page for a clearer view.
  • Zoom To: Resize the page to a specific zoom level or make the page fit the window.
  • Actual Size: Display the page in its actual size.
  • Fit Page: Resize the page to fit entirely in the document pane.
  • Fit Width: Resize the page to fit the width of the window. Part of the page may be out of view.
  • Fit Visible: Resize the page to make the text and images fit the visible width of the window, removing the margins.
  • [Percentage](e.g. 150%): Resize the page at the specified zoom level.

Change the Page Magnification with Magnifier, Loupe, or Marquee Command

Magnifier Command

With the Magnifier command, you can magnify part of the page by using a magnifying glass.

• Choose View in the Ribbon > Assistant > Magnifier.
• Move the Magnifier to the places you want to view.
• To switch between Magnifier and Fisheye Magnifier, press the left mouse button.
• To change the size of the magnifier window, press the right mouse button.
• To turn off the Magnifier, press the Esc key.

Loupe Command

The Loupe command allows you to view part of the page in a separate window with the specified zoom level.

• Choose View in the Ribbon > Assistant > Loupe.
• Do one of the following to get a closer view:
  • Move the Loupe command to the places you want to view, you will see the amplificatory or decreased objects in the Loupe Tool dialog box.
  • Check the Lock option in the Loupe Tool dialog box, and you will find a red rectangle in the document, corresponding to the area shown in the Loupe Tool dialog box. You can drag or resize the rectangle to change the Loupe command view.
• By default, the Loupe command magnifies the page by 200%. You can do any of the following to change the magnification level in the Loupe Tool dialog box.
  • Enter a value in the zoom text box, or choose a preset ratio from the drop-down list of the zoom text box.
  • Click the minus or plus icon.
  • Drag the slider.
• To turn off the Loupe, click the Close icon in the Loupe Tool dialog box, or press the Esc key.

Marquee Command

The Marquee command helps you expand the selected area of the page to fill the entire view or increase the magnification of the clicked area by one preset level (centering on the point where you clicked).

• Choose View in the Ribbon > Assistant > Marquee.
• To increase the magnification, drag a rectangle to select the area or just click on the page.  
• To decrease the magnification, press the Command key, and drag a rectangle to select the area or just click on the page.
• To turn off the Marquee, press the Esc key.

Reverse View

To read documents in a backward order, please choose View in the Ribbon > Reverse View. 

Rotate the Page View

Do one of the following to rotate the view of the document pages:

• Go to View > Rotate View > Rotate Right or Rotate Left.
• Right-click the document, and choose Rotate Right or Rotate Left.
• Move two fingers around each other with Mac trackpad.

Note: Foxit PDF Reader allows you to rotate pages in 90-degree increments. Pages are rotated for viewing purposes only, and no changes to page orientation will be saved to the PDF file.

Change the Page Background Color

Do one of the following to change the page background color:

1. From the Preferences

• Choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box.
• Select Accessibility in the Preferences dialog box.
• In the Document Color Options group, the Replace document colors option is checked by default. If this option is not checked, please check it first.
• Click the color pane beside the Page background or Document text option.
• In the pop-up Colors window, select or customize a color, and click OK.
• Click OK in the Preferences dialog box to apply the color.

2. From the document pane

• Click View in the Ribbon.
• Click Change Color, and you will find the color options with a menu separator in between. On the left side of the menu separator are the preset colors, while on the right are the custom ones.
  • To apply a preset background color, select any of the colors on the left of the menu separator.
  • To customize colors, click the Custom Colors icon  on the right of the menu separator, and pick the desired color in the Colors dialog box. When a custom color is applied to the document, the icon right before the Custom Color icon (i.e. the first icon on the right of the menu separator), which is in white by default, will be changed to the color you have customized. You can click that icon to switch from the current background color to your customized one.

Read PDFs with Read Out Loud

Read Out Loud is a Text-to-Speech (TTS) tool. It reads the text in a PDF aloud, including the text in comments and alternate text descriptions for images, tables, and fillable fields. Text is read based on the order of the page content.

Read Out Loud uses the available voices installed on your system. Read Out Loud isn’t a screen reader, it may not be available in some operating systems.

Set Speech Preferences

• Choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Speech.
• Specify the following options in the Read Out Loud Options group:
  • Volume: Set the reading volume of Read out Loud.
  • Use default voice: Check it to read content with default language, or you can select the required one from the combo box.
  • Use default speech attribute: Check it to read with default pitch and rate, or you can uncheck it and then set pitch and rate in the combo box as needed.
  • Read comments: Check it to enable the application to read out the comments when executing Read out Loud.
  • Read form fields: Check it to enable the application to read out the form fields when executing Read out Loud.

Activate or Deactivate Read Out Loud

You need to activate Read Out Loud before using it.

• To activate Read Out Loud: select View in the Ribbon > Read group > Read > Activate Read.
• To deactivate Read Out Loud: select View in the Ribbon > Read group > Read > Deactivate Read. 

Read a PDF Out Loud

• Navigate to the page that you want to read out.
• Choose View in the Ribbon > Read group > Read > Read Current Page or Read from Current Page.

Tip: If you need to read the text in the comments and form fields while reading a PDF out loud, please make sure you have checkedthe Read comments and Read form fields options in the Speech preferences. For form fields, press Tab to focus the form field, and Foxit PDF Reader will read the form field that is currently in focus.

Control Reading

While reading a PDF file or form field, you can interrupt the reading and adjust reading volume and speed as needed.

• To adjust the reading speed: choose View in the Ribbon > Read > Speed > drag the slider.
• To adjust the reading volume: choose View in the Ribbon > Read > Volume > drag the slider.
• To pause reading: choose View in the Ribbon > Read > Pause.
• To stop reading: choose View in the Ribbon > Read group > Read > Stop.

Read and Interact with PDF with Screen Reader

Foxit PDF Reader enables visually impaired users to read and interact with PDF using VoiceOver. While reading and interacting with PDF, you can change the accessibility and reading settings in the Preferences dialog box.

To set accessibility preferences, choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Accessibility. 

• Document Color Options
  • Replace document colors: Check to activate other options to change the document colors.
    • Use High-Contrast colors: Choose the high-contrast color combination for page background and document text to improve readability.
    • Custom color: Change the color of Page Background and Document Text.
    • Only change the color of black text: Change only the black text and leave the colored text unchanged when you replace document colors.
    • Change the color of text or black line art: Change the color of text or black line arts when you replace document colors.
• Override Page Display
  • Always use Page Layout Style: Set a page layout as default for all PDF documents and override other page display settings.
  • Always use Zoom Setting: Specify a default zoom setting for all PDF documents and override other page display settings.
• Other Accessibility Options
  • Use document structure for tab order when no explicit tab order is specified: Improve the navigation of form fields and links in documents that don’t specify a tab order.
  • Always display the keyboard selection cursor: Select this option and the Select Text and Image command will be selected automatically when you open a PDF. If you are using a screen magnifier, it’s recommended to select this option.
  • Show Portfolios in Files mode: Display PDF Portfolio component files and file details in a list. Please note that if you set the default view for PDF portfolios in Portfolio > Default view setting, that default view setting will prevail over this accessibility setting.

To set reading preferences, choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Reading. 

• Screen Reader Options
  • Page vs Document: This preference determines how much of a document is delivered to a screen reader at a time. If a PDF isn’t tagged, Foxit PDF Reader may analyze the document and attempt to infer its structure, which can take a long time for a long document. You may want to set Foxit PDF Reader to deliver only the currently visible page so that it analyzes only a small piece of the document at a time. This consideration will vary depending on the size and complexity of the document and on the features of the screen reader.
    • Only read the currently visible pages - This option is usually best when using a screen magnifier. It improves performance by eliminating the need for the software to process parts of the document that aren’t visible. When Foxit PDF Reader sends only the currently visible pages of a PDF to the memory buffer, the assistive technology has access to those pages only. It cannot go to another page until the next page is visible and Foxit PDF Reader has sent the page information to the memory buffer. Therefore, if this option is selected, you must use the navigation features of Foxit PDF Reader, not those of the assistive technology, to navigate from page to page in the document. You should also set the Default Page Display option in preferences to Single Page if you choose to have Foxit PDF Reader send only the currently visible pages to the assistive technology.
    • Read the entire document - This option can be best if you use a screen reader that has its own navigation and search tools and that is more familiar to you than the commands in Foxit PDF Reader.
    • For large documents, only read the currently visible pages - This option is selected by default and is usually best if you use a screen reader with long or complex PDFs. It allows Foxit PDF Reader to deliver an entire small document but revert to page-by-page delivery for large documents.
  • Minimum number of pages in a large document: When the “For large documents, only read the currently visible pages” option is selected, it allows you to set this minimum value.
  • Enable assistive technology support: Check this option to allow assistive technology products, such as screen readers, to provide information about the UI and document to end users.
  • Confirm before preparing untagged PDF for reading with assistive technology: Select the option, and if any assistive technology is detected in your system, a dialog box pops up when you open an untagged PDF to ask you whether to set the reading order options for the PDF for reading with assistive technology.  
• Reading Order Options
  • Reading Order: Set reading order as appropriate for your assistive software and devices.
    • Infer reading order from document (recommended): Interpret the reading order of untagged documents by using an advanced method of structure-inference layout analysis.
    • Left-to-right, top-to-bottom reading order: Deliver the text according to its placement on the page, reading from left to right and then top to bottom. This method is faster than “Infer reading order from document”. This method analyzes text only; form fields are ignored and tables aren’t recognized as such.
    • Use reading order in raw print stream: Deliver text in the order in which it was recorded in the print stream. This method is faster than “Infer reading order from document”. This method analyzes text only; form fields are ignored and tables aren’t recognized as such.
  • Override the reading order in tagged documents: Use the reading order specified in the Reading preferences instead of what the tag structure of the document specifies. Use this preference only when you encounter problems in poorly tagged PDFs.

Display Rulers, Guides, Grids, and Line Weights

Rulers and Guides

Foxit PDF Reader provides horizontal and vertical ruler guides to help you align and position text, graphics, or other objects on the page. They can also be used to check the size and margins of your documents.

Show or Hide Rulers and Guides

To show or hide rulers and guides in the current PDF file, please do any of the following:

• Choose View in the Ribbon > View Setting > Page Display (or View in the menu bar > Rulers & Grids), and select or unselect Rulers/Guides.
• Right-click anywhere on the document pane, and select or unselect Rulers/Guides in the context menu.  
• To show or hide rulers, you can also press the shortcut key Option + Command + R.
• When rulers are displayed, you can right-click the rulers, and select or unselect Show Guides to show or hide guides. Right-clicking rulers and selecting Hide Rulers can hide rulers as well.

Create Ruler Guides

• Follow the step in “Show or Hide Rulers and Guides” to show rulers first.
• (Optional) The unit for ruler guides is set as inch by default. Please right-click on the rulers or choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Measuring to change the unit, if necessary.
• Do one of the following:
  • Drag down the horizontal ruler to create a horizontal guide, or drag to the right of the vertical ruler to create a vertical guide.
  • Double-click a location on the horizontal ruler to create a vertical guide, or double-click a location on the vertical ruler to create a horizontal guide.

Move Ruler Guides

To move ruler guides, select the Hand command, click and hold the guide, and then drag it to a new location.

Delete Ruler Guides

To delete ruler guides, please do one of the following:

• To delete a guide, click the guide to select it, and then press the Delete key.
• To delete all guides on a certain page, scroll to the page, right-click the ruler area, and choose Clear Guides on Page.
• To delete all guides, right-click in the ruler area, and choose Clear All Guides.

Transparency Grid

Transparency grid is used to visualize transparent areas by displaying a checkerboard grid behind transparent objects. To show or hide the transparency grid, please go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Page Display, and check or uncheck Display transparency grid in the Page Content group.

Line Weights View

In Line Weights View, the lines will be displayed with the weights defined in the PDF file. When Line Weights View is turned off, the lines will be displayed with the constant stroke width (1 pixel), regardless of zoom. Foxit PDF Reader will display PDF files in Line Weights view by default. To turn on or off Line Weights view while reading PDF files, please do any of the following:

• Click View in the Ribbon > View Setting > Page Display (or choose View in the menu bar > Ruler & Grids), and then select or unselect the Line Weights.
• Press the shortcut key Control + Command + 5.

Show or Hide PDF Layers

In a PDF, information can be stored on different layers. To show or hide related content stored in a variable number of separate layers, you can simply refer to the Layer panel on the left side of the work area. Please note that you cannot create or edit layers in Foxit PDF Reader; however, you can view layers and choose to show or hide the content associated with each layer.

• Do any of the following to open the Layers panel if it is hidden:
  • Choose View in the menu bar > Navigation Panels > Layers.
  • Choose View in the Ribbon > View Setting > Navigation Panels > Layers.
  • Right-click on the left side of the navigation panel, and choose Layers.  
• To hide a layer, uncheck the layer. Or right-click a layer, and unselect Show Layer in the context menu.
• To show a hidden layer, click the empty box and a checkmark will appear. Or right-click a layer, and select Show Layer in the context menu.
• To show or hide all layers, check or uncheck Select All directly.
• From the Options menu at the top left corner of the Layers panel, choose one of the following:
  • List Layers for All Pages – Show every layer across every page of the document.
  • List Layers for Visible Pages – Show layers only on the visible pages.
  • Reset to Initial Visibility – Reset layers to their default state.
  • Expand All – Expand all layers.
  • Collapse All – Collapse all of the current layers in the view.
  • Apply Print Overrides – Determine whether to display a layer according to its corresponding Print setting in the Layer Properties dialog box. The option is available when Never Prints or Always Print is selected.
  • Apply Export Overrides – Determine whether to display a layer according to its corresponding Export setting in the Layer Properties dialog box. The option is available when Never Exports or Always Exports is selected.
  • Apply Layer Overrides – Display all layers in the document regardless of the settings in the Layer Properties dialog box, and you cannot change layer visibility until you deselect this command or choose Reset to Initial Visibility in the Options menu. However, you are still allowed to rename layers when the command is selected.

View PDF/A Files

By default, Foxit PDF Reader will open PDF/A-compliant documents in PDF/A mode (i.e. read-only mode) to prevent modification. When you open a PDF/A-compliant document, a notification message will be displayed. To work with PDF/A files, do the following:

• To turn off PDF/A mode and edit the document, click Enable Editing on the notification message. This operation will affect the settings in PDF/A view mode preference. To set the preference about PDF/A view mode, go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Documents, and select the desired option from the drop-down list in PDF/A View mode group.
• To keep reading in PDF/A mode, click Disable Editing on the notification message.
• If you do not want to see the notification message the next time you open PDF/A files, check the Don’t show again option. To redisplay the notification message, please go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > General, and check the Show PDF/A message again option in the Notification Messages group.

View PDF Portfolios

PDF portfolios are a combination of files with different formats such as Microsoft Office files, text documents and image files.

To view a PDF portfolio, please do the following:

• You can open a PDF portfolio in the same way as you open a PDF file. Please refer to “Open a PDF File” for more information.
• By default, files in a PDF portfolio are displayed in the Layout view, with the preview of the selected file displayed in the right pane. Follow the steps below to change the view mode, if necessary.
  • Click Detail in the Portfolio tab to display the details of files in a PDF portfolio. In the Detail view mode, you can right-click on any file or blank area and select View to specify which properties you would like to display in the file details list. Click a column name to sort files by certain property in an ascending or descending order.
  • Click Cover Sheet in the Portfolio tab to display the cover sheet of the PDF portfolio.
  • Click Preview Pane in the Portfolio tab, and choose Right or Bottom to display the preview pane at the right or bottom of the document pane respectively. Choose Off from the Preview Pane drop-down list to hide the preview pane.
  • Click Default View in the Portfolio tab, and choose an option from the drop-down list to specify the default view for the currently opened PDF portfolio. The default view setting will take effect the next time you open the PDF portfolio.
• To open and read a file in the portfolio, do any of the following in the Layout or Detail view mode.
  • Double-click a file.
  • Select a file and click the Open button in the upper right corner of the document area.
  • Right-click a file and choose Open File in Native Application.

Tips:

• For non-PDF component files (e.g., TXT files), Foxit PDF Reader allows you to preview and open them if the security setting allows. For more information, please refer to “Security Settings for Non-PDF Attachments”.
• Files in a PDF portfolio will be opened in its native application if you have installed the native application on your device with macOS 10.14 or higher.

• To view the properties of a document in a PDF portfolio, do any of the following in the Layout or Detail view mode.
  • Right-click a file in the portfolio, and choose Show Information from the context menu.
  • Select a file in the portfolio, and click the Properties button in the upper right corner of the document area.

Work on 3D Content in PDFs

Set 3D Preferences

Foxit PDF Reader lets you view, navigate, measure, and comment on 3D content in PDF documents. The Model Tree, the 3D toolbar, and the right-click menu of 3D content can help you work on 3D content easily. You can show/hide parts of a 3D model, set different visual effects, rotate/spin/pan/zoom a 3D model, add comments/measurements to a part of a 3D model, and more.

Note: By default, Safe Reading Mode is enabled, and whether the option has been selected or not, when you open a PDF with 3D content for the first time, a dialog box pops up to ask whether you trust the document to enable/activate the 3D content in it, and you can select an option to trust the document one time only or always trust the document. Selecting Trust this document always in the dialog box also adds the document to the privileged locations, and the dialog box will not prompt next time you open the PDF. See also Privileged Locations. Note that the dialog box does not necessarily pop up when you open a 3D PDF. Sometimes it pops up only when you click on the 3D content in the PDF. When it pops up is determined by the activation settings of the 3D content. And the message displayed in the pop-up dialog box varies depending on your trust settings for Foxit PDF Reader.

Display 3D Models

Foxit PDF Reader provides the Model Tree and various navigation tools and options for you to show or hide parts of a 3D model, turn it around to view it from all orientations, even look at the inside structure clearly by hiding and turning parts around.

When you open a 3D PDF and enable the 3D model, the 3D toolbar appears above the upper-left corner of the 3D canvas (an area where the 3D model appears). The lower-left corner of the canvas shows the 3D axes (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis) that indicate the current orientation of the 3D model in the scene. Note: If the 3D model is not enabled (or activated) after you open the PDF, only a 2D preview image of the 3D model is displayed in the canvas.

Tip: For most 3D-related tools and options, you can find them from the context menu after right-clicking the 3D model.

Show/Hide Parts of a 3D Model

When the 3D model is enabled, click the Model Tree panel in the navigation pane, where you can view the 3D scene structure and the preset views. Check/uncheck the appropriate checkbox to show/hide the corresponding part of the 3D content. You can also click the Toggle Model Tree icon on the 3D toolbar to show or hide the Mode Tree panel.

The Model Tree panel contains three panes: the Structure pane, the View pane, and the Object Data pane.

• The Structure pane: The topmost pane in the Model Tree panel. In this pane, you can view the tree structure of the 3D content and show/hide parts of the 3D content.
• The View pane: The middle pane in the Model Tree panel. It shows a list of available 3D views associated with the 3D content.
• The Object Data pane: The lower pane in the Model Tree panel. It displays the information such as properties and metadata associated with an object/part you select in the Structure pane or the View pane.

Navigate through a 3D Model

On the 3D toolbar (or after right-clicking the 3D model and choosing Tools), select a desired 3D navigation tool to manipulate the 3D model.

• Rotate

  Rotating a 3D model allows you to turn it around in the desired direction. Click the model, hold the left mouse button, and move the mouse in the direction you want it to rotate.

• Spin

  Spinning a 3D model turns a 3D model in parallel around the X-axis and Y-axis. Click the model, hold the left mouse button, and move the mouse in the direction you want it to spin.

• Pan

  The Pan tool allows you to move the model vertically and horizontally. Click the model, hold the left mouse button, and move the mouse in the desired direction.

• Zoom

  With the Zoom tool selected, click and drag the left mouse vertically to move toward or away from the 3D model. If you right-click and drag an area on the 3D model, that area will be magnified and fill the document window.

• Walk

  The Walk tool is useful for navigating through an architectural 3D model like rooms or buildings. For example, the 3D model is a two-story building and you can simulate walking through the building. Click and drag the mouse vertically up and down to go forward and backward, and drag the mouse horizontally left or right to turn left or right in the building. The Walk tool maintains a constant elevation as you drag the mouse. So moving upstairs or downstairs in the building is not available for the Walk tool (You need to use the Fly tool instead).

• Fly

  The Fly tool lets you navigate through the 3D model while maintaining the surface orientation, which is useful when viewing an architectural or a landscape model. When “flying” through a model, you are not constrained by the elevation, so you appear to “fly” over an area in a model. With the Fly tool selected:

  • Click and drag the left mouse in the direction you want to look at. The Fly tool moves the view more slowly (which seems to increase the magnification) the closer you approach an object.
  • Right-click and drag the mouse does not change the magnification.
  • Scroll the mouse wheel to move backward and forward in the scene.

The Display Settings for a 3D Model

From the 3D toolbar (or after right-clicking the 3D model and choosing View Options), choose an option as appropriate to modify the display settings for a 3D model.

• Use Orthographic/Perspective Projection

  Click the Use Orthographic/Perspective Projection icon on the 3D toolbar to toggle between displaying perspective and orthographic projection of the 3D model.

• Model Render Modes

  Click the Model Render Modes icon on the 3D toolbar and choose a desired mode from the drop-down list for the appearance of the 3D shape.

• Enable Extra Lighting

  Click the Enable Extra Lighting icon on the 3D toolbar and choose a desired lighting effect from the drop-down list.

• Background Color

  Click the Background Color icon on the 3D toolbar and choose a desired color from the color picker for the space surrounding the 3D content. 

3D Views

In the View pane of the Model Tree panel and in the Views list on the 3D toolbar, you can see a list of available views. Select the desired view to switch among the views.

Display a View

In the View pane of the Model Tree panel:

• Select an existing view to display the view.
• Click on the Previous View or Next View icon at the top of the View pane to switch to the previous or next view in the views list. (You can also find Previous View or Next View in the Options menu or in the context menu after right-clicking anywhere in the View pane.)
• Click on the Default View icon at the top of the View pane to display the default view of the 3D model. The default view lets you quickly revert to the initial or a predefined view that is set as default at any time as you work on 3D content. To change the default view, select an existing view that you want to set as default in the View pane, right-click it (or click the Options menu  at the top of the View pane), and choose Set as Default View.

On the 3D toolbar, you can also select a view from the Views list to display it, or click on the Default View icon to switch to the default view of the 3D model. Or, just right-click anywhere anytime in the 3D canvas, choose Views, and select a view to display it.  

Add a 3D Measurement to a 3D Model

With the 3D Measurement Tool, you can measure the distance between two points and the angle between two edges of a 3D model.

• On the 3D toolbar (or after right-clicking the 3D model and choosing Tools), select 3D Measurement Tool.
• Then the measuring toolbar and the 3D Measurement Tool Info window appear in the upper-right and lower-right corner of the 3D canvas respectively. You can drag them anywhere within the 3D canvas as needed.    
• Select measurement types, snapping types, and set the scale ratio on the measuring toolbar. The 3D Measurement Tool Info window displays the information about the measurement (such as the current measurement result and scale ratio) and acts as a wizard for your measurement.
  
  Measurement types:
  • Select 3D Point to Point Measurement to measure the distance between two points on the 3D model. Click the first point, move the pointer to the second point, and click. Then the result information (the current measurement result) appears. Move the pointer and click a third time where you want to locate the result information.
  • Select 3D Perpendicular Dimension to measure the perpendicular distance between two straight edges that are parallel. Click the first point on an edge, move the pointer to the second point on the other edge, and click. Along with the result information, the line leaders on both sides of the measurement points appear as you move the pointer. Move the pointer and click a third time to determine the leader length and set the location of the result information.
  • Select 3D Radial Dimension to measure the radius of a circular part or a round shape you specified/clicked. With the 3D Snap To Radial Edges option enabled, move your cursor to the edge of a circular part so that a circle appears, and double-click to confirm the measurement. Along with the result information, an arrow appears as you move the pointer and points to the measured circle. Move the pointer and click to set the location of the result information. Without 3D Snap To Radial Edges option enabled, click on three points to specify a round shape you want to measure and then click to specify the location of the result information.
  • Select 3D Angle Measurement to measure the angle between two edges (or three points). Click three points (A, B, and C) on the 3D model to measure the angle between the line BA and the line BC. Along with the result information, the line leaders on both sides of the first and third measurement points (A and C) appear as you move the pointer. Move the pointer and click a third time to determine the leader length and set the location of the result information.
  
  Snapping types:
  • 3D Snap To Edge Endpoints: Snap to the endpoint of an edge when moving the cursor toward the end of the edge.
  • 3D Snap To Linear Edges: Snap to a straight-line segment of an edge when moving the cursor over the edge.
  • 3D Snap To Radial Edges: Snap to the circumference of a circular part when moving the cursor over the circular part.
  • 3D Snap To Silhouettes: Snap to the silhouette for a part (the apparent edge of the part, e.g., the side of a cylinder) when moving the cursor over the part.
  • 3D Snap To Planar Faces: Snap to the geometric plane for a face of a part when moving the cursor over the face.
  
  In the Default View of the 3D model or with no existing view selected, adding 3D measurements creates a new view in the View pane of the Model Tree, with the default name of “MeasurementView[n]”. You can double-click the view name to rename it. The 3D measurement will be listed under the created view (as a child of the view), named “Measurement1”, “Measurement2”, and so on.
  
  If the 3D measurement is added to an existing view, the 3D measurement will be listed under that view.
• (Optional) Clicking on the result information highlights it, and the  icon (four-way arrow) appears. By dragging the icon, you can adjust the location of the result information.
• (Optional) To delete a 3D measurement, right-click it in the View pane of the Model Tree and choose Delete.

Notes:

• 3D measurements added to a 3D model are associated with the corresponding views. The measurements associated with a view will be invisible once you switch to another view, but will show again when you switch back to the view. However, if you delete a view, the associated 3D measurements will also be removed.
• You can press the Esc key to exit the 3D Measurement mode and return to the navigation mode (such as Rotate) at any time as you measure the 3D model.

Comment on a 3D Model

Add a 3D Comment to a 3D Model

You can use the Add 3D Comment tool to add a 3D comment to a particular part of a 3D model, for example, to provide the coordinate information or the name of the part. A 3D comment contains a text box and a connector line that connects the text box and the part of the 3D model you want to comment on.

• On the 3D toolbar (or after right-clicking the 3D model and choosing Tools), select Add 3D Comment.
• Put the cursor over the desired position you want to comment on and click. Then move the cursor and click again to set the location of the text box.
• In the pop-up dialog box, enter a comment string, and click OK to complete or click Cancel to discard the comment.
  In the Default View of the 3D model or with no existing view selected, adding 3D comments creates a new view in the View pane of the Model Tree, with the default name of “CommentView[n]”. You can double-click the view name to rename it. The 3D comment will be listed under the created view (as a child of the view), named “3DComment1”, “3DComment2”, and so on.
  If the 3D comment is added to an existing view, the 3D comment will be listed under that view.
• The 3D comment will also be listed in the Comments panel in the navigation pane.
• (Optional) After adding the comment, click on the text box, and a handle (a small square icon) appears in the upper-left corner of the text box. Click and drag the handle to resize the box. If the text box is not large enough for the text content, the text exceeding the boundaries of the text box will be invisible.
• (Optional) To edit a 3D comment, click the  icon beside it in the Comments panel and choose Edit.
• (Optional) To delete or reply to a 3D comment, right-click it in the View pane of the Model Tree (or right-click it in the Comments panel), and choose Delete or Reply.

Notes:

• Comments added to a 3D model are associated with the corresponding views. The comments associated with a view will be invisible once you switch to another view, but will show again when you switch back to the view. However, if you delete a view, the associated 3D comments will also be removed.
• You can press the Esc key to exit the 3D Comment mode and return to the navigation mode (such as Rotate) at any time as you add a 3D comment to the 3D model.

Add Comments using the Tools in the Comment Tab

You can add comments to a 3D view using the commenting tools in the Comment Ribbon.

• Click Comment in the Ribbon, and choose a commenting tool.
• Click inside the 3D canvas to create a comment.
  
  In the Default View of the 3D model or with no existing view selected, adding comments creates a new view in the View pane of the Model Tree, with the default name of “CommentView[n]” ([n] is a number that depends on how many existing Comment views are listed in the View pane. For example, if there are two Comment views before the new view is created, n will be 3.). You can double-click the view name to rename it. The comment will be listed under the created view (as a child of the view), named after the comment author. In front of the name shows the icon of the comment type. Clicking the comment in the View pane to view more information on the comment in the Object Data pane.
  
  If the comment is added to an existing view, the comment will be listed under that view.
  
  
• The comment will also be listed in the Comments panel in the navigation pane. You can move, edit, delete, and reply to the comment. See also “Manage Comments”. (You can also delete the comment directly in the View pane of Model Tree.)

Notes:

• The comments added from the Comment tab are associated with the corresponding views. They will be invisible once you switch to another view, but will show again when you switch back to the corresponding view.
• For comments added using the commenting tools from the Comment Ribbon, after their associated views are deleted, you can still find them in the Comments panel.
• The Pencil comments added will not be listed under any view and will be always shown until they are deleted.

Convert 3D Measurements to Comments

You can convert 3D measurements to comments to be reviewed, annotated, and replied to.

• In the View pane of the Model Tree panel, expand a view, right-click a 3D measurement you want to convert, and choose Convert to Comment.
  The conversion leaves the name of the original measurement (unchanged) as the name of the converted comment, and the comment is still listed in the same view in the View pane. If you click the comment in the View pane, the Object Data pane will show the author who converted the measurement and the conversion time.
  The converted comment is also displayed in the comments list in the Comments panel in the navigation pane.
• (Optional) You can edit, delete, and reply to the comment in the Comments panel by right-clicking the comment and choosing Edit/Delete/Reply. Or delete and reply to the comment directly in the View pane of Model Tree by right-clicking it and choosing Delete/Reply. (Note: A comment converted from a 3D measurement is still associated with the corresponding view. If you delete the view, the comment will also be removed.)
• (Optional) You can also move the result information. Please refer to “Add a 3D Measurement to a 3D Model”.
• (Optional) To change the comment back to a 3D measurement and remove all the associated comments, right-click it in the View pane and choose Remove Associated Comment, or right-click it in the Comments panel and choose Delete.

Search & Index in PDFs

Find Text in the Current PDF

Click in the Search field on the title bar and click on the Show matching text results box in the drop-down menu (or press the shortcut keys Command + F) to open the “Search” window, which appears in the top-right corner of the document area.

• Input text in the search box.
• Click to set the search criteria.
  • Whole Words Only: Limit the search to match only whole words.
  • Case-Sensitive: Make the search case sensitive.
  • Include Page Text: This option is checked by default, which allows you to search the text on PDF pages. If you only want to search the text in certain elements (like bookmarks or comments), deselect it and check the corresponding option(s) in the search criteria list.
  • Include Bookmarks: Enable you to search for a word in the whole text, including bookmarks.
  • Include Comments: Enable you to search for a word in the whole text, including comments.
  • Highlight All Text: Highlight all the text search results in the document.
  • Properties: Enable you to specify the color and opacity for highlighting the search results.
• Press Enter to search the text in the currently opened PDF file.
• Click Previous or Next to jump to the previous or next search result.

Advanced Search

Foxit PDF Reader supports the advanced search function, which enables you to do the following: search a string in a single PDF file, multiple PDF files under a specified folder, PDFs in a PDF portfolio, or a PDF index. When the search finishes, all occurrences will be listed in a tree view. This will allow you to quickly preview the context and jump to specific locations. You can also save the search results as a CSV or PDF file for further reference.

Before doing an advanced search, you can go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Search to specify search preferences.

• Search
  • Ignore Asian character width: With this option selected, both half-width and full-width instances of the Asian language characters in the document will be found.
  • Ignore Diacritics and Accents: Ignore the diacritics and accents to find items with any variation of the alphabetical characters. For example, if you type “resume”, both “resume” and “résumé” will be found.
  • Always show more options in advanced search: Select this option to show the additional search criteria options available besides the basic options in the Search panel.
  • Show document title in search results: Check this option to display document titles in search results. However, if a document does not contain a title, its file path will be displayed in search results. If this option is unchecked, Foxit PDF Reader will display file paths in search results.
  • Maximum number of documents returned in Results: Specify the number of documents to be displayed in the search results. You can input any integer between 1 and 10,000.
  • Range of words for Proximity searches: Specify the number of words between which the search terms occur from each other when executing proximity searches. It is set as 900 by default, and you can input any integer between 1 and 10,000.
• Fast Find: Enable fast find to make future searches faster by storing information about your frequently used PDF files.
  • Maximum Cache Size: Specify the maximum cache of search information for the Fast Find. The default value is 100 MB. You can input any integer between 5 and 100,000.
  • Purge Cache Contents: Delete all the caches of search information.

If fast find is enabled, the cache of search information will be generated when you perform a search. When the cache reaches the limit size you specified, the earlier cache contents will be deleted automatically. And if you execute searches in PDFs that include both index and fast find cache, index will be used as the priority for searching.

Search for Text and Patterns

• Click in the Search field on the title bar, and choose Advanced Search.
• From the Where would you like to search dropdown list, check one of the following to define the search field.
  • To search the text in the current PDF document, select “In the current PDF document”. This option is not available if no document is open.
  • To search the text in all PDF documents in a specific folder or disk, select All PDF Documents in > choose one of the disks or user-selected search paths. Foxit PDF Reader will show the path of the currently opened document for easier location.
  • To search the text in all the PDF documents that are currently opened in Foxit PDF Reader, select All open PDF documents.
  • To search the text in selected documents in PDF portfolio, please select Selected PDFs in portfolio. This option is only available when a PDF portfolio is opened in the current session.
  • To search text in the PDF portfolio, please select All PDFs in portfolio. This option is only available when a PDF portfolio is opened in the current session.
  • To search PDF indexes, please choose Select Index. This option helps you search the index of the entire set of documents quickly if your PDF document or document collections include a full-text index. If you have added indexes in Foxit PDF Reader before, you can also choose Currently Selected Indexes option directly to search your currently selected indexes. For more information, please refer to “Search PDF indexes”.
• Select one of the following search criteria from the dropdown list under the file location box:
  • Match exact word or phrase: Search for instances that match the entire word or phrase (including the spaces) you specified in the text search box.
  • Match any of the words: Search for any instances that match at least one of the words.
  • Looks like search pattern: Search for patterns like phone number, social security number, or email address in the PDF file. This option is not available when you search PDF indexes.
  • Match All of the words: Search for any instances that match at least one of the words, but not necessarily in the order you type the words. If the document does not contain all of the words you type, no matched results will be found. This option is available only for searching a full-text PDF index.
• For text search, input the word you would like to search in “What word or phrase would you like to search for” box. For pattern search, select the pattern you want to search from the Select your pattern dropdown list, and choose the specific county and region from the Country/Region dropdown list.
• (Optional) Check any of the following options to specify the additional search criteria, if needed.
  • To limit the search to match only whole words, check Whole Words Only. For example, if you search for the word Read, the word Reader will not be found. This criterion is only available for text search.
  • To make the search case-sensitive, check Case-Sensitive. For example, if you search for the word text, the words Text and TEXT will not be found. This criterion is only available for text search.
  • By default, Foxit PDF Reader will search the text on PDF pages. If you only want to search the text in certain elements (like bookmarks or comments), uncheck Include Page Text, and then select the corresponding option(s) in the search criteria list.
  • To search words in comments, please check Include Comments. 
  • To search words in bookmarks, please check Include Bookmarks. This criterion is only available for text search.
  • To search words in attachments, please check Include Attachments.
  • To search for two or more words that are separated by no more than a specified number of words specified in the Search preferences, please check Proximity. This option is available in index search when Match of All of the words is selected.
  • To find instances that contain the stem of the specified search word, please check Stemming. For example, if you search for “opening” with Stemming option checked, instances of “open”, “opened”, “opens”, and “opening” will be found. This criterion applies to text search and index search, and is not available if either Whole Words Only or Case-Sensitive is selected.   
  • To highlight all the text search results, please check Highlight All Text.
  • To limit search in order to match criteria such as document properties and metadata, check the option in Use these additional criteria group, and specify the additional criteria, including Author, Date Created, Subject, etc. These options are only available when you execute advanced text search in multiple PDF files.

Tip: The additional search criteria options are collapsed by default. You can click More to show all the options. To keep expanding and displaying the additional search criteria options all the time, please go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Search, and check the Always show more options in advanced search option in the Search group.

• Click Search button.
• Each item listed includes a few words of context and an icon that indicates the type of occurrence. Check the search results with the following steps:
  • If necessary, click the plus sign (+) to expand the search results.
  • (Optional) For advanced search in multiple documents or portfolios, you can select an option from the Sort By drop-down list near the bottom of the Advanced Search panel to sort the search results by date modified, filename, or location.
  • To collapse the file path and have a quick view about the file name, check Collapse File Path option at the bottom of the Advanced Search panel.
  • Click a search result directly to view it in the PDF file.
•  (Optional) Click the Save button  in the Advanced Search panel, and choose Save results to PDF or Save results to CSV to save the search results.
• (Optional) Click New Search button to start a new search task.

Note: For each search, layers, form fields, and digital signatures in the document will also be searched automatically. If some of the search results occurs on a hidden layer, when selecting the results in the Advanced Search panel you will be prompted whether to make that layer visible.

Search and Highlight

After searching, users may need to mark up the searched text strings in a highlight color. With Foxit PDF Reader’s Search & Highlight feature, users can perform an advanced search and highlight the searched text strings quickly.

• Do any of the following to open the Search & Highlight panel:
  • Choose Comment in the Ribbon > Search & Highlight.
  • Click in the Search field on the title bar, and choose Search & Highlight.
• Search the text strings or search by patterns as needed.
• After the search completes, you can see a Highlight icon  next to the Save button  in the Search & Highlight panel, a check box in front of each searched instance and each file path, and the Check All option above the New Search button. 
• Select the check box of the instance you want to highlight and click the Highlight icon . (Tip: Click the check box in front of a file path to select all instances found in the file; select the Check All option to select all instances found in the search.)
• (Optional) you can also change the highlight color as needed. Change the color from the appearance properties of the markup and set the properties as default. (For details, please refer to Change the Appearance of Comments.) Then perform a new search to apply the new color to searched results.  

Search PDF Indexes

If your PDF document or document collections include a full-text index created by Foxit PDF Editor (for Mac and Windows), you can improve your search efficiency by simply searching the index for target words rather than each document separately. Steps are as follows:

• Click in the Search field on the title bar and choose Advanced Search to open the Advanced Search panel.
• From the Where would you like to search dropdown list, choose Select Index to add indexes.
• In the pop-up Index selection dialog box, click  to add an index. All the indexes you added will be displayed in the index list in Index selection dialog box. You can select an index, and click  to get its file information, or click  to remove it from the list, if necessary. Once added, the index files will be marked as checked for you to execute index search by default. Before application, review the indexes in the list, and uncheck the unnecessary one. Upon completion, click OK to close the Index selection dialog box.
• When you have successfully added the indexes, the Currently Selected Indexes option will be selected by default. If you want to search the currently selected indexes next time, you can also choose this option from the Where would you like to search dropdown list directly.
• Follow the steps in “Search for Text and Patterns” to proceed with your search.

Tip: An index created by Foxit PDF Editor for document collections usually includes an XML file, log file, and support folder. To ensure successful search, all the index files should be available when you search an index in Foxit PDF Reader. 

Take a Snapshot of Selected PDF Contents

Use the Snapshot tool to take a snapshot of selected PDF contents and paste it in other applications.

• Click Home > Snapshot;
• Drag across the area that you want to copy; or right-click on the document and choose Select All to select all of the contents;
• (For copying selected area) You will be prompted that the selected area has been copied to the clipboard, click OK in the dialog box;
• Paste the selected image to other application(s) as desired.

Navigate PDF Files

Scroll Pages Automatically

• To enter the automatic scrolling mode, choose View in the Ribbon > AutoScroll, or press the shortcut key Shift + Command + H.
• Do the following to control the automatic scrolling:
  • To increase or decrease the scrolling speed, press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key, depending on the direction of scrolling. To change the scrolling speed to a preset level, press a number key (9 for the fastest, 0 for the slowest).
    Tip: When the automatic scrolling reaches the slowest speed, pressing the Up/Down Arrow key will scroll up or down pages respectively.
  • To reverse the direction of scrolling, press the minus sign (-) key.
  • To jump to the next or previous page, press the Right Arrow key or Left Arrow key respectively.
  • To pause or continue automatic scrolling, press the Space key.
  • To stop automatic scrolling, click AutoScroll in the View toolbar, or press the Esc key or shortcut key Shift + Command + H.

Tip: To scroll through pages continuously, Foxit PDF Reader will automatically change the page display mode to Continuous (if it is in Single Page view) or Continuous Facing (if it is in Facing mode) when you enter into the automatic scrolling mode. After exiting the automatic scrolling, you can change the page display mode from the View menu or toolbar. For more information, please refer to “Change the Page Display Mode”.

Jump to a Specific Page

Use the page navigation tools on the status bar at the bottom to jump to a specific page easily.

Page indicator: Shows the current page and the total number of pages of the opened PDF file. To jump to the page specified, you can input the page number and press Enter, or click the Down arrow  and select a page number from the list.

Previous Page: Jump to the previous page.

Next Page: Jump to the next page.

Tip: Alternatively, you can go to View in the menu bar > Go to, and then choose one option from the drop-down menu to jump to a specific page. From the drop-down menu, you can also choose to jump to the first page or the last page of the PDF file.

Jump to the Previous View or Next View

Do one of the following to go to the preview view or next view:

• Click the Previous View button or Next View buttonon the status bar at the bottom.
• Click View in the menu bar > Go to > Previous View or Next View.

Jump to a Specific Chapter by Bookmark

• Do any of the following to open the Bookmarks panel:
  • Click View in the menu bar > Navigation Panels >Bookmarks.
  • Click View in the Ribbon > View Setting > Navigation Panels > Bookmarks.
  • Click the Bookmarks button  in the Navigation panel.  
• Click the plus sign (+) or minus sign (-) next to the parent bookmark to expand or collapse the parent bookmark respectively. You can also right-click any bookmark in the Bookmarks panel (or click the Options menu  at the top of the Bookmarks panel) and choose Expand/Collapse All Bookmarks to expand or collapse all the bookmarks in the current PDF file.  
• If you want to hide the Bookmarks panel after you click a bookmark, click the Options menu  at the top of the Bookmarks panel and select Hide After Use, which makes the document area wider and improves the reading experience. To keep showing the Bookmarks panel after you click a bookmark, deselect Hide After Use.
• (Optional) To quickly search and find the specific bookmarks, input the keywords in the Search box in the Bookmarks panel. Foxit PDF Reader will list all the bookmarks matching your search with the keywords highlighted in yellow.
• Click the bookmark to jump to the specific chapter.

Tips:

• When viewing bookmarks, you can press the Command key and scroll your mouse (or click  or  at the top of the Bookmarks panel) to increase or decrease the text size of bookmarks. If a bookmark is too long to be displayed in the Bookmarks panel, you can right-click the bookmark (or click the Options menu  at the top of the Bookmarks panel) and select Wrap Long Bookmarks to wrap it to multiple lines for a better view. To unwrap, deselect Wrap Long Bookmarks.
• Clicking the Find Current Bookmark icon  at the top of the Bookmarks panel (or selecting Find Current Bookmark from the Options menu ) highlights the bookmark corresponding to the content in the current document view, which can be helpful to find a bookmark as well as show you where you are.
• You can ignore the page zoom settings specified in the bookmark properties so as to ensure a consistent view when navigating PDFs using bookmarks. To enable this feature, choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar)> Preferences > Page Display, and then check the Forbid the change of the current Zoom factor during execution of ‘Go to Destination’ action (these actions can be launched from bookmarks) option.

Jump to a Page by Thumbnail

• Do any of the following to open the Pages panel:
  • Click View in the menu bar > Navigation Panels > Pages.
  • Click View in the Ribbon > View Setting > Navigation Panels > Pages.
  • Click the Pages button  in the Navigation panel.  
• Click the thumbnail to jump to the specific page.
• In the Pages panel, you can also do any of the following to work on page thumbnails if necessary.
  • To resize the page thumbnails, click the Enlarge button  or Reduce button , or right-click on a page thumbnail and select Enlarge Page Thumbnails or Reduce Page Thumbnails.
  • To change the visible area of the page in the document pane, click on a page thumbnail, and move the red rectangle.
  • To print a selected page, right-click on a page thumbnail, and select Print Pages.
  • To specify the tab order for a selected page, right-click on a page thumbnail, and select Properties. Then select an order as desired in the Tab Order tab.
  • To add an action to a page, right-click on the page thumbnail, and select Properties. In the Page Properties dialog box, click the Actions tab, and choose a trigger method and action.
    • Select Trigger – Specify the user action that initiates an action.
    • Select Action – Specify the event that occurs when the user triggers the action.
      • Go to a page view – designate to a specific page view. You can not only designate to a page in the current PDF, but also to the page in another PDF. Also, you may change the current zoom setting and then set the position. To go to a page view, choose this option, click Add button and do the following:
        • Set the position in current document – scroll the current document, go to a new position where you want to set and change its magnification (if necessary), and click Set this position.
        • Set the position in another PDF document – click the Open button  on the Quick Access Toolbar (or choose File > Open) > select the PDF you want to set position > scroll this document and go to a position where you want to set > change its magnification (if necessary) > click Set this position.

        Tip: The new PDF document should be opened in the existing window but not a new window.

      • Open/execute a file – designate to open another file. To do this, choose Open/execute a file > click Add button > select the destination file and click Open.
      • Open a web link – designate to open a web link. To do this, choose Open a web link > click Add button > enter the URL of the destination web page > click OK.
      • To show/hide a field, select Show/hide a field > click Add > choose to show or hide the selected button when the user triggers the action, and click OK.
      • To execute a menu item, select Execute a menu item > click Add > select one of the items in Menu Item Selection dialog box, and click OK.
      • To submit a form, select the option > click Add > choose the export format, submission method, decide which fields should be submitted, and click OK.
      • To reset a form, select Reset a form > click Add > select the fields that will be reset, and click OK.
      • To import form data, select Import form data > click Add > choose the FDF file that contains the form data you want to import, and click Open.
      • To run a JavaScript, select Run a JavaScript > click Add > enter JavaScript, and click OK.
  • Actions – Display the list of triggers and actions that you have defined. You can click the buttons in the Actions group to reorder, edit or delete a selected action.

Navigate with Article Thread

PDF articles are optional electronic threads defined by the PDF author, which lead readers through the PDF contents presented in multiple columns and across a series of pages. If you are reading a PDF file that contains articles, you can view the article names and navigate through them easily in the Article panel.

• Follow one of the steps below to open the Articles panel if it is hidden:
  • Choose View in the menu bar > Navigation Panels > Articles.
  • Click View in the Ribbon > View Setting > Navigation Panels > Articles.
  • Right-click on the left side of the navigation pane, and choose Articles.
• In the Articles panel, do any of the following to start viewing:
  • Double-click the article you want to view.
  • Right-click the article you want to view and choose Read Article from the context menu.
  • Select the article you want to view and choose Read Article from the options menu in the upper left corner of the Articles panel.
• The pointer will change into   and you will be switched to the beginning of the article (the area of the first defined article box). The page view may zoom in or out automatically so that the current part of the article fills the screen, with the first line appearing in the upper left corner.
• During the article viewing, do any of the following:
  • Click in the article or press Enter to navigate to the area of next article box.
  • Shift-click in the article or press Shift + Enter to navigate to the area of previous article box.
  • At the end of the article (the area of the last defined article box), clicking in the article will return to the beginning of the article and exit the article reading mode.

Notes:

• Before viewing an article, make sure you have selected the Hand tool and the option Make Hand Tool read articles in the File tab (or Foxit PDF Reader menu)> Preferences > General.
• You can select Hide After Use in the options menu in the upper left corner of the Articles panel to hide the panel after the article viewing starts.

Open a File Attachment

• Do any of the following to open the Attachments panel:
  • Click View in the menu bar > Navigation Panels > Attachments.
  • Click View in the Ribbon > View Setting > Navigation Panels > Attachments.
  • Click the Attachments button  in the Navigation panel.  
• To open a file attachment, double-click the file, or right-click the file and choose Open from the context menu. (Tip: For a file attachment pinned in the PDF file, you can also double-click the pin icon on the document pane to open it with Foxit PDF Reader.) Then follow one of the steps below:
  • For attachments in PDF format, Foxit PDF Reader will open them directly if the Safe Reading Mode is disabled. If you have enabled the Safe Reading Mode, a warning message will pop up. Choose an option about how to trust the document, and click Trust to continue. (Tip: If you are unsure whether the document is safe, click Not Trust to interrupt the operation and avoid potential risks.)
  • For non-PDF attachments (e.g., TXT file), choose the option about how to trust the document (if the Safe Reading Mode is enabled), and then follow one of the steps below based on your security settings.
    • If you restrict the opening of non-PDF attachments with external applications, Foxit PDF Reader will prompt you that the file cannot be accessed due to your security settings. If you trust the document and want to open it, please change the settings in Trust Manager preferences. For more information, please refer to “Security Settings for Non-PDF Attachments”.
    • If you have enabled Foxit PDF Reader to open non-PDF attachments with their associated applications, select any of the following options, and click OK in the Open File Attachment dialog box.
      • Open this file attachment – Open this file attachment, and the dialog box will always pop up every time you try to open a file attachment.
      • Always allow opening file attachments of this type – Open this file attachment, and add the file type to the whitelist. Then the files of this type will be opened directly in the future until you change the security settings.
      • Never allow opening file attachments of this type – Forbid to open the file attachments of this type, and add the file type to the blacklist. Whenever you try to open an attachment, the files of this type will be forbidden to open and you’ll be prompted that “This file could not be accessed due to your security settings.” You can follow the steps in “Configure Security Settings” to change the security settings if necessary.
• To save an attachment as a copy in your local disk, right-click the file attachment that you want to save, and choose Save Attachment. Then specify the file name and location in the Save As dialog box to save the selected file attachment.  
• To configure the security settings about how to open a non-PDF attachment of a certain type, click the Settings icon  at the top of the Attachments panel. For more information, please refer to “Security Settings for Non-PDF Attachments”.

Play Audio & Video

To play audio or video, please make sure you have necessary media player installed on your device, and then do the following:

• Make sure that you have selected the Hand command.
• Click the play area of the audio or video.

Word Count

Similar to Microsoft Word, Foxit PDF Reader counts words, characters, pages, lines and other information in all or part of your document. With no text selected, click View in the Ribbon > Word Count, and you will see a pop-up Word Count box for the statistics of the entire document. For a partial word count, just select the text you want to count, and then click View in the Ribbon > Word Count; or right click the selected text and choose Word Count from the context menu.

Spelling Check

By default, Foxit PDF Reader automatically checks the spelling when you add text comments or fill in text fields in interactive PDF forms. The suspected misspellings will be underlined with red squiggly lines. You can right-click a misspelled word to find suggestions and correct it quickly. To change the default settings, please choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Spelling.

Trust Settings

You can customize trust settings for Foxit PDF Reader, which is helpful to make your PDF workflow both secure and efficient. To specify the settings, click File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Trust Manager. Based on your settings in the Trust Manager preferences, Foxit PDF Reader will display different prompt messages when you try to execute an action that is blocked by the security settings. You can also specify the trust settings for a particular action in the prompt messages.

Security Settings for Non-PDF Attachments

Your PDF files or PDF portfolios may contain non-PDF attachments or component files, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or text files. Foxit PDF Reader allows you to open non-PDF attachments and component files with the supported applications installed on your device if you trust the documents. You can go to File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Trust Manager, and specify the following options in the PDF File Attachments group to control the permissions for opening non-PDF attachments and component files with their associated applications.

• Allow opening of non-PDF file attachments with external applications: Specify whether to allow non-PDF attachments and component files to be opened with their associated applications. If this option is checked, Foxit PDF Reader will display dialog boxes for you to choose whether to trust the document (if the Safe Reading Mode is enabled) and how to open a document of the same type when you try to open a non-PDF attachment or component file. If you uncheck this option, your access will be denied and you will be prompted that the file cannot be accessed due to your security settings when you try to open a non-PDF attachment or component file.
• File Attachment Security Settings: Configure the security settings for a non-PDF attachment of a certain type. (Tip: The options in the File Attachment Security Settings group are only available when you have checked the “Allow opening of non-PDF file attachments with external applications” option.)
  • To add a non-PDF file type and configure how to open a file attachment in that format, click Add to input the file extension, and then choose the desired option from the Strategy drop-down list.
  • To delete the existing security settings for a certain file type, select the existing file type in the list, and click Delete.
  • To change the settings of how to open the attachment of a certain type, choose the desired option from the Strategy drop-down list.
  • To restore the security settings for file attachments to the original state, click Restore.

Safe Reading Mode

Safe Reading Mode enables you to control unauthorized actions and data transmissions that efficiently avoid attacks from malicious content and viruses.

Enable or Disable Safe Reading Mode

The Safe Reading Mode is enabled by default. To change the setting, please follow the steps below.

• Select File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Trust Manager.
• To disable the Safe Reading Mode for trusted documents that are protected by Microsoft Rights Management Services or valid digital signatures, check Disable Safe Reading Mode for Trust Documents, and click Advanced Preferences to specify the type of trusted documents.
• To disable the Safe Reading Mode for all the documents, uncheck Enable Safe Reading Mode.
• Click OK to apply the settings.

Bypass Security Restrictions in Safe Reading Mode

If you are in Safe Reading Mode, a warning dialog box will appear when a PDF tries to complete a restricted action from an untrusted location or file. However, you may need to execute certain actions under the current restricted security settings. In this case, you can select trusted files and folders, and exempt them from security restrictions. This security feature ensures that Foxit PDF Reader operates under security level conditions that meet your working environment.

To specify the trusted files or folders, please follow the steps below:

• Choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Security. 
• Click Add File to add trusted files to the privileged locations.
• Click Add Folder Path to add a trusted folder of multiple files.
• (If needed) Click Remove to remove trusted items from privileged locations.
• Click OK to confirm and apply the settings.

Allow or Block the Links to Websites in PDF Files

To safeguard against any unauthorized or malicious access, Foxit PDF Reader will display a security warning when you click a web link in a PDF file, and will only connect to the website after you allow the operation. You can customize the URL access settings in the Trust Manager preferences.

• Choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Trust Manager.
• In the Internet Access from PDF Files outside the web browser group, click Change Settings.
• Specify the following options in the Manage Sites dialog box:
  • To allow access to all websites, check Allow PDF files to access all web sites.
  • To restrict access to all websites, check Block PDF files access to all web sites.
  • To restrict access to specific web sites, do the following:
    • Check Custom setting. Then input the URL address in the Host name field, and click Allow or Block to allow or block the access to that website respectively.
    • All the URLs that you have configured will be listed in the Web Sites list. To remove the access setting for a URL, select it in the Web Sites list, and click Delete.
    • For the URLs not included in the Web Sites List, check one of the following options to set the default behavior when users try to connect to the websites.
      • Always ask: When you try to access websites not listed as allowed or blocked, Foxit PDF Reader will always display a security warning to ask for your further action.
      • Allow access: Allow the access and directly open the website in your web browser.
      • Block access: Directly block the access to the website. Foxit PDF Reader will display a Security Block message to inform you that the connection to the website is blocked.
• Click OK to apply the settings.

Enable or Disable JavaScript Actions

JavaScript actions are enabled by default. To disable the JavaScript actions, choose File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Trust Manager, and uncheck Enable JavaScript Actions.

Configure Security Settings for File Attachments

If you are in the Safe Reading Mode, a message will pop up to ask for your further action every time you try to open an attachment from PDF files. You can configure the security settings about how to open a certain type of file attachments by choosing File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Trust Manager > File Attachment Security Settings. For more information, please refer to “Configure Security Settings”.

Automatic Foxit Approved Trust Lists and European Union Trusted Lists Updates

The certificates in Foxit Approved Trust Lists (FATL) and European Union Trusted Lists (EUTL) are the trusted root certificates that are stored in a Foxit server and have been verified by Foxit and other authorities. You can enable the application to automatically check and download new or updated root certificates in FATL or EUTL from the server to local trusted certificate list. Any certificate-based signature created with the certificate in FATL or EUTL is trusted when the signed document is opened in Foxit PDF Reader.

To enable the automatic updates from FATL or EUTL, do the following:

• Click File in the Ribbon (or Foxit PDF Reader in the menu bar) > Preferences > Trust Manager.
• In the Automatic Foxit Approved Trust Lists (FATL) updates group and the Automatic European Union Trusted Lists (EUTL) updates group, you can find the following options:
  • Load trusted certificates from Foxit FATL/EUTL server: This option is selected by default and allows Foxit PDF Reader to automatically download new or updated root certificates in FATL or EUTL from the server to the local trusted certificate list under any of the following circumstances:
    • Every 28 days.
    • When you open a signed PDF and the signature’s certificate has never been checked for update before.
    • When you open a signed PDF and the signature’s certificate was checked for update more than 28 days ago.
  • Ask before updating: Select it and you will be prompted if any new or updated root certificate is available for download and install.
  • Update now: Click it to download and install from the latest FATL or EUTL immediately.
• When the installing process completes, a message box will pop up to tell you the update is successful.

Note: A connection to the Internet is required for the update.