PDF - Portable Document Format

What is a PDF file?

PDF is short for Portable Document Format. It is also known as a fixed-layout document. This means that the document looks exactly the same on any device. It is also ready for printing. The printed page will look exactly like the PDF.

PDF documents can contain formatted text, various fonts, hyperlinks, images, and even media such as audio and video. Some PDFs, called hybrid PDFs, contain two layers of text: the visible layer and one underneath. Thanks to this underlying text, the PDF can be searched for keywords, numbers, and similar content.

The format is developed and maintained by Adobe.

How do I open a PDF file?

There are many free PDF readers and PDF viewers for all devices. With these, you can open PDFs on a Windows computer or Mac, or on your Android phone or iPhone. eBook readers also support the PDF format. Most browsers, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari, can also be used to read PDF documents.

Here is a small, but not exhaustive, list of PDF readers:

• Adobe Reader
• Internet browsers
• Foxit Reader
• Nitro PDF

How do I convert PDF files?

With our free PDF to Word converter, you can turn your PDFs into editable Word documents.