Firefox includes a built-in PDF viewer to display PDF files inside the browser window. This article explains how to use the built-in PDF viewer, how to fix the common issues you might encounter, and how to use another PDF viewer.
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A file with the.pdf file extension is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. PDFs are typically used to distribute read-only documents that preserve the layout of a page. They’re commonly used for documents like user manuals, eBooks, application forms, and scanned documents, to name just a few.
![View View](/uploads/1/1/8/7/118779874/102212449.jpg)
- 1Firefox’s built-in PDF Viewer
- A blank page in the web browser A red X icon A broken-link indicator, such as a red square, a blue triangle, or a blue circle Error: 'The Adobe Acrobat/Reader that is running cannot be used to view PDF files in a web browser. Adobe Acrobat/Reader version 8 or 9 is required. Please exit and try again.
- May 22, 2019 Edge isn’t the only web browser that supports PDFs. If you have Chrome, Firefox or even Opera installed, you can natively open and view PDF files without a desktop viewer installed.
- The PDD file type is primarily associated with Database Designer for PostgreSQL by MicroOLAP Technologies LTD. Database Designer for PostgreSQL is a CASE tool with a graphical interface allowing you to build a database structure visually, see the complete picture (diagram) representing all the tables, references between them, views, stored.
- A broad range of PDF document Readers have been developed but at times you may need to view PDF online using a browser. Many official documents often come in the PDF format and may pose a challenge especially when you have not installed a PDF Reader. Going online, Google PDF Viewer, for instance, can help open the document.
Firefox includes a built-in PDF viewer that allows you to view almost all PDF files found on the web without an external application (exceptions to this are PDF files with a MIME type incorrectly set). This built-in PDF viewer is enabled by default. When you click on a link to a PDF file or open it from the Firefox Downloads panel, it will be rendered with the built-in pdf viewer.
![View pdf files in preview pane win 10 View pdf files in preview pane win 10](https://els-jbs-prod-cdn.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/cms/attachment/50667120-c94e-42b3-8cdd-fa855ff557a9/gr1.jpg)
Fill out forms in PDF Viewer
Note: This feature is available starting in Firefox version 83 and higher.
Some PDFs files have interactive fields to fill in data (such as on forms). Using Firefox's built-in PDF viewer you can fill out fields such as text, check boxes and radio buttons. After entering data into these fields you can download the file to have the filled out version saved to your computer.
PDF Viewer toolbar functions
- View document thumbnails or outline: The slider button on the far left will open a sidebar with thumbnails of the document's pages. Some documents will also have an outline view available. These make it easy to navigate through a long document.
- Page up and down or skip directly to a page: You can use the up and down arrows to page through a document or enter the number of the page you want to go to.
- Change the size of the document: Use the + and - buttons to zoom in and out or choose a zoom setting from the dropdown menu.
- Fullscreen or Presentation mode: Click the fullscreen button to allow the PDF file to take over your entire screen. Press ESC to exit fullscreen mode.
- Print: Click the Printer button to open the print setup dialog.
- Download: Click the Download button to save the PDF file to your computer or to open it with a PDF reader program.
- Copy current view:Right-clickHold down the control key while you click the current view button to open the current view in another tab or window.
PDF Viewer keyboard shortcuts
Command | Shortcut |
---|---|
Next page | N or J or → or Page Down |
Previous page | P or K or ← or Page Up |
Zoom in | Ctrl + +command + + |
Zoom out | Ctrl + -command + - |
Automatic Zoom | Ctrl + 0command + 0 |
Rotate the document clockwise | R |
Rotate counterclockwise | Shift + R |
Troubleshoot problems with the PDF viewer
- With certain types of PDF files, the PDF Viewer may have problems displaying fonts, colors or the whole document. If some PDF files don't render well or are blank, click the download button on the right side of the document header to open it with the default PDF viewer application on your computer.
View Pdf Files Online
- If you can't open any PDF files with the built-in PDF viewer, a Firefox extension could be the cause. You can disable all of your extensions, to see if one of them was the problem. For details, see Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems.
You can also use a different third party PDF viewer instead of Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer. To change from using the built-in PDF viewer to another PDF viewer:
- Click the menu button and select ..
- In the General panel, go down to the Applications section.
- Find Portable Document Format (PDF) in the list and click on the entry to select it.
- Click on the arrow under the Action column for the above entry and select the PDF viewer you wish to use from the drop-down menu.
Note: When Preview in FirefoxOpen in Firefox is the selected action, the built-in PDF viewer is used.
View Pdf Files On Mac
If you want Firefox to always ask you what to do with PDF files, follow the above steps to change the action for the Portable Document Format (PDF) entry, except select Always ask from the drop-down menu. The next time you click on a link to download a PDF file, Firefox will show you a prompt asking what to do with the file. You can then choose to open it with Firefox's built-in PDF viewer, open it with a different PDF application, or you can choose to save the file.
For more information, see Change what Firefox does when you click on or download a file.
You can choose to have Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer as the default for viewing PDFs in the browser but open downloaded PDF files with a third party tool. To open a PDF file you downloaded in Firefox, using a third party viewer:
View Pdf Files Free
- Open the Downloads panel by clicking the download icon next to the address bar.
- Right-click on the file folder icon of the PDF file and select Open Containing Folder.Hold down the control key while you click (two finger click) the magnifying glass icon of the PDF file and select Show in Finder.
- Then in the Downloads folder, right-clickControl-click on the file and select Open with and choose your favorite PDF viewer.