Open and search PDFs on Windows, free and offline
pdfedia is a free PDF reader for Windows 10 and 11. It opens your PDFs on your own PC, so you can read them, search them and keep several open at once in tabs. You don't need an account, and opening, reading and searching work without an internet connection.
How to open and search a PDF with pdfedia
- Install pdfedia. Download the free installer for Windows and run it.
- Open a PDF. Click Open PDF, drag one or more files onto the window, or right-click a PDF in File Explorer and choose Open with > pdfedia. Each file opens in its own tab, and files you've opened before are under Open Recent.
- Search the whole document. Press Ctrl+F and type. Every match is highlighted, and F3 jumps to the next one. Search works with Hebrew text as well as English.
- Find your way around. Use the page thumbnails or the Bookmarks tab, or type a page number. Switch between Continuous and Single Page, zoom in, or fit the page to the window.
- Print what you need. Press Ctrl+P to choose a printer, pick pages and copies, and check the live preview before you print. We've tested printing with Microsoft Print to PDF only, not yet with physical printers.
Also useful
- Select text and copy it with Ctrl+C.
- Password-protected PDFs ask for the password when you open them.
- If a PDF is a scan with no text to search, pdfedia tells you instead of just showing "No results".
- Turn on Reopen previous tabs on startup to pick up where you left off. It's off until you choose it.
FAQ
Do I need an internet connection?
Not to open, read or search PDFs. pdfedia checks for updates online (you can turn this off in Settings > Updates). It sends usage statistics, linked to a random install identifier and not to your name or account, only if you agree, and it offers bandwidth sharing that stays off unless you accept it.
Do I need an account?
No. There's nothing to sign up for. Install it and open a PDF.
Can I edit, fill in or sign a PDF with pdfedia?
Not yet. Today pdfedia is a reader: it opens, searches and prints PDFs, and it doesn't change your files.
Why can't I search my scanned PDF?
A scan is a picture of a page, so it has no text to search. pdfedia tells you when this happens. Text recognition (OCR) isn't available yet.
What do I need to run it?
A 64-bit PC with Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11.
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Includes optional Massive (Windows only). The installer offers Massive, an optional service that helps keep pdfedia free, on its own page with Accept and Decline. If you accept, Massive uses some of your PC's unused processing power, storage and internet bandwidth, including routing public web traffic for Massive's business customers through your connection, so websites see your IP address. It runs in the background while pdfedia is running: in the system tray after you close the window, and from when you sign in to Windows, because "Start PDFedia when you sign in" is ticked by default in the installer. Switch it off any time in Settings > Bandwidth sharing, choose Exit from the pdfedia tray icon to stop it, and uninstall it on its own in Windows Settings → Apps, or together with pdfedia. Decline and Massive isn't set up — pdfedia works exactly the same.
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By downloading or installing pdfedia you agree to the End User License Agreement.