In Search of a PDF Reader for Windows PC? Best Options with No Downloads

Resources » Working With PDFs » PDF Readers for Windows PCs (Free and Paid)

What “PDF Reader” Means

A PDF file is basically a piece of code that tells software how to display a document. A PDF reader is the tool that can look at that code and understand how to open it for viewing.

If you try opening a PDF in Word, Word will attempt to convert it to a DOC file, and the formatting often falls apart. A reader keeps everything intact.

PDF readers don’t always include editing tools, but PDF editors can always read PDFs.

If You Only Need to Read PDFs

You don’t have to install anything on a Windows PC to read a PDF. Your browser or cloud storage solution can handle basic viewing. Making changes is more complicated, but tools like PDF.Live let you edit PDFs online without adding software to your computer. Let’s see some options for reading and editing PDFs.

Free Ways to Read PDFs on Windows 10 and Higher

Viewing in a web browser

Any modern web browser can open a PDF. No downloads or software required if you already have a web browser! Examples of web browsers are Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.

How to test it:

A Windows PC finder shows a PDF called mypdf.com selected from the Quick Access folder.

Open File Explorer on your PC.
Drag a PDF into an open browser window.
The file will display in a new tab. Instead of a website URL in the address bar, you will see the file location of the PDF.

If you want your browser to handle PDFs automatically:

1. Right-click a PDF → Open with → choose your browser.

A file manager with Open selected, followed by Open with and the options to open with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Search the Microsoft Store or Choose another app.

2. Right-click again → Properties → set it as the default under Opens with.

The properties box of the file mypdf is visible showing the type of file a Chrome HTML Document in PDF, the location, on the C drive and the size, date and other options.

Great for quick reading, not editing. If you’re happy with something that can handle opening up PDFs for viewing, a web browser should be all that you need.

Google Drive

If you have a Gmail account, you already have Drive. Google Drive is a form of cloud-based storage that can store and share files remotely so you can access them from anywhere.

What you can do:

Upload a PDF to Drive.
Open and read it from any device.

Drive also gives you the option to open a PDF in Google Docs. That lets you make changes, but Docs converts the file to .DOC, so formatting may shift.

The Drive option showing the option to open the PDF with Google Docs.

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Acrobat Reader DC is Adobe’s free viewer, which lets you open PDFs for easy viewing. More functionality is included in Adobe Acrobat, but that requires a monthly subscription.

With Adobe Reader DC You can:

Search the document
Highlight text
Add simple notes

A document open in Adobe Reader. The example is a terms document for a game story and a play story.

Adobe Reader DC is a good choice for commenting or collaborating on documents. Anything beyond basic markup requires Adobe Acrobat, though.

PDF.Live (web-based editor)

PDF.Live runs in your browser, so there’s nothing to install. If you’re wondering how to edit a PDF online, this is your best option.

With PDF.Live, you can:

If you want to try out PDF.Live, we offer a free trial (click Start Free Trial).

Paid PDF Reader Options

Adobe Acrobat (Standard, Pro or Studio)

Adobe’s PDF editor has a lot of advanced editing tools, like editing the metadata of a PDF and securing it with a password. It’s a top-of-the-line PDF editor, but only available with a paid subscription.

If you only need PDF viewing, light edits, quick fixes, and document sharing capabilities, a full Acrobat subscription may be more than you need.