The Best PDF Viewers for Windows 10
Are you curious about the best PDF viewer for windows 10? Discover the best pdf viewers for windows 10.
Highlights
- Sumatra PDF
- Foxit Reader
- PDF-XChange Viewer
- Nitro PDF
Adobe Reader is probably the most popular program for reading .pdf files. But are you sure that Adobe Reader is also the PDF viewers for Windows 10? It is certainly not the lightest, and it is not the most complete.
Best Pdf Reader for Windows 10
Sumatra PDF
SumatraPDF is, in my opinion, the best free program to open .pdf files in windows 10. Among its strengths:
- Very light (5 MB).
- Completely free.
- Open-source, it is continually being improved.
- Very easy to use.
- It is quick to start, even if you are opening .pdf files of hundreds of pages.
- Uses little RAM.
- Reads numerous formats besides .pdf – including ebook formats (.epub, Mobi), XPS, .djvu, .CHM, .CBZ and .CBR.
- Stable, does not create conflicts or slowdowns.
- Takes up only 9MB of disk space.
- It also exists in a portable version that does not require installation and does not modify anything in the registry.
- Supports interactive pdfs.
It is not as complete as other readers (such as Adobe Reader or Nitro PDF), but on the other hand, this becomes a strong point for those who want the best PDF viewers for Windows 10.
Sumatra PDF has all the functions needed to read and view a .pdf, such as a zoom in and out, text selection, different views (page, full screen, etc.), page rotation, search box, integration with browsers, etc. and it doesn’t have all those extra features that would weigh it down.
Do you need to read a .pdf file on your Windows 10? Sumatra PDF is the best option, highly recommended instead of Adobe Reader.
Foxit Reader
Foxit Reader is another excellent free program that allows you to read and view documents in pdf format. Also, very light, easy to use, fast, uses little memory, reads the most popular formats, stable, supports interactive .pdf, while remaining extremely fast and without slowing down the system, various functions (not all present in Sumatra PDF): editable bookmarks, zoom, text search, various viewing modes, multi-tab browsing (you can keep multiple documents open in the same window), integration with browsers, etc.
If you need specific additional functions (for example, converting .pdf to .txt) that are not present in the accessible version of Foxit, you can purchase plug-ins on the site. But you will hardly need it. Also, as an alternative to buying it, you should first check if Nitro PDF or some other free pdf reader for windows 10 does not already have that function.
PDF-XChange Viewer
Another excellent PDF reader for windows 10 is PDF-XChange Viewer. PDF-XChange Viewer is also free, fast, uses little memory. It has several more advanced features that make it slightly slower and less lightweight than Sumatra PDF or Foxit, which you may find helpful.
They are functions in particular for editing .pdf files: you can highlight texts, add annotations (even in different colors, or in the form of stamps), underline, convert the file into an image (for example, in GIF or JPG), make a searchable .pdf not searchable, etc.
Nitro PDF
Nitro PDF is often pre-installed as a trial version on new computers. It is the complete program to open and edit pdf, compared to Sumatra PDF, Foxit, and PDF-XChange, but for this reason, it is also the least light and consumes the most resources when in use.
Furthermore, it exists in two versions: free and paid, and the trial version (the often pre-installed one) continues to show you boring messages to get you to upgrade to the paid version.
But on the other hand, the free version, in addition to having all the essential functions of the others, offers interesting advanced functions that the other programs above do not offer.
In particular, Nitro PDF Reader for Windows 10 offers the possibility of creating .pdf from any program (including Word and Excel) and converting any file you can print to .pdf.
If you need these functions, Nitro PDF is the best choice among the free programs listed here (not even Adobe Reader, which is much heavier and slower, offers the creation of .pdf).
If, on the other hand, you don’t need these functions from your PDF reader for windows 10, we would recommend Sumatra PDF, Foxit, or PDF-XChange, less equipped but lighter programs for your computer.
One last good PDF reader for Windows 10 is STDU Viewer. Its strong point is the ability to read numerous formats (including some that the other programs above do not read), but it is also heavier, slower to load large pdfs, and does not support PDF with interactive forms.
Why We Didn’t Recommend Adobe Reader
Although it is probably the most popular program to view and read pdf, Adobe Reader integrates numerous extra features that are not needed by the user who only wants to view .pdf files or similar. It is cumbersome, consumes many RAM resources, takes up a lot of disk space (Adobe Reader XI occupies 320 MB), is slow to start, requires frequent updates, is set by default to automatically start various unnecessary processes when the computer starts and has security problems.
While it has improved a lot over time, it’s not the best option for anyone who wants to read a .pdf file on Windows 10.