View Options in PDF
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Change how pages are shown: zoom, Fit Page and Fit Width, single page and continuous view, full screen, and rotation. Then find your way around a user manual in the Chapter 2 project.
The same PDF page can be hard to read or perfectly comfortable, depending on how it's shown. Tiny print needs zooming in; a wide table needs the full width of the screen; a presentation looks best full screen; and a page printed sideways needs turning. In this lesson, you'll learn every way to change the view: zoom in and out, Fit Page and Fit Width, single page and continuous view, full screen, and rotating pages. At the end, you'll find your way around a whole user manual in the Chapter 2 project.
None of these options change the PDF itself (except saving a rotation, which you'll see below). They only change how you see it, so experiment freely.
Zoom in and zoom out
Zoom makes the page bigger or smaller on the screen. The zoom box in the toolbar shows the size as a percentage: 100% is about the size of the printed page.
Here are all the ways to zoom:
| How | Zoom in | Zoom out |
|---|---|---|
| Toolbar buttons | Zoom in (+) | Zoom out (−) |
| Keyboard | Ctrl + Plus | Ctrl + Minus |
| Mouse | Ctrl + wheel up | Ctrl + wheel down |
| Zoom box | Choose 125%, 150%, 200%, 400% | Choose 75%, 50%, 25%, 10% |
The buttons move in steps (100%, 125%, 150%, 200%, and so on). The zoom box's list jumps straight to a size.
When you zoom in past the window's width, a horizontal scroll bar appears and you have to move the page sideways to read each line. That's tiring for reading, but useful for a close look at a small detail, such as the fine print in a contract or a number in a chart.
On a touch screen or touchpad, pinch with two fingers to zoom, just like a photo. In Pan mode (the hand), drag a zoomed-in page around with the mouse instead of using the scroll bars.
Fit Page and Fit Width
Instead of guessing a percentage, let the viewer work out the right size. Open the zoom box list and choose:
| Option | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fit Page | Shrinks or grows the page so the whole page fits in the window | Seeing the layout of a page at a glance; slides; forms |
| Fit Width | Makes the page as wide as the window | Reading text: the lines are as big as possible without scrolling sideways |
| Automatic | Lets the viewer choose a comfortable size | A good default |
The percentage these give depends on your window: Fit Width might be 140% on a big monitor and 60% on a phone. Resize the window and choose the option again, and the number changes.
For reading, use Fit Width. For checking how a page looks as a whole, use Fit Page. Reach for exact percentages only when you need a closer look at a detail.
Single page view and continuous view
Zoom controls how big the pages are. A second choice is how they're arranged on screen. PDF apps can lay pages out in two main ways:
| View | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous | Pages sit one under another in a long strip; you scroll smoothly from one into the next | Reading long documents, reports, manuals |
| Single page | Only one page is on screen; scrolling or the arrow keys flip to the next page, like turning a page | Slides, forms, and documents where each page stands alone |
Many desktop apps also offer Two page view (two pages side by side, like an open book), which suits magazines and brochures.
The sandbox always shows continuous pages. In other apps, you choose the layout from a menu:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: View > Page Display > Single Page View or Enable Scrolling (continuous), and Two Page View.
- Microsoft Edge: the Page view button in the PDF toolbar, with One page or Two pages, and Continuous scrolling on or off.
To get a single-page feel in the sandbox, choose Fit Page and move with Show next page: each click shows one whole page.
Full screen view
One more view takes over the whole screen. Full screen hides everything except the pages: no browser tabs, no lesson, no taskbar. It's ideal for reading without distractions, or for showing a PDF to a group on a big screen.
- In the sandbox: click Full screen in the sandbox header. Press Esc, or click Exit full screen, to leave.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: View > Full Screen Mode (Ctrl + L). Each page fills the screen, and the arrow keys move between pages.
- Any web browser: F11 makes the whole browser full screen.
Your browser shows a short message such as "Press Esc to exit full screen" when you enter full screen. That's normal: it reminds you how to get out.
Rotate pages
Sometimes a page is stored sideways: a wide table printed in landscape, or a page that was scanned the wrong way round. Turning your head isn't the answer: rotate the page.
There are two kinds of rotation:
| Kind | What it changes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Rotate the view | Only how you see it now; the file is unchanged | Acrobat Reader: View > Rotate View > Clockwise (Ctrl + Shift + Plus) |
| Rotate the page | The page itself, saved into the PDF | Acrobat: Organize Pages; the sandbox: Organize Pages |
Here is how to rotate a page in the sandbox:
- Click Organize Pages, the third button in the navigation pane. A window shows every page.
- Hover over the page you want to turn and tick its checkbox (top-left of the page).
- Click Rotate Right (clockwise) or Rotate Left (anticlockwise) in the window's toolbar. Each click turns the page a quarter-turn.
- Click Save. The window closes and the page appears turned in the viewer.
To turn a page that reads from bottom to top, use Rotate Right. If you turn it the wrong way, click again until it's upright, then save.
A few simple habits will help you use these view options well.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Zoomed in too far | You scroll sideways for every line | Choose Fit Width |
| Fit Page on a text-heavy page | The text is too small to read | Choose Fit Width instead |
| Rotating the wrong page | A correct page turns sideways | Select the right page; rotate it back |
| Forgetting to click Save in Organize Pages | The rotation disappears | Rotate again and click Save |
| Stuck in full screen | The toolbar and tabs are gone | Press Esc |
Exercise
Here is your chance to try every view option yourself.
Click Open the practice PDF below to open the Brightway Barista 300 manual. Then do each task and press Check.
Chapter project
Put Chapter 2 together. You've just bought a Brightway Barista 300, and you want answers to six questions before you make your first coffee. Use the tool each task names.
Find Your Way in a User Manual
What to remember
- Zoom in/out with the buttons, Ctrl + Plus/Minus, Ctrl + wheel, or the zoom box.
- Fit Width is best for reading; Fit Page shows the whole page.
- Continuous view scrolls smoothly; single page view shows one page at a time.
- Full screen hides everything but the pages; Esc leaves it.
- Rotate a sideways page with Organize Pages > Rotate Right > Save (or rotate only the view in desktop apps).
That's the end of Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, you'll select, copy, and search the text in PDFs.