Foxit Reader 12.0

Though originally devised as a closed file for printing houses, PDF files are now not only ubiquitous but also the most popular format for exchanging information in a secure yet flexible way. As one of the most popular free PDF tools, Foxit Reader is all you’ll need to view, read, and annotate any PDF document securely and effectively, and sign and share your own PDFs just as safely.

The program is both simple and intuitive, especially if you are already familiar with the ribbon design present in all Office tools. The look and feel of the program’s interface and its ribbon will immediately remind you of the latest versions of Word or Excel, thus reducing the interface’s learning curve to a minimum.

You will find basic viewing options, such as the fit-to-page feature, the “zoom lens”, the rotation tool, and – and this is a feature you won’t come across with very often – a “reflow” option. This feature breaks the PDF’s fixed layout principle and performs a temporary transformation of your document into a text-based file that the program’s viewer can reflow according to your needs. This can make an excellent accessibility tool for those who find it difficult to read PDF files with small-sized fonts and long fixed lines.

Not being an editing tool per se (Foxit has a specific tool for that), you won’t find many features to help you “alter” the content of a PDF file. What the program offers you in this department is the capability to insert new text and images anywhere in the page, though always on top of the existing text and images. This is really useful to create margin annotations or comments close to (or on top of) pictures, though you also have a specific tool to annotate images. Also, you can highlight text in any color and add as many bookmarks as you wish anywhere in the document.

When it comes to signing and protecting your PDF files, Foxit Reader allows you to use your handwritten signature or make use of eSignature to verify digital ones. AIP decryption and encryption are also available, even if the file is on a SharePoint server, as the whole tool seamlessly works with Microsoft specifications and protocols.

Foxit Reader is an excellent tool to have installed on all your devices and thus make the most of your PDF documents regardless of where you are. It is everything you’ll ever need to view, read, customize, and share your PDFs securely.