Adobe Reader For Windows (32/64 bit)

Adobe Reader

Should you ask someone what tool to use to open and view PDF files, chances are that someone will say Adobe Reader (or Acrobat Reader, as the application used to be known before Adobe changed the name). Sure, there are numerous other tools you could use to open PDF files, but the simple truth of the matter is that Adobe Reader is incredibly widespread and quite popular – it’s been around for almost two decades now and it gathered quite a following during all this time. The fact that it is free may be added to the tool’s popularity.

Adobe Reader is available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry tablet OS. The Windows installation file is a very lightweight 766KB, meaning the download will complete before you know it. Pay attention if you’re going to get Adobe from get.adobe.com/ reader – that’s because the option to get Free! McAfee Security Scan Plus is checked by default. Run the aforementioned installation file and a very simple setup wizard will have Adobe Reader up and running on your machine in little time. Please note that the installation file will automatically delete itself once the installation process completes.

Right in the middle of Adobe Reader’s interface you are presented with the application’s main functionality. The window in the middle invites you to open a PDF file and to try out some Acrobat.com online services. At the top you have the traditional File menu, and underneath it you have a bar with buttons for various functions, such as converting PDF files to Word online, or adjusting the zoom level.

The main reason why people get Adobe Reader is to be able to view PDF files they get from others or download from the web (like the press release for KTE Austria 2012, the first event on the MINI Kitesurf Tour Europe 2012). The PDF file you open will be displayed right underneath the File menu and the bar with the buttons just mentioned above. To get a quick overview of the PDF you opened, you can click the Page Thumbnails button; you will be presented with a list of thumbnails for all the pages of the PDF file. From the zoom menu you can choose how small or large you want to see the PDF file. I find that the Fit Page Width and the Fit Visible options are the most useful. And speaking about that, the Read Mode is also quite useful; it hides away the buttons and focuses on the PDF file alone. While you’re reading, you can highlight text and you can add sticky notes if you want to.

I mentioned above that when you open Adobe Reader, you are invited to use some Acrobat.com online services. You can create a PDF online, convert PDF to Word or Excel online, share files using SendNow online, and get documents signed.

Because Adobe Reader is so widespread, the bad guys target it; and because vulnerabilities are constantly uncovered by Adobe, security experts recommend you use an alternative for opening PDF files, something other than Adobe Reader. I bring this up only to get to this: starting with Reader X, Adobe implemented a new sandboxing technology called Adobe Protected Mode. Based on Microsoft’s Practical Windows Sandboxing Technique, this sandboxing technology runs all operations required to display PDF files in a sandbox.

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