The latest version of Google’s Chrome browser has a new integrated PDF reader with lots of new features to use online
Google released version 87 in November of its Chrome browser adding a new integrated PDF reader with new features. The PDF Viewer Update allows you to preview thumbnails and adds a zoom controller and the ability to rotate pages.
The new browser-integrated PDF reader enhances the user experience by adding new buttons and viewing modes for those using Chrome on both Windows PCs and macOS devices. At the moment, the feature is not enabled by default and in order to use it the user will have to enable it by going to the appropriate Flags section of Chrome. The redesigned reader in the latest version of Chrome resembles the PDF document viewer already integrated in the Firefox browser, which is currently considered the best reader for this type of file directly online.
Chrome PDF reader: how to activate it
The new PDF document reader in Google’s Chrome browser is already available, but is not enabled by default for users who use it. In order to start taking advantage of all the new features you need to access the Flags section by typing “chrome://flags/” in the browser’s address bar.
You’ll get a screen that contains various options and you’ll have to search for PDF Viewer Update, open the drop-down menu and select Enabled and then click on Relaunch. The Chrome browser will be reloaded and the new PDF reader feature will be enabled and ready to use.
Chrome PDF Reader: New Features
New features for Chrome’s built-in PDF reader include support for preview thumbnail view, annotation view and the ability to view document structure. These features are accessible from the box on the left side of the open PDF screen.
The top bar, on the other hand, adds new buttons that allow you to control the zoom percentage of the open document, go to a specific page by entering the number in the box, and two more new buttons “Fit to page”, to display the entire page in the screen, and “Rotate”, to change the orientation of the PDF.