PDF Tools
Emacs package for viewing, searching and annotating PDF files inside the editor.
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About PDF Tools
PDF Tools replaces Emacs's built-in DocView with a proper PDF mode. Pages are rendered on demand by a helper server called epdfinfo, built on Poppler, so you can view, search, follow links and add or edit annotations without leaving Emacs.
It includes SyncTeX support for jumping between LaTeX source and output. It suits Emacs users who read papers or write LaTeX. A wiki with the manual is maintained at pdftools.wiki.
Strengths
- Reads and annotates PDFs inside Emacs
- Search and link navigation
- SyncTeX support for LaTeX workflows
Limitations
- Only useful to Emacs users
- Requires building or installing the epdfinfo server
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source under the GPL-3.0.
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Developer
- The PDF Tools contributors
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Emacs users who read PDFs and write LaTeX
- Categories
- PDF tools, Code editors
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 2 sources on file.
Alternatives to PDF Tools
Compare allSoftware that can replace PDF Tools for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
zathura
A minimal, keyboard-driven document viewer with plugin support for PDF, PostScript and DjVu.
zathura is a standalone keyboard-driven Linux viewer with vim-like keys and SyncTeX support, used outside Emacs and configured through text files.
Skim
macOS PDF reader and annotator built for reading papers.
Skim is a standalone macOS reader and annotator with SyncTeX integration for LaTeX, working outside Emacs but only on macOS.
Sioyek
A PDF reader built for textbooks and research papers, with keyboard control and quick jumps to figures and references.
Sioyek is a standalone open-source reader for Windows, macOS and Linux with keyboard control, reference overlays and LaTeX forward and inverse search.
qpdfview
A tabbed Qt document viewer for PDF, PostScript and DjVu files.
qpdfview is a tabbed Qt viewer on Linux with SyncTeX support for LaTeX, running as its own app with only rudimentary annotation.
Okular
Universal document viewer for PDF, EPUB, comics, DjVu and more.
Okular is a KDE viewer and annotator for Windows, macOS and Linux that opens many formats and stores annotations separately, outside Emacs.
Sumatra PDF
A small, fast, open-source reader for PDF, EPUB, MOBI, CBZ, DjVu and other documents on Windows.
Sumatra PDF is a small fast Windows reader for PDF and ebook formats with customizable shortcuts, used outside Emacs and without annotation tools mentioned.
Evince
GNOME's lightweight document viewer for PDF, PostScript and other document formats on Linux.
Evince is GNOME's simple Linux document viewer for PDF and PostScript, running as a desktop app rather than inside the editor.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
