zathura

A minimal, keyboard-driven document viewer with plugin support for PDF, PostScript and DjVu.

FreeOpen sourceLinux
Official websitepwmt.orgDownload pagepwmt.orgDocumentationpwmt.org

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1 more ways to get zathura

Package managers

  • Flathubflatpak install flathub org.pwmt.zathura

About zathura

zathura is a document viewer with a compact interface, designed to be used from the keyboard. Scrolling and zooming are mapped to keys. Pressing f labels every visible link with a number so you can follow it without the mouse, though mouse use still works.

File formats come from plugins, so you install only the ones you need. PDF can use either poppler or MuPDF as the backend. SyncTeX support links the PDF output back to its LaTeX source. Releases continue, with version 2026.07.18.

Strengths

  • Fully usable without a mouse, with vim-like keys
  • Plugin system covers PDF, PostScript and DjVu
  • Choice of poppler or MuPDF backend for PDF
  • SyncTeX support for LaTeX work

Limitations

  • No editing or form filling
  • Keyboard-centric design takes some learning
  • Configured through text files rather than a settings window

Details

Pricing
FreeFree and open source.
License
Zlib
Developer
pwmt
Platforms
Linux
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Works offline
Yes
Best suited for
Keyboard-focused Linux users and LaTeX writers who want a lightweight viewer
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to zathura

Compare all

Software that can replace zathura for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • Sioyek

    A PDF reader built for textbooks and research papers, with keyboard control and quick jumps to figures and references.

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    Sioyek keeps the keyboard-driven, LaTeX-friendly approach on Windows, macOS and Linux, adding figure and reference overlays, though its last release dates from 2022.

  • Evince

    GNOME's lightweight document viewer for PDF, PostScript and other document formats on Linux.

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    Evince is GNOME's GPL document viewer with a simple mouse-driven interface and graphical settings instead of vim-like keys and text-file configuration.

  • qpdfview

    A tabbed Qt document viewer for PDF, PostScript and DjVu files.

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    qpdfview is a tabbed Qt viewer for PDF, PostScript and DjVu with SyncTeX support and configurable toolbars rather than keyboard-only control.

  • MuPDF

    Compact, very fast PDF and XPS viewer with a command-line toolkit.

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    MuPDF offers a minimal keyboard-driven viewer across desktop and mobile with a bundled command-line toolkit, under AGPL.

  • Okular

    Universal document viewer for PDF, EPUB, comics, DjVu and more.

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    Okular runs on Linux, Windows and macOS with annotations and EPUB and comic support, but pulls in KDE libraries on other desktops.

  • Atril

    The MATE desktop's multi-page document viewer for PDF, PostScript, DjVu, XPS and comics.

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    Atril is the MATE desktop's lightweight viewer with a traditional graphical interface, opening PDF, PostScript, DjVu, XPS and comics.

  • Xreader

    Linux Mint's document viewer for PDF, PostScript, DjVu, XPS and comic book files.

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    Xreader is Linux Mint's GTK viewer for PDF, DjVu, XPS and comics, maintained by the Mint team and using a conventional interface.

  • Papers

    A GNOME document viewer for reading, searching and annotating PDFs, DjVu, TIFF and comics.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Papers is a GNOME viewer with PDF annotation and an adaptive interface for small screens, dropping zathura's keyboard-centric workflow.

zathura as an alternative

Listings that name zathura as an alternative.

  • DjVuLibre

    An open-source DjVu implementation with a viewer and command-line tools for scanned documents.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    zathura is a keyboard-driven Linux viewer that reads DjVu through a plugin, along with PDF and PostScript, configured through text files instead of a settings window.

  • PDF Tools

    Emacs package for viewing, searching and annotating PDF files inside the editor.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    zathura is a standalone keyboard-driven Linux viewer with vim-like keys and SyncTeX support, used outside Emacs and configured through text files.

Similar software

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