How to Open a PDF File With Adobe
By Gregory Hamel
Adobe Systems is a software manufacturer that has created many document and multimedia editing programs. A PDF (Portable Document Format) is a widely popular type of document format created by Adobe. You'll find many online papers and forms that are downloadable in a PDF format. If you need to open a PDF file for viewing or printing, you will need to download and run it with Adobe's free PDF viewer called Adobe Reader.
Go to http://get.adobe.com/reader/ and download the latest version of Adobe Reader offered for your operating system.
Install Adobe Reader by double-clicking on the setup file you download and following the setup instructions.
Browse your computer and locate the PDF file you want to open.
Right-click on the PDF file, then select "Open with Adobe Reader." Adobe Reader should automatically be set as the default program for opening PDF files after you install it, so this option should be the first one on the drop-down list. If this option is not on the list, click "Open With" then select "Adobe Reader."
- The free version of Adobe Reader can open PDFs for viewing and printing, but has limited capability for editing and altering PDF files. You can buy more powerful programs to gain more options when dealing with PDF files.
- Many organizations offer forms online in a PDF format that can be printed, then filled out by hand, which can then be mailed or scanned back into a computer as an image or PDF to be sent via email.
Gregory Hamel has been a writer since September 2008 and has also authored three novels. He has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from St. Olaf College. Hamel maintains a blog focused on massive open online courses and computer programming.