Sumatra PDF

3.5.2 Lightweight PDF reader app for Windows

Fernando Ortega

Review: Fast and minimalistic PDF reader with a simple interface and lightweight alternative to Adobe Acrobat.

Free and open source PDF viewing software download, reviewed by Fernando Ortega
Advertisement

An excellent and recommended PDF reader which is fast and lightweight.

The web has been long annoyed by the complexities and slow performance of the various different PDF viewers available and especially the reader produced by Adobe. In the case of Sumatra PDF, you really do get a basic PDF reader that's not only fast but stable.

Bigger isn't always better and some have said and it couldn't be truer in the case of Sumatra PDF. It's a small and lightweight PDF reader which not only uses very little resources but also provides for a quick and effortless way to view PDF documents. Sumatra is also capable of reading eBooks (ePub, Mobi), comic book files (CBZ, CBR), XPS documents and others.

The layout of Sumatra PDF doesn't include any special features and provides some of the most basic features anyone could want from a PDF reader such as zoom-in/zoom-out, page jumping, basic settings, scrolling and naturally viewing of PDFs. It can also search through documents which is handy.

You can also have Sumatra PDF automatically check for updates if you insist on remaining at the bleeding edge, but due to its basic functionality, there really aren't that many updates being released too often.

Overall, Sumatra PDF is a nice breath of fresh air which provides an excellent lightweight solution for reading PDF files without having an impact on system performance or worse, bogging down your system with "additional offers." We highly recommend uninstalling Adobe Reader and replacing it with Sumatra PDF.

Features of Sumatra PDF

  • Annotation: Add notes, highlight text.
  • Bookmark: Add bookmarks to documents.
  • Conversion: Export to image, text.
  • Extract: Extract images and text.
  • Form filling: Fill out PDF forms.
  • Lightweight: Fast loading
  • Navigation: Go to page, rotate pages.
  • Presentation: Fullscreen mode.
  • Printing: Print documents
  • Search: Find text inside documents.
  • Security: Encrypt and password protect.
  • Viewer: Read PDF, XPS, DjVu, CHM, CBZ, CBR.
  • Zoom: Zoom in and out

Compatibility and License

Sumatra PDF is a free application released under the GPLv3 license on Windows from PDF software. With software released under the open source GPLv3 license, anybody can download, install, run and distribute the software with little in terms of restrictions. The latest version we have is 3.5.2 and is available to download here.

What version of Windows can Sumatra PDF run on?

Sumatra PDF can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. Previous versions of the OS shouldn't be a problem with Windows 8 and Windows 7 having been tested. It comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit downloads.


Filed under:
  1. Sumatra PDF Download
  2. Free PDF Software
  3. Open source and GPL software
  4. PDF Viewing Software
Sumatra PDF has been picked by our editors as excellent.
Sumatra PDF has been tested for viruses and malware.
We have tested Sumatra PDF 3.5.2 against malware with several different programs. We certify that this program is clean of viruses, malware and trojans.