Android app
PDF Viewer
A small, private PDF viewer that shows just your pages, with floating toolbars on top. It also opens Word, Excel and PowerPoint files by converting them to PDF on your own device — with no permissions, no internet access, no ads and no tracking.
What the app does
PDF Viewer opens the documents other apps send to it. Tap a PDF in your Files app, an attachment in Gmail or a file in your browser's downloads, choose Open with or Share, and pick PDF Viewer. The document fills the screen; tap a page to hide or show the toolbars.
The app deliberately has no file picker and keeps no history: it shows the file you hand it, and forgets it again when you close the viewer.
Everything in one place
📄 Read comfortably
Smooth continuous scrolling, pinch to zoom around your fingers, double-tap for 100% or 250%, rotate all pages, go to page and a night mode that inverts the colors for reading in the dark.
📝 Word, Excel & PowerPoint
Office files (current and 97–2003 formats) are converted to PDF on the device by the app's own code and then shown like any PDF. Nothing is uploaded, and macros are never run.
🔍 Search & copy text
Search highlights every match and counts them ("3 of 17"). Long-press a word, drag the handles and tap Copy, or select a whole page. Links in the table of contents jump straight to their target.
🖨️ Share, print & file info
Share the PDF with another app, print it (or Save as PDF) through Android's print dialog, and see detailed file info: title, author, producer, PDF version, page size, encryption and more.
Highlights
- Opens PDFs and password-protected PDFs from any app through Open with or Share
- Converts .docx, .doc, .xlsx, .xls, .pptx, .ppt and related formats; the type is detected from the file's contents, so a wrongly named file still opens
- Converted documents contain real text, so search and copy work on them too
- Web and e-mail links always ask Open link? first and show the full address
- Two pages side by side on tablets, unfolded foldables and Chromebooks
- Keep screen on while you read, without any permission
- Material 3 design with light and dark themes
Download
Why PDF Viewer isn't on the Google Play Store
Google currently enforces highly demanding and complex requirements to publish new apps (such as mandatory closed testing phases with at least 20 people for 14 days, rigorous identity verification, and heavy administrative overhead). Because we build apps purely for our own enjoyment and want to keep it simple, we prefer to share the app with you directly.
How to Install the App
- Directly on your phone: Open the downloaded file. If prompted, allow your browser or file manager to "Install unknown apps" from outside the Google Play Store. Google started blocking this way of installing APK files.
- Via your computer: Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable and install the app using Android Debug Bridge (ADB).
By downloading you agree to the Privacy Statement & Disclaimer. Use is entirely at your own risk.
How to install an APK directly on your phone
- Tap the download button above and wait for pdfviewer.apk to finish downloading.
- Open the file (via your notification shade or the Files app).
- Android will ask permission to install unknown apps. Tap Settings and enable "Allow from this source" for your browser or file manager.
- Go back and tap Install.
- Open PDF Viewer when installation completes.
Installing apps from outside the Play Store is a normal Android feature. You can turn the "unknown sources" permission back off afterwards if you prefer.
How to install an APK via your computer
The cleanest, safest, and most secure way to install an APK file—without modifying your phone's mobile security settings or enabling "Unknown Sources"—is via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from your computer. This is an official command-line utility supplied by Google for Android developers.
Step 1: Download ADB on your computer (The fastest way)
You do not need to install the massive Android Studio suite. Google provides a lightweight, standalone package called Platform-Tools.
- Windows: Download the official Android SDK Platform-Tools for Windows.
- Mac / Linux: Download the zip package above or install it instantly via your terminal line:
- Mac (via Homebrew): Run
brew install android-platform-tools - Linux (Ubuntu/Debian): Run
sudo apt install adb
- Mac (via Homebrew): Run
Note: If you downloaded the ZIP file (Windows/Mac), extract it into an easy-to-reach directory, such as C:\platform-tools or your Desktop.
Step 2: Prepare your Android phone
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Go to About phone (or System > About).
- Tap Build number 7 times rapidly until a notification pop-up says: "You are now a developer!".
- Return to the main Settings menu, open the new Developer options panel, and turn on USB debugging.
Step 3: Install the APK file
- Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable.
- Look at your phone's screen: a prompt will ask "Allow USB debugging?". Check the option for “Always allow from this computer” and tap Allow.
- Move your downloaded APK file directly into the folder where you extracted the platform-tools files.
- Open Command Prompt (CMD) on Windows or Terminal on Mac/Linux, and change directories to that folder (e.g., on Windows, type:
cd C:\platform-tools). - Run this command to verify your computer properly detects your device:
(If you see a serial number followed by the word 'device', you are connected successfully!)adb devices - Run the installation script command:
adb install pdfviewer.apk
When the terminal returns a Success message, the app is fully installed on your device and ready to launch!
User manual
The app is in U.S. English. On a phone, the top bar shows Close, the title, Search, Share and ⋮; the ⋮ menu holds File info, Print and Keep screen on. Wider windows show every button in the bar.
1. Open a document
In Files, Gmail, your browser's downloads or any other app, tap a PDF, Word, Excel or PowerPoint file and choose Open with › PDF Viewer, or use Share › PDF Viewer. Starting the app from its icon only shows a short explanation, because the app has no file picker of its own. An Office file shows Converting “Report.docx” to PDF… with a Cancel button first.
2. Scroll, zoom and rotate
Scroll through the pages; with the toolbars hidden, a page counter appears while you scroll. Pinch to zoom, double-tap to switch between 100% and 250%, or use the + and − buttons. Tap the zoom percentage to fit the page to the screen width. The bottom bar also has Rotate, Go to page and Night mode.
3. Search and copy
Tap 🔍 and type. All matches are highlighted, the current one in orange; use ▲ / ▼ or the keyboard's search key to move between them. To copy, long-press a word, drag the two handles and tap Copy. Select all selects the whole page; tap anywhere to clear the selection.
4. Links
A link inside the document jumps straight to its target. A web or e-mail link asks Open link? and shows the full address, with Open, Copy link and Cancel. Only http, https and mailto links can be opened; they open in your browser or e-mail app.
5. Share, print and file info
Share sends the PDF to another app; for an Office file that is the converted PDF (for example Report.pdf). Print opens Android's print dialog, which also offers Save as PDF. File info shows the details of the file and the PDF; long-press any value to copy it.
6. Close
The X button closes the viewer and returns you to the app you came from. The temporary copy of the document is deleted at that moment.
Good to know
- Search, text selection, links and passwords work on Android 15 and newer, and on Android 12–14 with a recent Google Play system update. On older devices you can still read, zoom, rotate, share and print; the search button is then hidden.
- Scanned pages without a text layer can't be searched.
- Office conversion is close to, but not identical with, what Office prints. Fonts are replaced by the device's fonts, so lines and pages can break elsewhere. Charts, WordArt effects, gradients and embedded objects without a preview are not drawn, and Excel shows the values saved in the file without recalculating formulas.
- Password-protected Office files, Excel binary workbooks (.xlsb), OpenDocument files, RTF and CSV are not supported.
- Android doesn't reveal real file paths to other apps, so File info only shows a path when the sending app provides one.
Permissions this app requests
We believe in being transparent about every permission. PDF Viewer requests no permissions at all.
Privacy & cost — in plain terms
- No internet access. The app has no internet permission, so it cannot open a network connection at all — in the foreground or in the background. Office files are converted on the device.
- Stores nothing. No settings, history or recent files. A document is copied to the app's private cache only while it is open and deleted when you close it.
- No usage data collected. No analytics, crash reports, telemetry or advertising.
- No personal data requested. There are no accounts, no sign-up, no login.
- No cookies, no tracking. This website sets none either.
- Nothing runs in the background. No services, receivers, jobs, alarms or wake locks.
- No payment, ever. The app is completely free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
Cloud backup and device transfer are disabled. For the full statement, see Privacy & Disclaimer.
Provided as is
PDF Viewer is a hobby and educational project. A converted Office document is a preview, not an exact copy of what Office prints — check the original before you rely on its layout.
The app is provided "as is", for learning and experimentation, without any warranty. Please read the full Privacy Statement & Disclaimer before use — by installing or using the app you accept those terms.
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