PDF stands for Portable Document Format. A PDF file has the .pdf file extension in it. PDFs are common among office workers as they are read-only documents. A PDF file maintains the layout of the document when shared and does not allow any foreign edits. If you wish to make changes, then you can edit PDF online. PDF format is generally adopted for documents such as forms, user manuals, scanned documents etc.

Brief History of a PDF File

PDF was developed by Adobe with two major purposes as follows:

Users must have access to the document through any hardware or system, with or without the tool utilized in the production of the document. Hence, you can easily access a PDF file with a PDF reader only, which is easily available with every web browser nowadays.

The layout of the document must not change on opening, no matter when and where it is being opened.

A PDF file can have texts, images, hyperlinks, videos and more.

Opening a PDF file

A PDF file has a defined format, which is the reason why there are a wide variety of programs available to assist you in opening a PDF file which includes Adobe’s official Acrobat reader. However, you can use any web browser, software or word editing application to open and read a PDF file.

The simplest method to open a PDF: Web Browser

There are higher probabilities that the web browser you are currently using on your system can help you access a PDF file and view it.

If your system does not have any PDF reader in it is your browser working as a Default app to support PDF files in the system. You are most likely able to open a PDF by merely double-clicking on it. And, if the double click is not working for you, then you might try with right-click and “open with” option to open the file with a preferred browser.

The browser you choose to open your PDF will merely make any difference as the layout of your PDF file cannot be changed without a PDF to word converter or any other editing tool.

More on editing a PDF

If you wish to change a PDF without making changes to its PDF format, then you have many options out there. Or you can say the standard option you have in the case is Adobe’s Acrobat DC. However, it is a very expensive medium to edit a PDF. A regular edition costs around 13 dollars per month, and you need to purchase it for the entire year. Moreover, this is exclusively available for Windows users; hence, if you are a Mac user, you can not access this version.

There is a pro version of it that costs around 15 dollars per month and needs to be purchased for the year; this one is compatible with Windows as well as macOS.

Conclusion

PDF has become a crucial part of our lifestyle, and we go through a number of PDFs every day. It can be an official notice, document, classroom submission or anything. And PDFs come with their own set of cons and pros. While a PDF format can keep the layout of the document preserved while being transferred from one person to another, it just cannot be easily edited in a Word file and requires specific editing tools.