PDF files

In order to view any PDF file, you need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not already have a copy, you can download it here.

Viewing a PDF is very similar to viewing any other type of document.

If you left click on the PDF link, the file will open in a new browser window, allowing you to view the file.

To save the PDF file to your computer so that you can view it at your convenience, simply right click on the link, and choose the ‘Save Target As’ option from the popup menu. Choose a folder on your hard drive that you would like the file to be saved to, and you can then open the PDF whenever you choose.

PDF accessibility features

You may not be able to use Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files. This will be the case if you are using an audio enabled web browser or screen reader software.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is still available and offers a special, free online tool that converts the PDF document to text, enabling you to view it.

Just go to this web page, type the URL of the PDF document you wish to view into the electronic form, and the document will be converted to either plain text or HTML (whichever you choose) and returned to you.

You can choose to have the document emailed to you as an attachment or to receive it in your browser.

To find out more about Adobe’s accessibility features, visit the web site.

How do I search for something within a PDF document?

An open PDF document will show a toolbar with numerous icons that allow you to carry out various actions.

The icon displaying a pair of binoculars is the ‘find’ tool.

If there is a specific word or phrase that you would like to search the document for, click on the ‘find’ tool, and type in what you are looking for.

This will show you the first mention of the search word or phrase in the document. If you would like to see whether the search term appears at multiple points throughout the document, click the icon to the right of the ‘find’ button.