How to Use Adobe Reader

This document explains the basic functionality of Adobe Reader. It was written using Adobe Reader XI for
Windows. If you are using a different version of the software, some functionality, appearance and location of
icons, etc. may be different. To download the latest version of Reader for free, visit
http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

MAGNIFICATION
There are three tools to help you view your document: zoom,
HELPFUL SHORTCUTS
magnification and fit options. CTRL + Plus = Zoom in
CTRL + Minus = Zoom out

Zoom – Click on the minus or plus sign to quickly decrease or increase the CTRL + L = View full screen
magnification level. You can also use the following keyboard shortcuts: ESC = Undo full screen mode
CTRL + Plus to zoom in
CTRL + Minus to zoom out. F4 = Show/hide navigation
Magnification — Using the drop-down menu, you can select your desired Panel (bookmarks)
magnification level or one of four different fit options: Actual Size, Zoom
F8 = Show toolbar
to Page Level, Fit Width, or Fit Visible. You can also type your desired
magnification level into the text box and hit the Enter key. ALT + Left Arrow = Go back to
Fit Options — There are buttons for the two most popular fit options: previously viewed page

Fit to Window Width CTRL + F = Search document

(Find tool)
Fit One Full Page to Window
Read Mode — In read mode, the toolbar, navigation panel, etc. are hidden from view. To view your document in read

mode, click on the Read Mode icon in your toolbar. To return to the standard view, hit the Esc key.
Full Screen — You can view the document in full screen mode by going to “View” and selecting “Full Screen Mode,” or
by using the key board short cut of CTRL + L. To exit full screen mode, press the Esc key.

NAVIGATING YOUR DOCUMENT

There are several convenient methods for navigating through your PDF document. In addition to the features listed
below, familiar document navigation methods such as the scroll bar, the page up and page down keys and the left/right
arrow keys also work in Adobe Reader.

First Page, Previous Page, Next Page, and Last Page — These icons are primarily used to move backward and forward
between the various pages within your document. If you’d like to choose a specific page to jump to, simply type the
page number into the number window and press Enter.

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Previous View and Next View — When you want to go back and retrace your steps you will benefit from using the left
arrow which will send you back to a “previous view” within your document, while using the right arrow (next view) will
undo the previous view and return you to the document page you were on. You will find that these two options are very
similar to your internet browser’s backward and forward buttons.
If the Previous/Next buttons are not visible on your toolbar, you can:
1. Use the following shortcut key strokes:
ALT + Left Arrow =Go back to previously viewed page
ALT + Right Arrow = Go to the next viewed page
2. Add the tools to your toolbar by going to “View,” then “Show/Hide,” then “Toolbar Items,” then
“Page Navigation” as shown in the below screenshot.

USING BOOKMARKS
Bookmarks are a fast, convenient way to navigate through a multi-page PDF document. If you do not see a list of
bookmarks in the left panel, click on the bookmark icon that is located in the bar on the far left of the window. If the
bookmarks icon does not appear or is grayed out, it means the document you are viewing does not contain any
bookmarks.
To navigate your document, simply click on the desired bookmark text. A plus sign next to a bookmark title indicates
that there are additional bookmarks for the pages within that section of the document. Click on the plus sign to see the
expanded list of bookmarks.

USING HYPERLINKS
PDF documents may contain hyperlinks that will take the reader to another page within the PDF document or a website.
Your cursor will change to the pointed finger symbol when you hover over hyperlink text or image to indicate that it is
clickable. In most ESI documents, text that is hyperlinked is blue in color for easy recognition.
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SEARCHING WITHIN YOUR DOCUMENT

To search for certain phrases or words within your PDF document, press CTRL + F to open the “Find” tool. Then, simply
type the word or phrase you would like to look for and press “Next.” You will be taken to the next place in the document
where the word or phrase appears.
To add the search tool to your toolbar, go to “View,” then “Show/Hide,” then “Toolbar Items,” then “Edit” and select
the “Find” tool, as shown in the screenshot below. A magnifying glass icon will be added to your toolbar.

ADDING COMMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

There are several annotation tools available in Adobe Reader that allow you to add notes, highlights, drawings and other
marks to your PDF document. The two most common annotation tools — the sticky note tool and the highlight tool —
appear in your top toolbar. You can access additional commenting tools by clicking on “Comment” in the top toolbar.

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THE STICKY NOTE TOOL

To add a custom note to your PDF document, click on the sticky note icon in the toolbar and then click on the location in
the document where you would like the note to appear. A text box will open. Simply type your note in the window.
When you are done, click anywhere in the document to exit the sticky note tool. Your note will be automatically saved
for later review.

THE HIGHLIGHT TEXT TOOL

To highlight text, click on the Highlight Text icon in the toolbar. Then place your cursor at the beginning of the text you
would like to highlight, hold the left button on your mouse down while dragging the cursor over the text you wish to
highlight. When done highlighting, release your mouse button. You can also add a note to highlighted text by double
clicking anywhere on the highlighted text. This will open a text box.

THE ADD TEXT TOOL

The Add Text tool allows you to add text anywhere in the document. To use this tool, click on the “T” icon in the
Comments panel, then click on the location in the document where you would like to add text and begin typing. Once
you have finished typing your text, you may change the font style, size, and color. To do so, highlight the text you have
added to the document then change the text attributes using the pop up window that appears when using the Add Text
tool. You can also move your text comment by dragging it to a different location on the page.

OTHER ANNOTATION AND DRAWING TOOLS

In addition to the three popular tools describe above, there are many other annotation and drawing tools available to
you in the Comment panel. You can underline and strikeout text, add text callout boxes, and draw circles and arrows.

REVIEWING YOUR ANNOTATIONS

To view your comments and highlights, click on “Comments” in your toolbar. Then click on Comments List to view a list
of all comments and highlights within your PDF. Clicking on any comment or highlight within the list will take you to the
page on which you added the comment or highlight.
You can sort your comment list by type, author, page, date. You can also search through your annotations using the
search field located at the top of the comment list.

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