How to Use the PDF Reader in Helperbird

Learn how to open, read, annotate, and work with PDF documents using Helperbird's powerful PDF Reader with note-taking, voice typing, translation, and more.

What is the PDF Reader?

The PDF Reader is a built-in tool that lets you open and read PDF documents directly in your browser with extra accessibility features. It includes tools for note-taking, annotations, voice typing, translation, and more.


Who is This For?

This feature is helpful for:

  • Students who read PDF textbooks and lecture notes
  • Researchers who work with academic papers
  • Anyone who needs to annotate PDF documents
  • People who want text-to-speech for PDFs
  • Anyone who needs to translate or summarize PDF content

Step 1: Open a PDF in Helperbird

When you view a PDF in your browser, look for the green "Open PDF in Helperbird – Click to Open" button at the bottom of the page.

Click this button.

The PDF will open in Helperbird's reader interface with all tools available.


Step 2: Navigate and Read

Once your PDF is open, you will see page numbers at the top for easy navigation.

Use the arrow buttons or type a page number to jump to a specific page.

You can also zoom in and out using the zoom controls.


Step 3: Take Notes

To open the note-taking panel, click the note button in the top toolbar.

This opens a split view with your PDF on the left and a note editor on the right.

In the note editor you can:

  • Type notes – Write your thoughts as you read
  • Voice Typing – Click the microphone icon to dictate notes instead of typing
  • Grammar/Spell Check – Click the "A" with checkmark icon to check for errors
  • Print – Click the print icon to print your notes
  • Download – Save your notes or the annotated PDF

Step 4: Use Quick Tools

Click the floating pink menu button on the right side of the screen to access quick tools:

  • Extract Text – Pull text from the PDF to use elsewhere
  • Summarize – Get a quick summary of the PDF content
  • View in Immersive Reader – Open the PDF in a clean reading mode
  • Translate – Translate the PDF content into different languages

Tip: The PDF Reader combines all of Helperbird's powerful tools in one place, making it perfect for studying, research, and document review. Use voice typing for quick note-taking and Annotation Mode to mark up important sections directly on the PDF.


Video Tutorial


Need Additional Help?

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please contact the Helperbird support team. You can reach us at Helperbird support. We are happy to help you get the most out of Helperbird.

What People Are Saying

Join over 1,000,000 people who use Helperbird every day.

You can bookmark the websites or pages for future reading. Font Sizes can be increased or decreased to our own satisfaction. You can translate the page or website using Google Translator.

Noopur A.

Noopur A.

Director Product

I have ADHD and yesterday Helperbird and the text-to-speech function (available in free version) turned a 28-page reading assignment from a two-day task to roughly two hours, maybe three at the absolute most. It helped tremendously! And I loved that the text-to-speech has such a fluid voice compared to a lot of others I've used! Honestly, the fact that this was created by someone who knows the struggles is something I love, because then it has neurodivergency in mind. I've tried too many things in the past that were created by neurotypical folk trying to be helpful to us and I do appreciate it, but it doesn't work as well because our brains work different. Highly recommend!

Addison Brown

Addison Brown

Helperbird user

A truly great extension! We installed this on all of our 200 Chromebooks across the 3 special schools i work in and it has greatly helped our students use technology to learn. It not only helps our dyslexic learners, but also our autistic and ADHD students by helping remove distractions and making the web a more accessible place. Support is fast and efficient, and updates are very regular with new features constantly being added!

Josh Sharrad

Josh Sharrad

Helperbird user

I got this tool as an extension to try out first of all. I was amazed at what it can do in terms of accessibility. I have shown my friends and brother who suffer from dyslexia and they have all downloaded the extension. Great step forward from a company looking to help people!!

Luke Pottinger

Luke Pottinger

Helperbird user

Making such an useful tool, replying to every single comment or review and giving support to people's issues as soon as possible?? Carefully, he is a hero.

Martin Bui

Martin Bui

Helperbird user

I love Helperbird!!! It's very user friendly from someone who has learning challenges because of ADHD and Dyslexia.There are so many useful features and new updates.

Entertainment Studio

Entertainment Studio

Helperbird user

Helperbird logo: Stylized owl with large yellow eyes and a beige face, against a green background.

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