How to Access the PDF Reader in Helperbird

Learn how to use Helperbird PDF support. Read and annotate PDFs with accessibility tools Support for all learners and educators. This guide explains how to use the PDF reading features in Helperbird. When a PDF is detected in your browser, a popup will ask if you want to open it in Helperbird's PDF reader.

Helperbird's PDF Reader makes working with PDF documents easier with built-in tools for reading, annotating, note-taking, and more. Open any PDF and access powerful features like voice typing, translation, text extraction, and summarization.


Step 1: Open PDF in Helperbird

When viewing 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 to open the PDF in Helperbird's reader.

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


Step 2: Navigate and Take Notes

Once your PDF is open, you'll see page numbers at the top for easy navigation. To open the note-taking panel, click the Notepad button in the top toolbar.

This will open a split view with your PDF on the left and the Notepad on the right.

Note-Taking Features:

Voice Typing: Click the microphone icon to start dictating your notes instead of typing. Great for quickly capturing thoughts while reading.

Grammar/Spell Check: Click the "A" with checkmark icon to check your notes for spelling and grammar errors.

Print: Click the print icon to quickly print your notes.

Download Options: Click the download icon in the toolbar to see your options. You can download your notes separately, download the original PDF, or download the PDF with your annotations included.


Step 3: Annotate Your PDF

Click the Add Textbox button in the top toolbar to start adding text boxes and annotations directly onto your PDF pages.

Click the Add Textbox button again to add more text boxes where you can type your annotations.


Step 4: PDF Text to Speech

Use the playback controls to manage your annotation workflow:

  • Play: Continue adding annotations
  • Pause: Temporarily stop annotation mode
  • Stop: Exit annotation mode

Step 5: Use Quick PDF Tools

Click the floating pink menu button on the right side of the screen to access quick tools for working with your PDF:

Extract Text: Pull text from the PDF to use in other documents or applications.

Summarize: Get a quick summary of the PDF content to understand key points faster.

View in Immersive Reader: Open the PDF in an immersive reading mode with enhanced readability features.

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 the Add Textbox button to mark up important sections directly on the PDF.


Video Tutorial


Need Additional Help?

Ran into a snag while using the PDF Reader? No worries at all! Just reach out to our friendly Helperbird support team, and we'll help you smooth things out in no time.

What People Are Saying

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

Amazing tool, love the new overlay feature!!

James Connel

James Connel

Helperbird user

I found this extension on a whim to help myself. Suffering with post concussion syndrome symptoms and working remotely is really hard! This extension basically saved my job. It gave me back productivity and the ability to read the screen. This extension has so many neat features I never even knew I needed. I love this and you will too! You don't need to be dyslexic or have dyslexia for this extension to benefit you. Do yourself a giant favor and get it! I highly recommend it!

Catherine Contillo

Catherine Contillo

Helperbird user

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

I purchased this for my daughter who has been having a lot of difficulty accessing the online work set remotely by her teachers during our National Lockdown because of Covid-19. Her dyslexia was really hindering her ability to complete tasks and keep up which in turn led to increased anxiety levels...a really horrid place to be in during a global pandemic! Helper bird has been a vast help and I fully recommend it and wish more schools knew about it. Thank You Helper Bird.

Michelle Howard-Price

Michelle Howard-Price

Assistive technology specialist

Insightful functionality. Well done.

David Linde

David Linde

Helperbird user

so useful and helpful!! i can actually retain so much more info in my head now. thanks man, you are so awesome and i appreciate all the kind words. thank you. :)

A Google User

A Google User

Helperbird user

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