How to Use the Helperbird PDF Reader

For the installed iPhone, iPad, or Mac app, use the native PDF Reader guide. These steps cover the browser extension.

This page is the map of the Helperbird PDF Reader. It covers what the reader is, what each button in the toolbar does, and which guide takes over from here.

What the PDF Reader Is

The PDF Reader is a separate Helperbird app that opens in its own browser tab. It draws the PDF itself and puts a toolbar above it, so a document you could not type into or listen to in your browser becomes one you can.

Your file stays on your computer. Nothing is uploaded to open a PDF.

Opening PDFs, page search, zoom, drawing, typing and inserting Notepad content are free. Your device’s text-to-speech voices are free too. Natural voices, dictation, grammar, translation and equation editing need Helperbird Pro.

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Reading and Layout Controls

Choose Speed Reading for a word-by-word view of the current page. It has its own pace control and a middle-letter highlight. Use Speed Reading.

Settings contains PDF Reader Width, light or dark mode, and Keyboard shortcuts. The theme changes the reader interface and the on-screen page colors. Pictures and diagrams may look different in dark mode. Switch back to light mode when the exact colors matter. Your original PDF and downloaded copy keep their original colors.

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Page thumbnails opens page previews. The Page number field above and below the document also lets you jump directly to a page.

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What the Reader Cannot Do

• It shows one page at a time. There is no continuous scroll.
• The web Highlighter palette and Highlight Menu do not appear in the PDF Reader. Use Draw or Add Textbox to annotate the page.
• Search looks only through the current page, not the whole document. It is free.
• Use the Page field or Page thumbnails to jump to another page.
• You cannot change the words already in the PDF. Anything you add sits on top of the page.
• If the PDF has its own fill-in boxes, what you type into them is lost when you download. Put a text box on top instead.
• Local recovery keeps one current PDF session, not a library. Opening another PDF replaces that recovery copy. Download your changes before moving on.

Where to Go Next

• Read one word at a time

• Choose a reading view

• Search and zoom - Find text on the current page and adjust the view.

• Translate a PDF page - Compare the translation with the original.

• Paste text, links and images - Create boxes from your clipboard.

• Add equations - Insert maths and edit it later.

• Open the PDF Reader - Get the reader open and a file loaded.

• Read a PDF and take notes - Move through pages, listen to them, write beside them.

• The Tools menu - Immersive Reader, Translate, Summarize and Screenshot Reader.

• Add text boxes - Type onto a worksheet or a handout.

• Fit answers on form lines - Change text size, shrink the box and understand why editing controls can cover nearby lines.

• Drawing tools - Circle, underline and sketch on the page.

• Save and download - Which of your changes end up in the file.

• Share and export PDFs - Send a marked-up PDF to someone else.

• Reading long PDFs - A working order for a long document.

Video Tutorial

Watch the PDF Reader overview below. For a specific task, follow the written guides above. Older recordings may show different button names or layouts.

For drawing, watch how to draw on a PDF (opens in a new tab).

Need Additional Help?

Ran into a snag while using the PDF Reader? Reach out to our Helperbird support team and we will help you sort it out.