Read and edit PDFs
at lightning speed
A fast, lightweight PDF reader and editor for Windows — built on Google's PDFium engine, with built-in OCR and a full annotation toolkit. No sign-up, no tracking, no bloat.
Reading
A reader that keeps up with you
Open enormous PDFs instantly and move through them the way you want.
Lightning-fast rendering
Multi-core PDFium engine — the same renderer used in Chrome. Big documents open in a blink.
Built-in OCR
Windows' native OCR makes scanned pages selectable and searchable. No installs, no cloud, no API keys.
Tabs & drag-and-drop
Open many PDFs in one window and drop files straight in.
Reading modes
Continuous scroll, single page, or true two-page spread.
Thumbnails, recents & bookmarks
A page-thumbnail sidebar, a recent-files list, and per-document bookmarks to jump anywhere.
Reading tints
Night, sepia, warm and dim modes for comfortable reading in any light.
Full-text search
Find any phrase across the whole document, including OCR'd text.
Image extraction
Detect embedded images and export them as high-quality JPEGs.
Crash-safe
Opens clean each time and offers to recover unsaved edits after an unexpected close.
Editing
A real editor, too BETA
Mark up, change and clean up PDFs — then save. Every change is undoable, and edits export as standard PDF annotations other apps can read.
Edit text & images
Add, move or replace text and images — edit existing text in place with automatic font-style matching.
Shapes & highlighter
Rectangles, circles, lines and arrows with dashed styles, fill colour and opacity — plus a text highlighter.
Redact & whiteout
Permanently remove sensitive content, or cover it with a clean whiteout.
Sticky notes
Add notes anywhere; the Notes panel lists them and jumps to a note's exact page on click.
Stamps & numbering
A saved stamp library, date/time stamps, and Bates / page numbering across the document.
Full undo / redo
Unlimited multi-step history — nothing is ever a one-way change.
Precision tools
A properties inspector for exact size, colour and position; multi-select with group, align, distribute and snapping.
Real PDF annotations
Shapes, highlights and notes save as standard annotations editable in Acrobat and other readers.
Export & assemble
Save pages as images or to Word, and combine or rebuild PDFs.
Why BoltPDF
Fast, private, and yours
Free & open-source
Released under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Every line of code is public — inspect it, build it, or contribute.
Private by design
No accounts, no analytics, no telemetry. Documents never leave your PC. The only network use is an optional update check on GitHub.
Light & focused
Small footprint, starts in well under a second, and never nags you with subscriptions or pop-ups.
Get started
Up and running in a minute
Download
Grab the latest Windows build from the GitHub Releases page.
Install & launch
Run the small Windows installer. Optionally make BoltPDF your default PDF app.
Read or edit
Drag in a PDF or use Open. Switch on Edit mode whenever you need to mark it up or change it.
FAQ
Questions
Is BoltPDF really free?
Can I edit PDFs, or just read them?
How does the OCR work?
Does it track me or send my files anywhere?
Does it work on Mac or Linux?
Is it safe to install?
Does BoltPDF add watermarks?
Does it work offline?
Can it edit or OCR scanned PDFs?
Can I set BoltPDF as my default PDF reader?
Is there a free PDF editor for Windows with no subscription?
Comparison
A free Adobe Acrobat Reader alternative
Acrobat Reader is free to read, but editing, OCR and many tools sit behind a paid Acrobat Pro subscription, and the installer is large. BoltPDF gives you reading and editing for free, with a tiny footprint.
| BoltPDF | Adobe Acrobat Reader | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, forever | Free to read; editing/OCR need paid Acrobat Pro |
| Open-source | Yes (AGPL-3.0) | No |
| Built-in OCR | Yes — offline, no extra installs | Pro / online feature |
| Edit text & annotate | Yes (editing in beta) | Annotate yes; edit text needs Pro |
| Redaction | Yes, free | Acrobat Pro only |
| Two-page spread | Yes | Yes |
| Telemetry / accounts | None (optional update check only) | Adobe account & online services |
| Works fully offline | Yes | Limited |
| Watermarks on output | Never | n/a (no free editing) |
Comparison reflects the free tiers; Adobe feature availability can change. BoltPDF's editor is in active beta.
Guides
How to do common PDF tasks — free
What is BoltPDF?
BoltPDF is a free, open-source PDF reader and editor for Windows 10 and 11. It renders pages with Google's PDFium engine (the same one in Chrome), so even large or complex PDFs open instantly. Unlike many "free" tools, BoltPDF never adds watermarks, never asks you to sign up, and processes every document entirely on your computer.
How to OCR a scanned PDF for free
Scanned PDFs are images, so the text can't be selected or searched until you run OCR. In BoltPDF:
- Open the scanned PDF.
- Click the OCR (“Detect Text”) button on the toolbar.
- Wait a moment — BoltPDF overlays selectable, searchable text using Windows' built-in OCR. No internet, API keys or extra software needed.
How to redact a PDF
Need to hide sensitive information before sharing?
- Turn on Edit mode and choose the Whiteout / Redact tool.
- Drag a box over the text or image you want gone.
- Use Save As — the covered content is removed from the exported PDF, not just hidden.
How to edit text in a PDF
In Edit mode (beta), click a block of existing text and type your changes — BoltPDF matches the original font style so edits blend in — then Save As. You can also add new text boxes, images, shapes, highlights, stamps and page numbers.
How to read a PDF as a two-page spread
Open the Layout menu and pick Two-page spread to view facing pages side by side, like a book — or switch to continuous scroll or single-page at any time. Add reading tints (night, sepia, warm, dim) for comfortable long reads.
Who uses BoltPDF?
Students reading textbooks and papers, professionals reviewing and marking up contracts, accountants checking statements, researchers annotating PDFs, and anyone who wants a fast, private, no-cost alternative to bloated PDF software on Windows.