Roadmap for PDF reader in Microsoft Edge

[Aditi_Gangwar]

Update - March 1st, 2021: We've published an updated version of this roadmap. Check out Aditi's update over here, and we encourage you to continue to drop your PDF reader feedback into the comments of that post!

Over the course of last year, we worked hard on building a powerful PDF reader that fulfils the needs of compatibility, reliability and security for you and your organization.

The feedback we received from you with the Edge Insider builds has been really encouraging, and here are some of the most asked features that are available today, across Windows and Mac:

• Create highlights with Highlight mode: Draw attention to parts of the PDF that you find interesting with Highlights. With Highlight mode, you can now create highlights directly by selecting text, as you would do with a highlighter and paper.
• Fill PDF forms
• Ink on PDF files with colors and stroke width of your choice
• View PDFs in Dark mode
• Open Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) and Information Rights Management (IRM) protected PDF and view permissions
• Accessibility support including keyboard accessibility, screen reader support, and capability to view PDFs in high contrast mode
• Read Aloud

Here are the features we’re currently working on:

• Smoother scroll experience: We are bringing the smooth scroll of Legacy Edge to the modern browser. (Edge 086: In Canary, Dev, and Beta today)
• Table of Contents: You will soon be able to view the contents of PDF files and navigate through the file with the same. (Edge 086: In Canary, Dev, and Beta today)
• Text notes: With this, you will be able to add their own notes to text in PDF files. These notes will travel with the PDF.
• Protected PDF files: Microsoft Information Protection adds a layer of security to your documents. It ensures that only the users who have certain permissions as view, copy, annotate can take those actions on the file. Hence, no matter where the document goes, the data of your organization remains secure.
  • Viewing labels of protected files: You will soon be able to view the sensitivity labels
  • Viewing MIP files protected in other tenants: This will enable you to view the files protected in other organizations, or in other tenants in the organization.
• Digital signatures: View and validate certificate based Digital signatures on signed files.
• Accessibility improvements: With this, you will be able to fill PDF forms using screen readers, and navigate through PDF documents using caret mode.

We are actively looking at feedback from you about the features you find important.

Please feel free to comment below, or submit detailed feedback through the browser (Shift+Alt+I).

[#2]

@Aditi_Gangwar It is understood. Thank you for attending my request. It is something that surprises me that they have not updated in the browser's pdf reader. I have to read many pdf files and my eyes are sensitive to that white color lighting on the pages. Please make that modification.

[#3]

I really don't like the find on page toolbar

[#4]

Does Chromium migrating the PDF component off of PPAPI impact your work on the PDF reader (specifically scrolling)? And you guys prefer React over Polymer. How come? I'm especially curious because when you scroll in various pages such as history, the items have to load in. The items don't noticeably load in on Chromium. I know that there's some lazy loading going on in Chromium as you cannot find on the page (IT'S DIFFERENT TO SEARCHING!).

Actually, how come there's no table of contents in Edge's PDF reader? It's in Chromium. Did you guys completely rewrite the UI from scratch? Yikes.

Oh and what are your thoughts on restyling the win32, wpf and winforms controls? Just take a look at the cert info dialog. Oh and how about finally restyling the form controls? They don't have a separate hover state and colour. Infuriating. And uh. Where's the MSIX installer if it's so great?

The other day I got an email saying that you guys were working on my feedback from over a year ago lmfao.

[#5]

@Aditi_Gangwar All PDF doc. 

[#6]

A quick note.
When you work on 2-page view make sure you enable the option to choose the direction (reading order). So right to left language doc can be viewed from right to left.

[#7]

I can't wait to be able to directly highlight in the PDF, this would have made my life 10000% times easier in grad school, but I'm sure it will help now that I'm in law school!

[#8]

@Aditi_Gangwar 

Hello,

There doesn't seem to be a way to un-highlight text. I tried 'ctrl +z' and highlighting the same area.

Thanks!

[#9]

@jacobarmiger 

Also, I think it would be great if Edge could identify headings and sub-headings and generate a table of contents as a sidebar.

[#10]

@jacobarmiger have you tried the option in context menu to delete the highlight? We are also adding support for eraser to work on highlights as well. Which would make it easier to remove highlights.

-Vyankatesh Gadekar

Program Manager, Microsoft Edge

[#11]

@vygadeka 

No, I totally missed that! Thank you.

[#12]

@Aditi_Gangwar I can routinely have 3 or more 300 page plus PDFs open at any one time, all at different pages. Restarting or closing Edge puts them all back at page one again when Edge reopens. I would be very happy it Edge reopened them at the same location. This is standard behaviour in most PDF or ebook readers, and should certainly be a feature in Edge as well.

[#13]

hi. did you see my comment? would appreciate a response.

[#14]

Assume the protection will cover AIP, we'd happily get rid of Adobe Reader and having to maintain updates along with the AIP Pugin if Edge can handle instead.

[#15]

@Aditi_Gangwar 

I continue to use Adobe Reader because it is fast on my old machine and.... 

I can type in notes on the document. Like my invoices, I type in the date when it was payed and the reference number in my bank. 

It's a simple but helped me from getting from paper to electronic archive with my bills!

Love your forum!

All the best!

Viggo Evensen

Norway

[#16]

@Aditi_Gangwar I spoke up before about PDFs on Windows and the gap that needs to be filled by Microsoft.  Working in IT for a law firm, one thing I can tell you that's very important with PDFs, in that space, is being able to work with Table of Contents... I know you mention using TOC to navigate is in the roadmap...but I am referring to the adding new bookmarks, updating and/or removing existing ones, re-ordering the TOC. You can do all of the above in the free adobe reader, but its not well optimized for touch / pen devices like Surface line. I really think MS needs to advance basic PDF functions that are standards and work across various apps supporting PDFs natively to windows without the need for extra software. 

These would be the standard comment tools needed... Bookmark / TOC creation, text tools for Markup (highlight text, underline text, strike out text, comment bubble / sticky note, add note to replace text (strike out with a comment about what needs to change), add text comment (basically just lets you type over the image anywhere you click), drawing tools for pen use (mostly already there, but could use more options kinda like what's already in Whiteboard app)

[#17]

@hkusulja @Aditi_Gangwar Yes forgot about the ability to insert a JPG or PNG is very helpful as well in Legal space.

[#18]

@vygadeka I work in IT for a Law Firm, we have a mix of both being used, some people prefer to have a PNG available to insert on anything they need including PDFs, but those with Surface devices also like signing using the pen as well.  What we did is capture the Sig for the users using Paint3D and transparent canvas during save of the PNG to get our custom company color for the ink.

[#19]

@Derek_Romano thanks for the information. For Surface users, directly signing on PDFs in Edge does not work? 

[#20]

@vygadeka No sorry if I was not clear, it currently does work for manual ink, but I was just saying they use a mix of both insert of PNG or manual sign via Pen when signing PDFs in my Firm.

I see mentions of working on enhancing inking sensitivity and options so dont think anything else would be needed with regards to manual ink then for sig, but insert of PNG would be useful for sure...some PDF apps offer a "Stamp" option that you can upload a PNG to and have as an easy insert object button rather then hunting for the PNG each time manually.

[#21]

It would be great to have back (to previous/next view) as Adobe Reader with a shortcut like ALT+arrow left/right.
I noticed that scrolling change behaviour in Edge if you use Page Up/Page Down. Then you will have Single Page View. Change back to scroll by hitting the spacebar or SHIFT+spacebar