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 pls add:

+ PDF Dictionary ( to understand the semantics ); 

+ dockble "table of context" layout ( to organise the knowledge);

+ quick reference GUI( ( to repeat keyword, math formula definition ); 

Appreciate.

[#3]

@Aditi_Gangwar 

Can the PDF reader add feature for single page view and single scroll view per page? This feature was in the Edge Legacy. Also, please let user choose when a pdf document, it can be default in a single page and single scroll to next page. This will give user to quickly view pdf document page by page.

Also, there is a fantastic feature in Adobe Reader Touch app that the user can view all pdf pages on the screen and can quickly choose the page want to view. 

Come on Microsoft Edge, these simple features are very good for pdf user to use. Please add them in asap. 

Thanks

[#4]

@Aditi_Gangwar 

Please Add Find In Text Functionality

Current Find in Text is based on browser ugly search functionality.

Please add find in the text as Microsoft Word has since 2013 (left sidebar, with search results).

[#5]

First time to reply on this community..

May I ask is it possible to add something like "navigate to last position" button or shortcut in the future?

Just like you would normally get in IDE which get you last position when you hit shortcut like "go to declaration"

@Aditi_Gangwar 

[#6]

Thanks for you work on the df viewer in Edge. It would be great if we could email the pdf from within edge via a link to Outlook365 etc. I hope you might add this to the list of improvements for the pdf viewer. Thanks again.

[#7]

I've submitted quite a bit of feedback on this through the browser itself, but the inking experience on PDFs definitely isn't up the same standard as the old Edge or any of the Microsoft applications. There's higher latency, the ink definitely comes out more jagged and less smooth, and it just feels much more cumbersome than say OneNote. Also, the lack of pen sensitivity in this browser makes it feel much less natural.

There's also bugs where I can be writing with my stylus and scrolling fine with my finger, but then sometimes my finger starts inking instead and where I try to scroll, I end up drawing long vertical lines over the PDF. 

It's a real shame, because really features like inking are the few things that are and always have been totally unique to Edge.

[#8]

@DRelliot90 

Spoiler

---

@DRelliot90 wrote:

I've submitted quite a bit of feedback on this through the browser itself, but the inking experience on PDFs definitely isn't up the same standard as the old Edge or any of the Microsoft applications. There's higher latency, the ink definitely comes out more jagged and less smooth, and it just feels much more cumbersome than say OneNote. Also, the lack of pen sensitivity in this browser makes it feel much less natural.

There's also bugs where I can be writing with my stylus and scrolling fine with my finger, but then sometimes my finger starts inking instead and where I try to scroll, I end up drawing long vertical lines over the PDF. 

It's a real shame, because really features like inking are the few things that are and always have been totally unique to Edge.

---

Hi,

for the bug you mentioned, they have added a solution, currently available in Canary for some insiders.

Something new popped up in Web Capture and PDF viewer | touch writing button - Microsoft Tech Commun...

[#9]

@Aditi_Gangwar 

Support for the visibility and extraction of attachments would also be a greatly appreciated.

[#10]

Hello @Aditi_Gangwar 

I appreciate to see how the reader is developing further over the last months and now becoming almost as valuable as the one shipped with Edge legacy. Keep up the excellent work!

In addition, it would be great to add these features:

• option to translate PDFs inside the reader (with preserving special notations like mathematical signs and formulas), since I often have to deal with documents in foreign languages. I'm aware that this isn't as trivial as translating HTML websites due to the complex structure of the PDF file format, but to have this feature would be awesome. 
• a proper, powerful Find-in-page fly-out with the ability to perform text- and case-sensitive searches (like in Edge legacy) and listing the results for easy switching between the finds, like mentioned in this reply before. This would be an enormous improvement for working with long texts. 
  Maybe a suggestion to have this also for searching inside a website and get rid of the very basic and not useful Chromium Find-in-page pop-up.

Btw, since about two months read aloud in PDF viewer doesn't work anymore on Dev and Canary, although it works fine on current Stable. I'm not sure, but I think this went on with switching from v88 to v89. Are there any updates concerning this bug?

Thanks

[#11]

@HotCakeX Thanks! Whilst that is no doubt useful, I mean that when using a stylus I can ink on a PDF and then without doing anything, I can  remove my pen from the screen, scroll down with my finger, and then put the pen to screen again to ink. All without disabling/enabling the ink function, so it's a pretty fluid process.

Sometimes though it's like Edge gets confused and mistakes my finger for the pen, so anything I put to the screen starts to draw.

[#12]

We work with PDF files that have embedded attachments and PDF Portfolios, which in Adobe Reader it will show that there are attachments with a paper-clip icon on the left and clicking it will allow you to open or save the attachment. This feature is available in the Firefox PDF viewer, but is not currently available in Edge and we think it would be a good feature to add.

[#13]

I completely agree - especially with regards to annotations. I maintain a copy of Legacy Edge on one of my machines for this reason.

[#14]

@Aditi_Gangwar 

Users within our organization have reported that they cannot view PDF files from SharePoint IRM protected directories in Edge Chromium though they are assigned to have access to the files in the directory.  When attempting to access the IRM protected PDFs in Edge Chromium, users receive an error “This PDF file is protected” as if they do not have access.  They have attempted to access the PDF files by clicking on the file links and choosing open in the Edge browser and by downloading the files from the Edge browser and then opening them on their desktop to no avail.  The PDF files open properly when they are not IRM protected and were generated by multiple sources.  All users are using the Edge browser Version 87.0.664.66 (Official build) (64-bit) or later.  Any assistance or suggestions to resolve this issue would be greatly appreciated. 

[#15]

I've been using Microsoft Edge Developer Ed since it was announced Alpha years ago. I've seen some great leaps in Edge over that time, all without compromising the stability and the solid performance of Edge. It is a great feather in the development teams cap for their work - well done.

The PDF reader within Edge is working a dream. Although this morning I was highlighting text in a PDF (dark mode) and needed to use another color from the Yellow I normally use, and yet to my surprise after finishing with the alternate color I find NO WAY back to using the Yellow highlight color.

Only 4 colors (and black) for options? Really? Where's my much loved Yellow, the staple of any good highlighting aficionado? Is there a setting I am unaware of to add further highlight colors to my dropdown selection in the toolbar?

Please address the highlight colors and options to include others (hint: Yellow) to a selection option within Settings. It would help a long way to a continuing sanity of this user. Thanks. 

[#16]

@Aditi_Gangwar 

IRM documents opened from SharePoint are not opening.  When I try to open an IRM protected document in a document library, I get a message saying "You do not have permissions"

I opened up a case with Microsoft 365 Support but they said they cannot help as it is a product development issue.