Foxit PDF Reader: Free PDF Viewer With Forms and Signing

Foxit PDF Reader is a free alternative to Adobe’s viewer, with a ribbon interface that will feel familiar to anyone who uses Microsoft Office.

Main features

• Annotation: Highlight, underline, add sticky notes and attach files as comments.
• Forms: Fill in both standard AcroForms and XFA forms, which some government and corporate forms still use.
• Signing: Add a handwritten signature or saved image, use eSignatures and verify digital signatures.
• Cloud and printing: Open files from cloud storage and print with fine-grained options.
• Security: Protected View opens untrusted files in a restricted mode.

Installing Foxit PDF Reader

1. The Download button opens Foxit’s official PDF Reader page.
2. Choose your platform. Foxit lists Windows 10 and 11 and recent macOS versions; Android and iOS apps and a web version are also available.
3. During setup, read each screen carefully: the installer may offer to try Foxit’s paid editor or other options you do not need.

Reader versus Editor

The Reader is free. Foxit PDF Editor is the paid product for changing text and images, creating PDFs and converting them to Office formats. The Reader page advertises a 14-day free trial of the Editor; you do not need it to read, comment on or sign documents.

Office teams that send a lot of PDFs for signature may also want a password manager such as Bitwarden for the signing service logins. For quick viewing without extras, Sumatra PDF is lighter still.