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Adobe Portable document format
File type: Document file, E-book file
A pdf file extension is mainly used for Adobe Portable document format, commonly referred to as PDF. All programs that create some sort of documents or projects offer the possibility to export their format to PDF format. A free PDF viewer (Adobe Reader) is available for download from Adobe website.
Found 2 different file type records with the same pdf filename suffix.
File type category:
Document file
E-book file
Date updated: September 6, 2025
PDF files are primarily associated with Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files. There are very few other file formats with the PDF file extension in our list, and it is not an exaggeration to say that 99,99% of PDFs found on the Internet are Adobe Portable documents.
The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format developed by Adobe Systems that represents two-dimensional documents in a device-independent and resolution-independent format. PDF documents contain a complete description of a 2D document (and, with Acrobat 3D, embedded 3D documents), including the text, fonts, images, and vector graphics in 2D.
The PDF format does not encode information that is specific to the application software, hardware, or operating system that was used to create or view the document. A valid PDF will render the same regardless of its origin or destination (depending on font availability).
Without paying royalties to Adobe Systems, anyone may create applications that read and write PDF files. However, Adobe has several patents relating to the PDF format and claims it is an open standard. Therefore, Adobe has licensed these patents royalty-free for the development of software based on its PDF specification.
Even though the PDF format can be used to describe single-page documents, it can also be used to describe many-page, complex documents containing a variety of fonts, graphics, colors, and images.
PDF readers for various platforms are available, including Xpdf, Foxit, and Adobe's own Adobe Acrobat Reader. PDF readers/viewers or online services for basic functions are generally free.
There are many software options available for creating PDFs, including the PDF printing capability built into Mac OS X, OpenOffice, numerous PDF print drivers for Microsoft Windows, and Adobe Acrobat itself. There is also specialized software for editing PDF files.
MIME types used for the PDF file type:
application/pdf
application/x-pdf
application/acrobat
applications/vnd.pdf
text/pdf
text/x-pdf
application/x-bzpdf
application/x-gzpdf
PDF is a widely used document format and is therefore supported by all major productivity software. A free viewer from Adobe is also available to open PDF files; it's unable to edit them, though.
Conversion of this file to another text/graphic file format is possible. Still, it has some limitations based on content/security permissions in the document and features of the application that you use to convert PDF documents into another file format. Many applications can export their documents to PDF.
You can also create PDFs from any application that can print using any virtual PDF printer software available on the Internet.
Software applications that can open pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Software applications that can edit pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Software capable of saving pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Programs for viewing pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Software apps that create pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Software apps that convert pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Linux/Unix
Software apps that import pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Software apps that export pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Software apps that recover pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Software apps that print pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Apple macOS / Mac OS X
Linux/Unix
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File type category:
Settings, options, themes or skins file
Date updated: June 24, 2022
File extension pdf is associated with the ArcView, a GIS software for Microsoft Windows operating system that allows users to view and edit GIS data.
This type of pdf files stores preference definitions.
These files probably are not meant to be opened directly.
This PDF file cannot be converted to anything else, it is not the standard PDF document.
Software apps that create pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Software apps that manage or store settings in pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
Software applications that handle other tasks involving pdf files:
Microsoft Windows
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