The window

When a document is open, the window has five parts, from top to bottom and left to right:

1. The window’s bar — the document’s name and standing, and the few commands you want whichever tab is open.
2. The ribbon — seven tabs of commands, each with its name under or beside it.
3. The tool strip — appears under the ribbon while a tool is in use.
4. The side panel — pages, contents, form fields, attached files and comments.
5. The page area — the document itself.

Messages about what has happened — Saved to…, Copied., why something could not be done — appear briefly at the foot of the window.

The window’s bar

Undo and Save are not shown on a document that is Read only.

The ribbon

The ribbon has seven tabs: Home, Comment, Fill & Sign, Edit, Pages, Protect and View. Each tab is divided into named groups.

• A command that doesn’t apply to this document is shown dimmed rather than hidden — for example Flatten the form on a document with no form.
• Rest the pointer on any command to see a sentence about what it does.
• To fold the ribbon away and see more of the page, click the tab that is already open, or click Hide the ribbon at the right end of the tab row. Click any tab, or Show the ribbon, to bring it back.
• The ribbon stays on the tab you chose while you use tools and dialogs.

Commands whose names end in … open a dialog or a file dialog. The others choose a tool or act straight away — except Delete page, Flatten the form and Remove the password, which ask first.

Home

Comment

Fill & Sign

Edit

Pages

Protect

View

The tool strip

Choosing any tool other than Select opens the tool strip under the ribbon. It shows:

• the tool’s picture and name;
• the tool’s choices, each with its name — for example Style: with Highlight, Underline, Strike through, Squiggle and Replace with…, and Colour: with five colours;
• one sentence on how to use the tool, such as Drag across words to mark them.;
• Done, at the right end, which puts the tool away and goes back to Select.

Pressing Esc does the same as Done. Each tool’s choices are described on its own page.

While a marking tool is in use, dragging on the page marks it instead of moving the page, and pinching does not zoom. The zoom buttons and keyboard shortcuts still work. Click Done to move around the page freely again.

The side panel

The side panel runs down the left of the page area. A row of icons at its top switches between its views. Only the views that apply to the document are shown.

Show or hide the panel with the side panel button on the window’s bar, View › Side panel, or ⌘</kbd> (Ctrl+</kbd> on Windows and Linux). On a narrow window the panel is hidden and can’t be shown, because the page needs the room; make the window wider to get it back.

The selection bar

When you select text on the page, a bar appears at the bottom of the page area. It shows the start of what you selected, and these buttons:

Right-clicking selected text offers Highlight, Underline, Cross out, Edit text and Redact as well. See Searching and selecting text.

The More menu

More, at the right of the window’s bar, lists every document command in one place. Most are also on the ribbon under a shorter name. A command that doesn’t apply is dimmed.

On a document that is Read only, the commands that change the document are dimmed. Document properties…, Create a digital ID…, Trusted certificates…, Your name for stamps…, Save a copy… and Print… stay available.