Preview PDF files

PDF files open in the side panel as one column of pages you can read, select and zoom beside your chat. This page covers the PDF viewer itself; opening a preview, the shared controls and the shared failure states are covered in Preview files in the side panel. To have Oda read a PDF for you and answer from it, see Reading PDFs.

Read a PDF

1. Open the file as any other preview: click it in the Workspace files tab, a file reference in a message, or a file step in the chat. It opens as its own tab in the side panel.
2. Scroll down the document: the pages follow one another in a single column.

• Pages are prepared as you approach them. The first page appears straight away, and later pages fill in as you reach them, so a long document opens without waiting for every page.
• A page that is still being prepared holds its place quietly.
• Text on a rendered page can be selected and copied, as in any PDF reader.
• Each page is labelled for screen readers, and a page that is still being prepared is announced as Rendering page….
• The page you are on and your zoom stay with the tab while it is open.
• Word and PowerPoint files are converted for reading first and then open in this same viewer; the conversion is covered in Preview Word and PowerPoint files.

Zoom a PDF

• PDFs share the floating zoom control with images: Fit width by default, the fixed sizes 25%, 50%, 100%, 150% and 200%, steps of 25% up to 400%, and trackpad pinch. The control, its gestures and how zoom is kept are described in Preview files in the side panel.
• Zooming enlarges the page as it was prepared, so text can look soft when you zoom far in.
• Very large pages are prepared within a size cap, and the view keeps the page's proportions.

When a PDF cannot be shown

A failed PDF shows the message where the pages would be, with a Retry control.

• This PDF requires a password; password-protected previews are not supported. Password-protected files cannot be shown, and retrying does not help. Ask for a copy without a password, or open the file in its usual application (Open files and folders in other apps).
• The PDF rendering process could not continue. Please retry. The PDF rendering process stopped on this document. Use Retry; rendering runs in the background, so the tab stays open while the document is prepared again.
• Cannot display PDF: {message} The text after the colon says why the file could not be displayed. Use Retry; if it keeps failing, check the file in its usual application.
• PDF preview requires the complete file contents. The preview did not receive the whole file, so it shows nothing rather than part of the document. Open the preview again.

Questions, answered

Can I select and copy text from a PDF?

Yes. Each rendered page carries a selectable text layer, so you can select and copy text as you would in any PDF reader.

Why do some pages take a moment to appear?

A PDF preview prepares pages as you approach them rather than all at once. The first page appears straight away and later pages fill in as you reach them, so a long document opens quickly. A page that is still being prepared holds its place quietly.

Why does text look soft when I zoom in?

Zooming enlarges the page as it was prepared, so text can look soft when you zoom far in. Very large pages are prepared within a size cap; the view keeps the page's proportions.

Can I preview a password-protected PDF?

No. Opening one shows This PDF requires a password; password-protected previews are not supported. Ask for a copy without a password, or open the file in its usual application.

The preview says the PDF rendering process could not continue. What do I do?

That means the PDF rendering process stopped on this document, so the pages are not shown. Use Retry; the document is prepared again, and the tab stays open while that happens.

Why can't the preview display my PDF?

The message says so directly: Cannot display PDF: {message}, where the text after the colon gives the reason. Use Retry to try again; if it keeps failing, check the file in its usual application.

Why does it say the preview requires the complete file contents?

PDF preview requires the complete file contents. means the preview did not receive the whole file, so it shows nothing rather than part of the document. Open the preview again.

Does the preview keep my place in a PDF?

Yes. While the tab is open, the page you were on and your zoom stay with it, even if you switch to another tab and come back.