Read and navigate PDFs

The PDF reader keeps the document and its page controls in the same view. Use it to read the PDF directly or to inspect the passage behind an Atlas citation.

Open a PDF source

Open the project that contains the PDF.
Select the PDF under Sources.
Wait for the first page to appear.

DOCX and PPTX sources use the same reader after Atlas converts them for display.

Move through the document

Use the reader controls to move and adjust the document:

Control	What it does
Previous page and Next page	Move one page at a time.
Page number, 1 to …	Go directly to a page.
Zoom in and Zoom out	Change the page scale.
Fit to page	Fit the current page inside the reader.
Rotate 90°	Rotate the document clockwise.
Download PDF	Download the PDF. Converted documents instead offer their original DOCX or PPTX file.

Open More PDF actions to find fit, rotate, and download. If the PDF contains an outline, Atlas also shows its table of contents.

The page number in the reader counts PDF pages from the beginning of the file. A page number printed inside the document can differ when the file includes a cover or front matter.

Find text in the PDF

Click inside the PDF panel, then press Cmd+F on macOS or Ctrl+F on Windows or Linux.
Type a word or phrase in Search. The counter shows the current result and total, such as 1 of 12.
Use Next result or Previous result to move between occurrences. Enter moves forward. Shift+Enter moves backward. Navigation wraps after the last result.
Press Escape or select Close search to return to reading.

Reopening search restores your query for that document. Search ignores letter case. A count of 0 of 0 means there are no results. Scanned pages need selectable text to be searchable. Opening a citation closes search and moves to the cited passage.

Verify a citation in its PDF context

Select the citation attached to the answer.
Check that Atlas opened the expected PDF and page.
Read the highlighted text and the sentences around it.
Compare the passage with the part of the answer you are checking.

Sometimes Atlas can open the cited page without highlighting the exact text. Read the page to find the passage before deciding whether it supports the answer.

Recover from a PDF-reading problem

What you see	What to do
Loading document… remains visible	Wait for the reader to finish loading the file.
The rendered document could not be loaded.	Select Retry. If it fails again, reopen the source.
A citation opens without a highlight	Read the cited page and search visually for the relevant passage.
The pages load but Atlas cannot find expected text	Check the processing panel for No searchable text or another failed stage.

For a failed source or missing extracted content, see Troubleshoot source processing.

Move through the document

Use the reader controls to move and adjust the document:

Control	What it does
Previous page and Next page	Move one page at a time.
Page number, 1 to …	Go directly to a page.
Zoom in and Zoom out	Change the page scale.
Fit to page	Fit the current page inside the reader.
Rotate 90°	Rotate the document clockwise.
Download PDF	Download the PDF. Converted documents instead offer their original DOCX or PPTX file.

Open More PDF actions to find fit, rotate, and download. If the PDF contains an outline, Atlas also shows its table of contents.

The page number in the reader counts PDF pages from the beginning of the file. A page number printed inside the document can differ when the file includes a cover or front matter.

Find text in the PDF

Click inside the PDF panel, then press Cmd+F on macOS or Ctrl+F on Windows or Linux.

Type a word or phrase in Search. The counter shows the current result and total, such as 1 of 12.

Use Next result or Previous result to move between occurrences. Enter moves forward. Shift+Enter moves backward. Navigation wraps after the last result.

Press Escape or select Close search to return to reading.

Verify a citation in its PDF context

Select the citation attached to the answer.

Check that Atlas opened the expected PDF and page.

Read the highlighted text and the sentences around it.

Compare the passage with the part of the answer you are checking.

Sometimes Atlas can open the cited page without highlighting the exact text. Read the page to find the passage before deciding whether it supports the answer.

Recover from a PDF-reading problem

What you see	What to do
Loading document… remains visible	Wait for the reader to finish loading the file.
The rendered document could not be loaded.	Select Retry. If it fails again, reopen the source.
A citation opens without a highlight	Read the cited page and search visually for the relevant passage.
The pages load but Atlas cannot find expected text	Check the processing panel for No searchable text or another failed stage.

For a failed source or missing extracted content, see Troubleshoot source processing.