Obsidian opens PDF files in a built-in viewer. You can also embed a PDF in a note, link to a passage in it, and export any note as a PDF. For the file types Obsidian supports, see [[Accepted file formats]]. > [!info]+ Some features are desktop only > The Obsidian app on mobile can't search inside a PDF, copy a quote or a link to a selection, or export a note to PDF. ## Open a PDF In the [[File explorer]], select a PDF to open it in a tab. > [!info]+ Annotations are not supported > Obsidian doesn't support adding annotations or highlights to a PDF. To mark up a PDF, use another app and then open the updated file in your vault. The viewer has a toolbar with these controls. The Obsidian app on mobile has the same toolbar. - **Toggle sidebar** shows or hides the sidebar, and **Sidebar options** changes what the sidebar shows. - **Zoom out** and **Zoom in** change the size of the page. - **Display options** changes how pages are laid out. - The page box shows the current page. Enter a page number to go to that page. To work with the PDF file itself, such as renaming or moving it, select **More options** ![[lucide-more-horizontal.svg#icon]]. A PDF has fewer items in this menu than a note. See [[More options menu]]. ## Navigate a PDF Select **Sidebar options**, and then choose what to show. - **Thumbnails** shows a small preview of each page. - **Table of contents** shows the PDF's outline, if it has one. - **Reveal page in table of contents** highlights the current page in the table of contents. To link to a page, right-click its thumbnail and select **Copy link to page N**, where N is the page number. Paste the link into a note. To link to a section, right-click an entry in the table of contents and select **Copy link to “Title”**, where Title is the name of the entry. On mobile, press and hold the entry. ## Change how a PDF looks Select **Display options** to change the layout. - **Fit width** and **Fit height** size the page to the viewer. - **Single page** shows one page at a time. - **Two-page (odd)** shows pages side by side, starting with an odd page on the left. For example, pages 1 and 2 show together, and then pages 3 and 4. - **Two-page (even)** shows pages side by side, starting with an even page on the left. For example, page 1 shows alone, and then pages 2 and 3 show together. - **Adapt to theme** darkens the PDF's colors when your Obsidian theme is dark. ## Search a PDF Searching inside a PDF is available on desktop only. The Obsidian app on mobile doesn't have search in the PDF viewer. 1. Press `Ctrl+F` (Windows and Linux) or `Command+F` (macOS). 2. In **Search...**, enter the text you want to find. 3. Select the up or down arrow to move between matches. To change how the search works, use these options. - **Match case** matches upper and lower case exactly. It is the **Aa** button in the search field. - **Highlight all** highlights every match. Select the settings button next to the arrows to find this option. - **Match diacritics** treats letters with accents as different letters. It is in the same settings menu. - **Whole words** finds only whole words. It is in the same settings menu. Select the close button to leave search. ## Copy text from a PDF On desktop, select text in the PDF, and then right-click it. - **Copy** copies the text. - **Copy as quote** copies the text as a quote, followed by a link to the passage. - **Copy link to selection** copies a link to that passage, so you can paste it into a note. A quote looks like this when you paste it into a note. ```md > Obsidian is awesome [[Gemmy.pdf#page=1&selection=32,0,32,14|Gemmy, page 1]] ``` A link to a selection has the same link on its own. ```md [[Gemmy.pdf#page=1&selection=32,0,32,14|Gemmy, page 1]] ``` On mobile, selecting text in a PDF shows your device's standard text menu. **Copy as quote** and **Copy link to selection** are not available. ## Embed a PDF To show a PDF inside a note, see how to [[Embed files#Embed a PDF in a note|embed a PDF in a note]]. An embedded PDF has the same toolbar as the viewer. Select **Edit this block** to change the embed link. ## Export a note to PDF You can export any note as a PDF on desktop. Exporting to PDF is not available in the Obsidian app on mobile. 1. Open the note you want to export. 2. Open the [[Command palette]] and select **Export to PDF...**. You can also select **More options** ![[lucide-more-horizontal.svg#icon]] in the note, and then select **Export to PDF...**. 3. Choose your settings. - **Include file name as title** adds the file name at the top of the PDF. - **Page size** sets the paper size. You can choose A3, A4, A5, Legal, Letter, or Tabloid. - **Landscape** turns the pages sideways. - **Margin** sets the page margin to **Default**, **Minimal**, or **None**. - **Downscale percent** scales the content on each page. At 100, the content stays full size. Lower values make the text and images smaller, so more fits on each page. 4. Select **Export to PDF**. 5. Choose where to save the file. > [!tip]- Export a note with a dark theme > Exports always use light styling, even if your theme is dark. To change how an export looks, you can use a [[CSS snippets|CSS snippet]]. The Obsidian forum has examples of snippets for printing and exporting.[^1] [^1]: See [How can I make export pdf look the same as my theme?](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/how-can-i-make-export-pdf-look-the-same-as-my-theme/75849) and [PDF and print style reset with code syntax highlighting](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/pdf-and-print-style-reset-with-code-syntax-highlighting/31761).