pdf viewer

Embed fast, flexible document viewing in your app

Render PDFs, Office files, and images with smooth performance, full UI control, and no client installs — across web, mobile, and desktop.

What do you want to do with documents?

Render complex PDFs with speed and clarity

Display even large or high-resolution files with smooth scrolling and pixel-perfect fidelity across multiple formats — no plugins or delays.

Search inside documents instantly

Let users locate keywords, phrases, or patterns with real-time indexed search and contextual highlights.

Deliver a mobile-friendly reading experience

Transform dense PDFs into clean, scrollable layouts with Reader View — perfect for phones and tablets.

Customize the viewing experience

Adapt the UI to your product — modify toolbars, navigation, and features to fit your users and workflows.

How we help


VIEWER

Display documents instantly — across formats, platforms, and devices

Embed a high-performance PDF and document viewer in your app with full UI control, smooth rendering, and multi-format support — no downloads or plugins required.

AI Document Processing demo interface
Universal format support

View PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, images, and more in a seamless, consistent experience.

Fast, fluid performance

Handle large documents and complex layouts with GPU acceleration and responsive scrolling.

Fully customizable UI

Match your brand with flexible styling, toolbar control, and programmable interactions.

Runs anywhere

Works out of the box on Web, iOS, and Android — zero client installs or dependencies.

READER VIEW

Turn dense PDFs into clean, mobile reading experiences.

Reader View transforms complex documents into clean, scrollable reading experiences on phones and tablets. Perfect for mobile claims, summaries, and long-form PDFs.

AI Document Processing demo interface
Responsive, reflowed layout

Adapts text into a single-column scroll that fits small screens perfectly.

Preserves document fidelity

Keeps the original structure, styling, and semantics intact — no risky conversions.

Tap to switch modes

Let users toggle between standard view and Reader View for flexibility and focus.

Optimized for mobile

Supports touch gestures, dynamic type, and accessibility features by default.

Viewing indexed search

INDEXED SEARCH

Search every document instantly — with rich, contextual results

Empower teams to edit documents together — live, in sync, and without conflict. No plugins, pings, or version headaches.

Preindexed content

Extract and catalog text in real time, so search is ready the moment users need it.

Matches with context

Display search results inline with snippet previews and guided navigation.

Customizable ranking and UI

Control match logic, result order, and presentation to fit your product’s needs.

Cross-platform support

Integrate seamlessly with iOS, Android, and other SDKs, with Spotlight support on iOS.


Supported on your platform




Prefer a cloud deployment?

Nutrient’s Document Web Services (DWS) platform offers cloud-native APIs that support every stage of the document lifecycle — from rendering a single PDF in the browser, to high-volume processing and automation.

DWS Processor API

Handle advanced, headless document workflows from the cloud — generate, convert, extract, add watermarks, and more with a processing API built for scale.

DWS Viewer API

Deliver rich, interactive document experiences directly in the browser — render PDFs, annotate, fill forms, and collect signatures with a cloud-hosted viewer API.


Frequently asked questions

What is the Nutrient PDF viewer SDK?

The Nutrient PDF viewer SDK is a fast, fully embeddable viewer for web, mobile, and desktop apps. The SDK supports smooth rendering, dark mode, zooming, bookmarks, annotations, and more — with full control over performance and presentation.

How does the PDF viewer SDK ensure high-fidelity rendering across different devices?

Nutrient’s viewer is responsive by default and optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop. It delivers consistent, pixel-perfect rendering across screen sizes using GPU acceleration and layout-aware rendering.

How easy is it to integrate the PDF viewer SDK into my app?

Integration is fast and flexible — you can get started in just a few steps. Nutrient provides detailed documentation, developer-friendly APIs, and native support for frameworks like React, Angular, Vue, and more.

Can I customize the viewer to match my app’s UI?

Yes. Every part of the interface can be tailored. You can hide or extend toolbars, trigger custom workflows, apply brand themes, and even add overlays or custom buttons using our UI customization API.

What security features does the viewer SDK offer?

Nutrient is built on a optimized fork of PDFium — the same engine used by Chromium and Android. We support encrypted PDFs, never persist passwords, and follow strict peer-reviewed development and testing practices.


Our SDK is compatible with major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. We also offer APIs for popular languages such as JavaScript, Python, and C# to minimize the external dependencies required, simplifying the integration process.

Is the PDF viewer accessible to all users?

Yes. The SDK is designed for WCAG compliance and supports screen readers, dynamic type, keyboard navigation, and responsive touch interaction.

What are the system and browser requirements?

The SDK runs client-side with WebAssembly and works across all major modern browsers. You can also pair it with Document Engine for additional capabilities. See our benchmark guide to test real-world performance.

Is Web Viewer SDK compatible with other tools and frameworks?

Absolutely. It works with JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, Vue, and Svelte, and it supports integrations with Electron, .NET, Rails, Laravel, and more.


Insights from our team

EXPLORE BLOG

PROVEN AT SCALE

Trusted by the brands that move the world


Replaced paper and email with Nutrient Workflow to automate multilevel approvals across six Latin American offices, processing 236 asset requests.


Renders multipage PDFs and signature tags with Nutrient, keeping 200 million users in 188 countries moving at the speed of eSignature.


Empowers 34,000 pilots to view, annotate, and sign 90‑page flight releases on iPad using Nutrient iOS SDK, saving minutes — and money — on every flight.


FOR DEVELOPERS

Power your app with our SDK in minutes


PDF viewer SDK

What is a PDF viewer SDK?

A PDF viewer SDK lets developers embed high-performance PDF viewing into their applications. It enables users to open, read, and interact with PDF files inside your software without needing third-party viewers. Nutrient’s PDF viewer SDK delivers smooth, responsive rendering and supports interactive features like annotations, form filling, and document navigation across platforms.

  • High-fidelity rendering for PDFs of all sizes and complexities.
  • Supports annotations, bookmarks, form fields, and links.
  • Cross-platform support for web, mobile, and desktop apps.
  • Customizable viewer UI with full API access.
  • Built-in support for accessibility and keyboard navigation.
How to choose the right PDF viewer SDK?

Choosing the right viewer depends on how deeply you want to integrate document viewing into your application — and what kind of user experience you want to deliver. Here’s what to consider:

  • Rendering performance — Can it handle large or complex PDFs without lag?
  • Feature set — Does it support annotations, bookmarks, fillable forms, and embedded media?
  • Cross-platform compatibility — Does it work on web, iOS, Android, and desktop?
  • Customizability — Can you tailor the UI to fit your app’s look and feel?
  • Security and compliance — Are documents protected and handled securely?
What are the benefits of using Nutrient’s PDF viewer SDK?

Nutrient’s SDK offers a powerful, customizable viewing experience that’s easy to embed and scale, no matter your app architecture.

  • Lightning-fast rendering — Optimized engine for smooth scrolling and zooming.
  • Full document interaction — View, annotate, navigate, fill forms, and more.
  • Custom viewer UI — Adapt the interface to your app’s branding or user needs.
  • Built for developers — Clean, well-documented API with fast implementation.
  • Works everywhere — Seamless performance on web, iOS, Android, and desktop.
How does Nutrient’s SDK compare to other PDF viewer solutions?

Nutrient’s SDK outshines many competitors with its balance of performance, flexibility, and ease of use — especially for teams that want full control without a steep learning curve.

  • More UI control — Modify toolbars, panels, navigation, and themes with ease.
  • Better developer experience — Fewer dependencies and easier setup.
  • Superior rendering — Handles complex PDFs without delays or memory issues.
  • Rich feature set — Includes bookmarks, comments, forms, links, and more.
  • Compliance-ready — Built with security and accessibility in mind.