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Change the View of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro

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Change the View of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro: Instructions

            This video lesson, titled “Changing the Viewing Options,” shows how to change the view of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro. This video is from our complete Acrobat XI Pro training, titled “Mastering Acrobat Made Easy v.XI.”

Change the View of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro: Overview

            Acrobat allows you to change the view of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro in a number of ways. Just as when you use Acrobat’s various zoom tools, when you change the view of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro, you do not edit the content of the PDF in any way, but simply change the appearance of the PDF on the computer’s screen.

            To change the view of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro, select “View| Page Display” from the Menu Bar to view a side menu of viewing options. Acrobat’s default view is “Single Page View,” which means the application will only display one page of the open document at a time. If you choose “Enable Scrolling” from the “Page Display” menu, your mouse’s scrolling wheel can be used to move through the document.

            If you choose “Two Page View” from the “Page Display” menu, Acrobat will display two pages side by side in the main document window. This can be handy if you are working with a PDF that is going to be printed as a brochure or a booklet, and you want to see how the opposing pages are going to look next to each other. The “Two Page Scrolling” option will display pairs of pages in a similar way, but with this choice, you can use your mouse to scroll through the document.

            The “Page Display” menu also allows you to check and uncheck options for showing gaps between the pages of your PDF, and showing the cover page of your document in “Two-Page” view. You can also turn on a feature called “Automatically Scroll” found at the bottom of the “Page Display” menu. This option, when checked, will slowly scroll through your PDF automatically. Notice how the thumbnail images shown in the “Page Thumbnails” panel in the Navigation Pane reflect the portion of the document being displayed during the scrolling process. To stop this scrolling, simply uncheck the option in the “Page Display” menu.

            If you choose “Read Mode” from the “View” command in the Menu Bar, the toolbars and task panes disappear, and the open PDF file is resized to fill the window. Notice that a semitransparent, floating toolbar appears at the bottom of the document when you move your mouse over that area. To exit Read Mode, simply click the house-shaped “Show main toolbar” button, and the workspace returns to its former appearance.

            You can also choose “Full Screen Mode” from the View drop-down menu. This is very handy for making presentations. When you choose “Full Screen Mode,” the Menu Bar, toolbars, and task panes disappear, and the open PDF document is resized to fill the screen. To navigate Full Screen Mode, you can left-click your mouse to advance through the pages. Right-click to return to previous pages. You can also press “Enter” or “Spacebar” on your keyboard to move through pages. Holding down the “Shift” key on your keyboard and then pressing either the “Enter” or “Spacebar” keys on your keyboard will move to previous pages. To exit Full Screen Mode, you can either press the “Esc” key on your keyboard or use the keyboard shortcut of “Ctrl” + “L” to exit.

Change the View of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro: A picture of the "Page Display" menu within the "View" menu in the Menu Bar of Acrobat XI Pro.

Change the View of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro: A picture of the “Page Display” menu within the “View” menu in the Menu Bar of Acrobat XI Pro.

Change the View of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro: Instructions

  1. To change the view of a PDF in Acrobat XI Pro, select “View| Page Display” from the Menu Bar to view a side menu of viewing options.
  2. To view a single PDF page at a time, ensure that the “Single Page View” option in the side menu is selected.
  3. To enable scrolling with the mouse wheel through the PDF, ensure the “Enable Scrolling” option in the side menu is selected.
  4. To display two pages side by side in the main document window, ensure the “Two Page View” option in the side menu is selected.
  5. To display two pages and scroll through them two at a time, ensure the “Two Page Scrolling” option in the side menu is selected.
  6. To show gaps between the PDF pages in the view, select the “Show Gaps Between Pages” option in the side menu that appears.
  7. To show the PDF cover page in the Two Page View, select the “Show Cover Page in Two Page View” option in the side menu that appears.
  8. To start automatically scrolling through your PDF, select the “Automatically Scroll” option in the side menu that appears.
  9. To stop automatically scrolling, select the “Automatically Scroll” option in the side menu that appears once again to uncheck the option within the side menu.
  10. To switch to Read Mode, select “View| Read Mode” from the Menu Bar.
  11. To exit Read Mode, click the house-shaped “Show main toolbar” button in the toolbar that appears at the bottom of the Read Mode view.
  12. To switch to Full Screen Mode, select “View| Full Screen Mode” from the Menu Bar.
  13. To navigate in Full Screen Mode, you can left-click your mouse to advance through the pages. Right-click to return to previous pages. You can also press “Enter” or “Spacebar” on your keyboard to move through pages. Holding down the “Shift” key on your keyboard and then pressing either the “Enter” or “Spacebar” keys on your keyboard will move to previous pages.
  14. To exit Full Screen Mode, you can either press the “Esc” key on your keyboard or use the keyboard shortcut of “Ctrl” + “L” to exit.
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