Foxit PDF Reader

Last updated
Foxit PDF Reader
Developer(s) Foxit Software
Stable release 2024.2.2.25170 (May 24, 2024;5 months ago (2024-05-24) [1] ) [±]
Operating system [2]
Size Around 100 MB
Available inEnglish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and 35 other languages
Type Desktop publishing software
License Proprietary
Website www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf-reader/

Foxit PDF Reader (formerly Foxit Reader) is a multilingual freemium PDF (Portable Document Format) tool that can create, view, edit, digitally sign, and print PDF files. [3] Foxit Reader is developed by Fuzhou, China-based Foxit Software. Early versions of Foxit Reader were notable for startup performance and small file size. [4] Foxit v3.0 was found to be comparable to Adobe Reader. [4] The Windows version allows annotating and saving unfinished PDF forms, FDF import/export, converting to text, highlighting, and drawing. Until version 9.7.2 Foxit Reader had PDF creation features, including a "Foxit PDF Printer" for Windows, allowing all programs to "print" output to PDF; they were removed in May 2020 from later versions. [5] Foxit PDF Reader also includes an Enterprise version, which requires a Foxit account. [6]

Contents

Supported platforms

Foxit Software adds support for new platforms, and withdraws ones considered obsolete. Microsoft operating systems from Windows 95, Windows Mobile (CE), Windows RT, and Windows Phone were all supported, but have been discontinued. [7] Systems currently supported are reported on the Foxit Website, and include versions of Windows, Mac OS, and older versions of Linux. [8] [2] Mobile versions are available for telephones and tablets running Android and Apple iOS. [9] Foxit's PDF Reader is also available online via the Foxit cloud service, but only when bundled with Foxit PDF Editor.

Issues

The Foxit installer was bundled with potentially unwanted programs like the Ask Toolbar [10] and OpenCandy which installed the browser-hijacking malware Conduit. [11] [12]

In July 2014, the Internet Storm Center reported that the mobile version for iPhone was transmitting unencrypted telemetry and other data to remote servers located in China despite users attempting to opt out of such data collection. [13]

Versions of Foxit Reader up to 9.7.2 added a "Foxit PDF printer" to Windows; this allowed any program to send its printable output to a PDF file. This was removed in later versions, [5] an action much criticised by users. On 9 June 2021 Foxit said "Foxit PDF Printer will not be added in Foxit Reader in the foreseeable future", and suggested using Foxit PDF Editor for PDF creation. [14] Ways to extract the PDF printer from an older version were published. [15] Alternatively, Foxit PDF printer can also be installed directly from the link provided by Foxit Support. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linux distribution</span> Operating system based on the Linux kernel

A Linux distribution is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro, if distributed on its own, is often obtained via a website intended specifically for the purpose. Distros have been designed for a wide variety of systems ranging from personal computers to servers and from embedded devices to supercomputers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Package manager</span> Software tools for handling software packages

A package manager or package-management system is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer in a consistent manner.

In computing, cross-platform software is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software requires a separate build for each platform, but some can be directly run on any platform without special preparation, being written in an interpreted language or compiled to portable bytecode for which the interpreters or run-time packages are common or standard components of all supported platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPS Office</span> Office suite software by Kingsoft

WPS Office is an office suite for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire OS and HarmonyOS developed by Chinese software developer company, Kingsoft Office Software. It also comes pre-installed on Amazon Fire tablets. WPS Office is made up of three primary components: WPS Writer, WPS Presentation, and WPS Spreadsheet. By 2022, WPS Office reached a number of more than 494 million monthly active users and over 1.2 billion installations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The SWORD Project</span>

The SWORD Project is the CrossWire Bible Society's free software project. Its purpose is to create cross-platform open-source tools—covered by the GNU General Public License—that allow programmers and Bible societies to write new Bible software more quickly and easily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ArtRage</span> Bitmap graphics editor by Ambient Design Ltd.

ArtRage is a bitmap graphics editor for digital painting created by Ambient Design Ltd. It is currently in version 6, and supports Windows, macOS and mobile Apple and Android devices and is available in multiple languages. It caters to all ages and skill levels, from children to professional artists. ArtRage 5 was announced in January 2017 and released in February 2017.

A number of vector graphics editors exist for various platforms. Potential users of these editors will make a comparison of vector graphics editors based on factors such as the availability for the user's platform, the software license, the feature set, the merits of the user interface (UI) and the focus of the program. Some programs are more suitable for artistic work while others are better for technical drawings. Another important factor is the application's support of various vector and bitmap image formats for import and export.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe AIR</span> Cross-platform runtime system for building rich web applications

Adobe AIR is a cross-platform runtime system currently developed by Harman International, in collaboration with Adobe Inc., for building desktop applications and mobile applications, programmed using Adobe Animate, ActionScript, and optionally Apache Flex. It was originally released in 2008. The runtime supports installable applications on Windows, macOS, and mobile operating systems, including Android, iOS, and BlackBerry Tablet OS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zotero</span> Open-source reference management software

Zotero is free and open-source reference management software to manage bibliographic data and related research materials, such as PDF and ePUB files. Features include web browser integration, online syncing, generation of in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies, integrated PDF, ePUB and HTML readers with annotation capabilities, and a note editor, as well as integration with the word processors Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, and Google Docs. It was originally created at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and, as of 2021, is developed by the non-profit Corporation for Digital Scholarship.

This page is a comparison of notable remote desktop software available for various platforms.

Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen-based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It is the world's most widely used operating system due to it being used on most smartphones and tablets outside of iPhones and iPads, which use Apple's iOS and iPadOS, respectively. As of October 2024, Android accounts for 45% of the global operating system market, followed by Windows with 26%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CCleaner</span> Suite of utilities for cleaning disk and operating system environment

CCleaner, developed by Piriform Software, is a utility used to clean potentially unwanted files and invalid Windows Registry entries from a computer. It is one of the longest-established system cleaners, first launched in 2004. It was originally developed for Microsoft Windows only, but in 2012, a macOS version was released. An Android version was released in 2014.

The Android Package with the file extension apk is the file format used by the Android operating system, and a number of other Android-based operating systems for distribution and installation of mobile apps, mobile games and middleware. A file using this format can be built from source code written in either Java or Kotlin.

OpenCandy was an adware module and a potentially unwanted program classified as malware by many anti-virus vendors. They flagged OpenCandy due to its undesirable side-effects. It was designed to run during installation of other desired software. Produced by SweetLabs, it consisted of a Microsoft Windows library incorporated in a Windows Installer. When a user installed an application that had bundled the OpenCandy library, an option appeared to install software it recommended based on a scan of the user's system and geolocation. Both the option and offers it generated were selected by default and would be installed unless the user unchecked them before continuing with the installation.

Avira Operations GmbH & Co. KG is a German multinational computer security software company mainly known for its Avira Free Security antivirus software. Although founded in 2006, the Avira antivirus application has been under active development since 1986 through its predecessor company H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH. Since 2021, Avira has been owned by American software company NortonLifeLock, which also operates Norton, Avast and AVG. It was previously owned by investment firm Investcorp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xojo</span> Programming environment and programming language

The Xojo programming environment and programming language is developed and commercially marketed by Xojo, Inc. of Austin, Texas for software development targeting macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, the Web and Raspberry Pi. Xojo uses a proprietary object-oriented language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foxit Software</span> Software company which develops a PDF reader

Fujian Foxit Software Development Joint Stock Co., Ltd., also known as Foxit Software, is a software developer based in Fuzhou, China, with subsidiaries in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia, that develops Portable Document Format (PDF) software and tools used to create, edit, eSign, and secure files and digital documents. It also has other offices in Fuzhou, Beijing, Berlin, South Yarra (Melbourne), Japan, Taiwan, Korea, France, North Macedonia, and Slovakia.

References

  1. ↑ "Foxit PDF Reader Version History & Release Notes | Foxit Software". Foxit Software . Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Foxit PDF Reader". Foxit. Retrieved 2021-07-01. Click "System Requirements" for list of operating systems currently supported, and minimum hardware requirements.
  3. ↑ Popa, Bogdan (1 December 2014). "Foxit Reader". Softpedia . SoftNews.
  4. 1 2 Andrew Harrison (6 April 2009). "PC World, Foxit (PDF) Reader review". PC World magazine. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Foxit Reader Version History". Foxit Software. PDF creation is not available in Foxit Reader 10.0.
  6. ↑ "Foxit PDF Reader for Enterprise Register". Foxit Software. Retrieved 2022-01-31.
  7. ↑ Foxit Reader V1.2 Beta For Windows Mobile Smartphone - User Manual (PDF). Foxit. 2012.
  8. ↑ "Foxit Reader locks up - Linux Mint 64 bit Cinnammon". PDF Forum | Foxit Software. Archived from the original on 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  9. ↑ "Foxit PDF Reader Mobile for Android, iOS". Foxit. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  10. ↑ Hillier, Jim (17 August 2011). "Freeware and the bundling of extras". Daves Computer Tips. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  11. ↑ Rogers, Nick. "Beware of Malware when you download". Clear Computer Help. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Best PDF Editor Tools for Linux in 2021 – PDF View, Split, Merge, Convert Tools". After Linux. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  13. ↑ Wesemann, Daniel (22 July 2014). "App 'telemetry'". InfoSec Handlers Diary. SANS Institute.
  14. ↑ "Foxit PDF printer gone after Foxit Reader upgrade". PDF Forum - Foxit Software. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2021. Criticism of removal of PDF printer from Foxit Reader - Posts by users and responses from Foxit, starting on 13 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "redlettertech/FoxitReaderPDFPrinter.ps1 - script will install the Foxit Reader PDF Printer". GitHub . Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "The stand-alone package of Foxit PDF Editor Creator package (PDF Printer) for virtual environment". Foxit Support Center. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.