How to Access the PDF Reader in Helperbird
Learn how to use Helperbird PDF support. Read and annotate PDFs with accessibility tools Support for all learners and educators. This guide explains how to use the PDF reading features in Helperbird. When a PDF is detected in your browser, a popup will ask if you want to open it in Helperbird's PDF reader.
Helperbird's PDF Reader makes working with PDF documents easier with built-in tools for reading, annotating, note-taking, and more. Open any PDF and access powerful features like voice typing, translation, text extraction, and summarization.
Step 1: Open PDF in Helperbird
When viewing a PDF in your browser, look for the green "Open PDF in Helperbird – Click to Open" button at the bottom of the page. Click this button to open the PDF in Helperbird's reader.
The PDF will load in Helperbird's reader interface with all tools available.
Step 2: Navigate and Take Notes
Once your PDF is open, you'll see page numbers at the top for easy navigation. To open the note-taking panel, click the Notepad button in the top toolbar.
This will open a split view with your PDF on the left and the Notepad on the right.
Note-Taking Features:
Voice Typing: Click the microphone icon to start dictating your notes instead of typing. Great for quickly capturing thoughts while reading.
Grammar/Spell Check: Click the "A" with checkmark icon to check your notes for spelling and grammar errors.
Print: Click the print icon to quickly print your notes.
Download Options: Click the download icon in the toolbar to see your options. You can download your notes separately, download the original PDF, or download the PDF with your annotations included.
Step 3: Annotate Your PDF
Click the Add Textbox button in the top toolbar to start adding text boxes and annotations directly onto your PDF pages.
Click the Add Textbox button again to add more text boxes where you can type your annotations.
Each text box is a rich text editor. A floating toolbar attached to the box lets you format your text with bold, italic, underline, colors, sizes, and lists, and you can drag the corner handle to resize the box. Press Escape when you're finished editing. Your formatting is kept when you use Download with your changes.
Step 4: PDF Text to Speech
Click the Text to Speech button in the top toolbar to open the audio player bar, then use the playback controls to listen to your PDF:
- Play: Start reading the PDF aloud, or resume after pausing
- Pause: Temporarily pause the reading
- Stop: Stop the reading completely
The audio player bar also shows your progress and lets you change the playback speed.
Step 5: Use Quick PDF Tools
Click the Tools dropdown in the top navigation bar to access quick tools for working with your PDF:
Extract Text: Pull text from the PDF to use in other documents or applications.
Summarize: Get a quick summary of the PDF content to understand key points faster.
Immersive Reader: Open the PDF in an immersive reading mode with enhanced readability features.
Translate: Open the page, or the text you have highlighted, in Immersive Reader with translation automatically turned on for your saved language.
Tip: The PDF Reader combines all of Helperbird's powerful tools in one place, making it perfect for studying, research, and document review. Use voice typing for quick note-taking, the Add Textbox button to mark up important sections, and the Drawing Tools to draw shapes, arrows, and freehand marks directly on the PDF.
Video Tutorial
Need Additional Help?
Ran into a snag while using the PDF Reader? No worries at all! Just reach out to our friendly Helperbird support team, and we'll help you smooth things out in no time.
