How to Open and Show a PDF file in C#

By FoxLearn 3/25/2025 1:36:53 AM 16.98K

To embed and display a PDF file in a Windows Forms application using C# and Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can use the Adobe Acrobat Reader ActiveX control.

This requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader software to be installed on the machine.

How to Open and Show a PDF file in C#?

Open Visual Studio, then click New Project, then select Visual C# on the left, then Windows and then select Windows Forms Application. Name your project "PdfViewer" and then click OK

You need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader, then add a reference to Interop.AcroPDFLib, AxInterop.AcroPDFLib control in your Windows Forms project.

c# pdf viewer

How to add the ActiveX Control to the Visual Toolbox?

In Visual Studio, right-click on the Toolbox and select Choose Items....Go to the COM Components tab, then look for Adobe PDF Reader or AcroPDF.dll in the list, and check it.

Next, Click OK button to add the Adobe PDF Reader control to the Toolbox.

Drag and drop the Adobe PDF Reader control from the Toolbox onto your form.

Add a click event handler to Open button allows load and display a PDF file in the form

For example, net pdf viewer for winforms

        
          
          
              
              // open pdf in c#
private void btnOpen_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    // c# pdf file
    using (OpenFileDialog ofd = new OpenFileDialog() { ValidateNames = true, Multiselect = false, Filter = "PDF|*.pdf" })
    {
        if (ofd.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
        {
            // c# open pdf file by loading the PDF into the Adobe PDF Reader control
            axAcroPDF.src = ofd.FileName; // pdf c# in file
        }
    }
}

            

        
      