In Preview, you can browse and open PDFs and images directly, without opening the Files app first. You’ll find files you opened recently in Recents. Once a file is open, you can find text in a PDF, view information about the PDF or image, and view an Apple Reference Image.
Open a PDF or image
Without opening the Files app first, you can browse and open PDFs and images directly in Preview.
- Start the Preview app on your iPhone.
- Do any of the following to find a file:
- View files you opened recently: Tap Recents.
- View shared files: Tap Shared.
- Browse available files: Tap Browse.
- Choose a location to browse: Tap Browse and tap the Back button. Tap an option under Locations.
- Browse by tag: Tap Browse, tap the Back button, and then tap an option under Tags.
- Optionally, tap the More button. Then select how items appear (icons or list) or how items are sorted.
- Tap a file to open it.
Quick tip: When someone emails you a PDF form to fill out, tap the attached file in the Mail app, and you can open and complete the form in Preview. When you’re finished, you can reply to the sender and attach the completed form.
View a PDF or image
- Start the Preview app on your iPhone.
- Open the PDF or image you want to view.
- Do any of the following:
- Zoom in or out: Pinch two fingers open or closed on a page or image.
- Show thumbnails for a PDF: Tap the page count. (If the page count doesn’t appear, tap the screen.)
- Hide thumbnails for a PDF: Pinch two fingers open on a page until the thumbnails disappear.
- Scroll pages in a PDF: Swipe up or down.
- Go to a specific page in a PDF: Tap the More button and tap Go to Page. Enter a page number and tap Go.
- Turn on Dark Background for a PDF: With Dark Mode turned on, tap the More button and then tap Dark Background.
View an Apple Reference Image
When a photo includes an Apple Reference Image, Preview can show you the reference image and its information, so you can verify whether the photo has been altered or edited.
- Start the Preview app on your iPhone.
- Open the PDF or image that includes an Apple Reference Image.
- Tap the Info button and then tap Reference Image to view the unedited image.
- Tap the Info button again to see the information about the Reference Image data.
Find text in a PDF
- Start the Preview app on your iPhone.
- Open a PDF you want to search.
- Tap the Search button.
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Enter a word or phrase in the search field.
If you enter a phrase, Preview searches for that exact phrase.
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Optionally, tap the Search Options button in the search field and do any of the following:
- Exclude matches where the search text is part of another word: Select Whole Words.
- Only include results that match the capitalization of the search text: Select Match Case.
- Tap the Next Result button or the Previous Result button to go to the next or previous search result.
- Tap the Close button to close the search results.
View information about a PDF or image
Information about PDF documents and images is available, such as creation date, filename, size, and more. And when location information is available for a photo, you can view the latitude and longitude where it was taken.
- Start the Preview app on your iPhone.
- Open a PDF or image.
- Tap the Info button to see information about the file.
- To add or change a caption, tap Add a Caption (or the current text), enter text, and then tap the Done button.
- Tap the Close button to close the Info window.
