A PDF reader made
for researchers.
AirPDF is a lightweight, native macOS app that makes reading academic papers more comfortable — with night mode, Google Scholar integration, in-PDF search, and a notes sidebar, all in one window. No subscriptions. No accounts.
Download for macOSmacOS 13 Ventura or later · Apple Silicon & Intel · Free
Every feature, explained honestly.
In-PDF Full-Text Search ⌘F
Press ⌘F to open a search bar at the bottom of the window. AirPDF scans the entire document and highlights every match in yellow — they stay highlighted persistently. Press Enter or ↑↓ to step through results one by one. The view automatically scrolls so the matched line is never hidden behind the toolbar. Results wrap around.
Eye-Care Night Mode
Clicking the moon button applies a two-layer Core Image filter: first it inverts the page (white → dark), then it dials down contrast and saturation slightly so the result is soft on the eyes rather than harsh. The toolbar, search bar, and all controls darken to match. Night mode is always available, even with no PDF open.
Google Scholar Sidebar ⌘G
Pressing ⌘G opens an embedded Google Scholar panel pre-searched with your current paper's filename. When no PDF is open it shows the Scholar homepage. From inside the panel you can navigate freely, use AirPDF's Save PDF button to download a paper to disk, or use Replace to swap your current file with the downloaded one — all without leaving AirPDF.
Table of Contents Sidebar New
Clicking the outline button in the toolbar opens a collapsible TOC panel on the left side. Each entry shows the section name and page number. Clicking any entry jumps to that page with a smooth fade transition. Sections can be expanded or collapsed individually. If the PDF has no embedded outline, the panel says so clearly.
Resume Last-Read Page
When you reopen a PDF, AirPDF restores you to the exact page you were on when you last closed it. This is stored per file path using UserDefaults, so it works for any number of files simultaneously — no account or syncing required.
Notes Sidebar ⌘5
A slide-in panel on the right contains up to four independent text pads (configurable to one, two, three, or four rows). Each pad has a double-click-to-rename label. Notes are saved to UserDefaults automatically as you type. They persist between sessions and are not tied to any specific PDF.
Drag & Drop to Open
Drop a PDF anywhere on the AirPDF window — whether it's empty or already showing a document. The drop is handled by a native AppKit subclass, so it works reliably even when an NSView-backed PDF viewer is covering the whole window. The window shows a blue outline while you drag over it.
3D Perspective Tilt
The +/− buttons in the toolbar tilt the PDF page up to 70° in either direction using a 3D rotation transform. A compensating vertical scale keeps the text readable and undistorted. This mimics a physical reading stand angle. Click the reset button (↺) to return to flat. The tilt angle is saved per session.
Jump to Page
The toolbar shows your current page as "3 / 42". Clicking that indicator switches it to an editable text field — type any page number and press Enter. The view jumps immediately with a short fade transition. This also works from the TOC sidebar.
Reading Progress Bar
A 2-pixel gradient bar sits just below the toolbar and fills left-to-right as you move through the document. It updates with a smooth spring animation on every page turn. Subtle enough to not distract, but immediately tells you how far through the paper you are at a glance.
Smooth Page Transitions
Every page jump — whether from the toolbar counter, the TOC sidebar, or a search result — uses a short Core Animation fade rather than a hard cut. The 200 ms transition is just long enough to feel polished without slowing down fast navigation.
Paper of the Day (POD) ⌘E
Point POD at any folder and it opens the shortest PDF in that folder by page count. It's a low-friction way to work through a reading backlog: the app picks for you, removing the paralysis of choosing what to read next.
Smart Rename ⌘R
Click the filename in the toolbar to rename the file in-place (renames the actual file on disk). Optional cleanup rules include: strip bracket/parenthesis content, collapse double spaces, remove leading numbers, capitalise titles, and replace problem characters (colons, slashes, question marks). Rules are configured in Settings.
EconFM Radio ⌘M
Press ⌘M or click the radio icon to stream EconFM — a station mixing music with economics-related shows and talks. It plays in the background while you read, with no playlist management or interaction required. Click again to stop. Access may require a VPN in some regions.
File Management from the Toolbar
Move file to a folder (⌘1), reveal it in Finder (⌘2), open in your default PDF viewer such as Preview (⌘3), or send to Trash (⌘4). All file operations are accessible without opening a separate Finder window.
Keyboard Shortcut Sheet ⌘/
Press ⌘/ or click the ? button in the toolbar to show a floating overlay listing every keyboard shortcut grouped by category. Click anywhere outside to dismiss it.
Onboarding (First Launch)
The first time you open AirPDF, a six-step animated walkthrough introduces the main features: drag to open, search, night mode, Scholar sidebar, the TOC, and a VPN recommendation for Google Scholar and EconFM Radio. Each step has an animated icon and a short description. You can step through or dismiss it early. To replay it later, open the Help sheet (⌘/) and click "Replay Onboarding" at the bottom.
What AirPDF does not do.
AirPDF is a focused reading tool, not a full PDF editor. Being honest about this helps you decide whether it fits your workflow.
If you need annotation, signing, or editing, tools like Preview (built into macOS), PDF Expert, or Adobe Acrobat are better suited. AirPDF works well alongside them as a dedicated reading environment.
Free. No account. No ads.
- Full-text search with persistent highlights
- Eye-care night mode (whole UI)
- Embedded Google Scholar sidebar
- Table of Contents navigation
- 3D perspective tilt & zoom
- Notes sidebar (up to 4 pads)
- Paper of the Day
- Resume last-read page per file
- Smart filename cleanup
- File management from toolbar
- EconFM radio (music & economics shows)
- Reading progress bar
- Smooth page transitions
- Keyboard shortcut & help sheet
To open a blocked app on macOS, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security , Scroll to the "Security" section, and click "Open Anyway" near the blocked app message.