Ribbon, tabs and panels

The ribbon consists of a set of tabs organized into groups of related controls. For example, the Edit tab contains groups of controls and settings used to modify PDF files.

  • Click any tab on the ribbon, such as the Home tab. Related commands display in functional groups.

  • Click the desired command to select it.

  • Some commands have an arrowhead tool (). Click the tool to access more options and sub-commands.

  • Double-click any tab to hide it; double-click the tab to show it again. You can also use the arrowhead tool at the top right to show or hide a tab.

  • Use the document settings under Initial View to hide the ribbon and tabs. If you receive a PDF document with hidden tabs, press F9 to restore them.

If the program window is narrow, groups and buttons on the ribbon are represented in a cascaded structure. In this case, click on the arrow to reveal a group.

Tip To find a tool, use the search box at the top right of the menu bar to find it. Typing a tool name opens the panel containing the tool.

Tabs and groups

The Power PDF ribbon includes the following tabs, command groups, and main commands. Follow the links for details below. Tools or groups with an asterisk (*) are available only in Power PDF Advanced.

Table 1. File Menu

Open and save files and revisions, print, fax or e-mail documents, and view and modify document properties or program preferences.

Table 2. Home Tab
Pages group Insert, extract, delete pages and enter or exit document assembly mode.
Create group Make separate or combined PDF files from source files or from a scanner.
Page Rotate group Rotate to left or right, or use advanced options.
Convert group Make PDF editable in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or other; make PDF searchable.
Tools group Edit Text, add text with Typewriter, Reduce, Optimize or Split the PDF.
Search Search the current PDF or multiple documents.
Trial mode / Trial Expired group Purchase and activate Power PDF, or check the Product Info web page. This group is unavailable after activation. See Home Tab for details.
Table 3. Edit Tab
Convert to editable Switch to Advanced Edit Mode.
Basic group Undo and redo actions, delete selectable objects, or make selections.
Clipboard group Cut, copy, paste objects or text.
Modify group Crop pages, edit text, edit objects, and insert typewriter text.
Insert Headers and footers, Bates numbering*, links, movies, sounds and 3D objects.
Tools group Use rulers and grids, measure distances, perimeters and areas and use JavaScript.

The context-sensitive Text Format, Tools, and TypeWriter Format Tab display automatically, if applicable.

Table 4. View Tab
Zoom group Zoom the display, or use the dynamic zoom or the Loupe tool.
Page View group Set scroll and Page Fit Options, full-screen display, rotate the view or see the previous or next views.
New Open a new document window with the same content.
Display Theme group

Change the color skin of the Power PDF Application.

Current Window group Place or remove a split for the current window.
All Windows group Cascade, tile or close all document windows.
Table 5. Comment Tab
Annotate group Place notes, text boxes, callouts, dictate notes and spell-check comments.
Markup group Add highlights, cross-outs and underlines, drawing objects and apply markups.
Comment Processing group Import or export comments, create comment summaries and search comments.
Attachments Attach files and sound files.
The context-sensitive Comment Format Tab display automatically, if applicable.
Table 6. Advanced Processing Tab
Process group Embed or create an index, flatten the current file, Reduce, Optimize, or Split the PDF and Compare documents.
File group Move to the previous or next PDF, set up a Scan Inbox*, access or manage Favorites.
Batch group Use Convert Assistant, build workflow sequences, Watched Folders and batch convert files between PDF and TIFF.
Read Aloud group Read entire current page, from current page to end or save to .mp3 file.
Export group Export page area to a target application.
Table 7. Security Tab
Redaction group* Mark for and apply redaction, search and redact and change redaction properties.
Sign and Certify group Add a scanned handwritten signature or work with digital signatures, time stamps, limit permitted actions for the document or use DocuSign or Kofax SignDoc services.
Security group Use Secure Delivery, open the Remove Document Elements dialog box and access Security properties: modify or remove security settings, and manage prohibited and permitted actions.
IDs and Certificates group Manage Digital IDs and Trusted Identities.
DRM group Access the Windows Active Directory Rights Management Services (RMS).
See Security Ribbon and Security Overview on more details on security functions.
Note See the Security panel for password and certificate security, the Signatures panel to display signatures in the current document or the Sign / Certify panel to sign a document. To access Import and export settings, select File > Options > Security.
Table 8. Forms Tab
Fillable Form group Use Form Type to activate a form.
Form Elements group Insert a wide range of form controls onto the page.
Fields group Highlight and reset form fields; set tab and field calculation order.
Data group Import/export data from/to the .xfdf, .fdf, .xml or .txt file types; export data from multiple files.
Table 9. Connectors Tab
Cloud integration A typical installation of Power PDF Standard includes the Evernote and OneDrive groups.
Connectors

In Power PDF Advanced, you must enable connectors individually by using a Custom installation. A Typical installation excludes all connectors.

Each enabled connector has its own group. Evernote, OneDrive, and SharePoint always appear if enabled; other supported Document Management Systems appear only if their client installation is detected on the local computer.

Tip To add or remove cloud and DMS connectors, run Custom Setup.
Table 10. Help Tab
Help group Access Help online, Web Resources and open the About box.