How to render a PDF file in Android

android

pdf-rendering

pdf-viewer-library

webview

byAnton Shumikhin·Feb 20, 2025

To render a PDF in Android, utilize the PdfRenderer class to open a file with ParcelFileDescriptor, loop through pages with PdfRenderer.Page, and draw onto a Bitmap. Display the result in an ImageView. Below is the distilled version in code:

// Open your favorite PDF (with permission, of course)
ParcelFileDescriptor descriptor = ParcelFileDescriptor.open(new File("your_pdf.pdf"), ParcelFileDescriptor.MODE_READ_ONLY);
PdfRenderer renderer = new PdfRenderer(descriptor);

// Episode I: The Phantom Page
PdfRenderer.Page page = renderer.openPage(0);
Bitmap bitmap = Bitmap.createBitmap(page.getWidth(), page.getHeight(), Bitmap.Config.ARGB_8888);

// "Render unto Caesar..." no wait, actually render onto bitmap
page.render(bitmap, null, null, PdfRenderer.Page.RENDER_MODE_FOR_DISPLAY);

// Presto! Showtime in ImageView.
imageView.setImageBitmap(bitmap); 

// Don't forget to clean up after the party!
page.close();
renderer.close();
descriptor.close();

Ensure to handle this in a background thread and manage lifecycle and permissions judiciously.

Use advanced features for a richer experience

Don't restrict yourself to simple PDF rendering. Enhancing the user's interactivity and engagement with annotation rendering, swipe gestures, onPageChangeListener, and onLoadCompleteListener can make your PDF app a cut above the rest. The Android PdfViewer library, with multiple customization options, is worth a look.

Catering to legacy APIs

Supporting devices running on APIs lower than 21 can be a challenge. The Android PdfViewer library steps in as a reliable backup plan, offering good performance and backward-compatibility.

Exploring other possibilities

Android's WebView and Google Docs Viewer present an alternative approach to PDF rendering. Enable JavaScript in your WebView settings for better performance, and enable plugins for a wider range of compatibility.

Managing PDF downloads

For handling the download and storage of PDF files, the DownloadManager class comes in handy. Always check if the user has a PDF reader app installed; this could potentially save you a lot of trouble.

Utilize tools for efficient PDF handling

Consider PdfDocument.Meta and PdfDocument.Bookmark like GPS and road markers to navigate PDF files. They help you extract meta-data and bookmarks to make your journey through the PDF more fluent.

Leveraging third-party libraries

For power-packed features like text extraction, PDF editing, or form filling, third-party libraries like Apache PDFBox or PSPDFKit boost your application's capabilities.

Going online: Serve PDFs from the cloud

Provide your users an alternative option of online viewing of PDFs via Google Drive. Generate a progress dialog during PDF downloads or rendering for better user feedback.

explain-codes / Android / How to render a PDF file in Android

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