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OpenReader

OpenReader

Private PDF tools for your computer. No uploads. No accounts. No cloud.


OpenReader reading a PDF

Built for Windows 10 & 11 · 100% Offline · Open Source · AI-ready


⭐ Get OpenReader

Microsoft Store (Recommended)Portable ReleaseProject WebsiteSource Code


Gallery

Dark ModePDF Tools
Dark ModePDF Tools: merge, split, compress
About & Keyboard ShortcutsSample Document
About dialog with keyboard shortcutsSample PDF loaded in OpenReader

Why OpenReader

Truly privateEvery operation runs on your machine. No accounts, no telemetry, no cloud uploads.
Works offlineNo internet required. Open, read, and annotate PDFs anywhere.
Built for WindowsA native reading experience with proper Windows 10/11 integration.
AI-readyBuilt-in MCP server lets AI agents interact with your PDFs — entirely local.

Features

Read — Open PDFs, one-page or continuous scroll, fit-width zoom, page jump.Annotate — Highlight, underline, strikethrough, and sticky notes. Saved as native PDF annotations.
Search — Full-document keyword search with match count and navigation.Library search — Index entire folders with SQLite FTS5 for cross-document BM25-ranked search.
Semantic search — TF-IDF cosine similarity — meaning-based matching, no external ML.Compare — Side-by-side diff with color-coded changes and structured summary.
Multi-tab — Open several documents in one window with movable tabs.Dark mode — System-aware theme with Auto/Light/Dark toggle.
PDF tools — Merge, split, extract page ranges, compress.OCR fallback — Automatic OCR on scanned/image-based pages when Tesseract is available.
Session restore — Remembers open documents and page positions across restarts.AI agent integration — Built-in MCP server with 14 tools for automated PDF workflows.

Designed for

AudienceWhy OpenReader
StudentsRead textbooks, annotate lecture notes, search across research papers — all offline.
ProfessionalsReview contracts, compare document versions, merge reports without uploading to any service.
ResearchersIndex and search across PDF libraries, extract text, build automated PDF pipelines.
Privacy-conscious usersFull-featured PDF tool that never sends your documents anywhere.
AI adoptersConnect AI agents to your local documents for automated reading, searching, and processing.

Design Philosophy

"Software should respect your documents. They stay on your computer, under your control."

OpenReader is built around a single idea: a PDF reader should feel like a well‑made tool, not a web page. The interface follows native Windows conventions — real menus, keyboard shortcuts, proper window management — with a refined dark theme (Tokyo Night‑inspired) and a clean light option. Every interaction is immediate, every feature discoverable without tutorials.

The focus is on reading and working with documents, not fighting the interface. Toolbar buttons have clear vector‑drawn icons, tabs are movable, zoom is instant, and the reading view puts your document first.


Built With

PythonQt 6MuPDFSQLiteTesseractMCPPyInstallerMSIX


Version Journey

ReleaseDateMilestone
v1.2.4Jun 2026Toolbar icon redesign — all buttons use QPainter vector icons
v1.2.3Jun 2026Reader UX polish — Fit Page on open, Ctrl+Mouse Wheel zoom
v1.2.2Jun 2026Store submission fix — XML DOM patching, CI validation
v1.2.1Jun 2026First Microsoft Store release candidate
v1.2.0Jun 2026MSIX packaging, self‑update removed, App Installer integration
v1.1.0Jun 2026MCP server — 14 AI agent tools, local document automation
v1.0.6Jun 2026Single‑instance IPC, icon bundling, Qt file dialog fallback chain
v1.0.0Jun 2026Stable release — reliability, security audit, regression suite
v0.3.0May 2026Library search, PDF comparison, semantic search, modular refactor
v0.2.0May 2026Annotations (highlight, underline, strikethrough, sticky notes)
v0.1.0May 2026First release — PySide6 PDF reader, text search, merge/split/compress

Full changelog →


License

OpenReader is free software under the GNU AGPLv3.

Copyright © 2026 Sparsh Sam.

Get it from Microsoft StoreDownload from GitHub





Part of the Kovina Collection

OpenReader · OpenJournal · OpenLedger · OpenTone · OpenPalette · OpenConvert

OpenSnap · WorldClock Widget · OpenProof · OpenSend · OpenSprout

WordWise · OpenScrabble · Chess by Sparsh · Hisstastic

Minimal, focused tools for everyday tasks.

About

Private PDF reader for Windows & Mac. Read, highlight, search, compare PDFs. No cloud, no accounts, no tracking. Built-in AI agent tools. Microsoft Store: 9MXDVW2645LL

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