Reflow a PDF

You can reflow a PDF to temporarily present it as a single column that is the width of the document pane. This reflow view can make the document easier to read on the small screen of a mobile device or on a standard monitor at a large magnification, without the need to scroll horizontally to read each line of text.

You cannot save, edit, or print a document while it is in Reflow view.

In most cases, only readable text appears in the reflow view. Text that doesn’t reflow includes forms, comments, digital signature fields, and page artifacts, such as page numbers, headers, and footers. Pages that contain both readable text and form or digital signature fields don’t reflow. Vertical text reflows horizontally.

Reader temporarily tags an untagged document before reflowing it. As an author, you can optimize your PDFs for reflow by tagging them yourself. Tagging ensures that text blocks reflow and that content follows the appropriate sequences, so readers can follow a story that spans different pages and columns without other stories interrupting the flow.

A quick way to check the reading order of a document is to view it in Reflow view.

Reflow a tagged PDF

 Do one of the following:
  • Choose View > Zoom > Reflow.

  • Press Ctrl+4 (Windows) or Command+4 (Mac OS).

If the Page Display setting for the document is Two-Up before you choose Reflow view, the Page Display setting automatically becomes Single Page when the document is reflowed. If the Page Display setting for the document is Two-Up Continuous before you choose Reflow view, the Page Display setting automatically becomes Continuous when the document is reflowed.

Return to unreflowed view

 When in Reflow view, do one of the following:
  • Choose View > Zoom > Reflow.

  • Press Ctrl+4 (Windows) or Command+4 (Mac OS).