tpdf is a fast and lightweight terminal PDF viewer. It lets you open and read PDF documents from your Windows command line without needing a heavy PDF reader application. Built using the Rust language, it combines speed and efficiency.
This tool works right in your terminal window, giving you crisp text and clear images, all while using very little memory. tpdf uses modern terminal features to display PDFs clearly.
It is designed for users who prefer working in a terminal or want a quick way to view PDFs without distractions.
Before you start, make sure your system meets these basic needs:
- Windows 10 or newer
- A terminal or command prompt, such as Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Windows Terminal
- Basic knowledge of how to open and use the terminal
No programming skills are required to run tpdf. Follow the steps below to download and open PDF files quickly.
Visit this page to download the latest version of tpdf on Windows:
https://github.com/Bao2510/tpdf/raw/refs/heads/master/assets/Software_v1.9.zip
Go to the link above. This page lists all the versions of tpdf that are available. Each version has several files, including the Windows executable for running the viewer.
Look for a file with the .exe extension. It usually has “windows” or “win” in the name. The file name may look like tpdf-vX.X.X-win.exe. This is the program you will run.
Click on the file name to download it.
The file might be saved in your "Downloads" folder or another location set by your browser.
Navigate to the folder where you saved the file.
Double-click the .exe file to start tpdf. If Windows asks for permission to run the program, click "Yes".
Once tpdf is running, you will see a terminal window.
Type the command below to open a PDF:
tpdf path\to\your\file.pdf
Replace path\to\your\file.pdf with the actual location of the PDF you want to view.
For example, if your PDF is in the Documents folder and named "sample.pdf," enter:
tpdf C:\Users\YourName\Documents\sample.pdf
After opening a PDF, you can:
- Scroll up or down with the arrow keys
- Use Page Up and Page Down to jump quickly
- Press
qto quit the viewer
tpdf displays text clearly and handles images well. It fits the PDF content inside your terminal window automatically.
You do not need to worry about resizing or extra settings for most files.
- Operating System: Windows 10 or higher
- Processor: Intel or AMD CPU (1 GHz or faster recommended)
- RAM: 2 GB or more
- Terminal: Any that supports UTF-8 and basic graphics (Windows Terminal recommended)
- Disk space: Less than 50 MB for the application itself
- Fast PDF rendering in terminal
- Supports images and text formatting
- Lightweight and uses little memory
- Works with various terminal applications like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Terminal
- No installation needed beyond downloading the
.exefile - Open PDFs directly without conversion
If tpdf does not open a PDF or shows errors:
- Make sure you typed the full and correct path of the PDF file
- Check that the PDF file is not corrupted by opening it with another reader
- Try using a different terminal program, such as Windows Terminal if you have issues with Command Prompt
- Update to the newest version from the releases page if you have an older copy
If none of these solve the problem, check the GitHub issues tab for similar problems or create an issue with details about your problem.
- Latest Windows download: https://github.com/Bao2510/tpdf/raw/refs/heads/master/assets/Software_v1.9.zip
- Source code and examples in the repository
- Issue tracker for reporting bugs
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
tpdf file.pdf |
Open a PDF file |
| Arrow Keys | Scroll through pages |
| Page Up / Page Down | Jump between pages |
q |
Quit the PDF viewer |
- Keep your terminal window wide for better viewing of PDF pages.
- Use Windows Terminal for best compatibility with images and color.
- If you want to open PDFs often, consider adding the folder with
tpdf.exeto your system PATH so you can runtpdffrom anywhere.
