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Viewing modes
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How SumatraPDF arranges the pages of a document in its window: one page or two side by side, one at a time or as a scrolling stack, left to right or right to left, rotated, with or without blank margins. Most of these options are in the View menu. They apply to everything SumatraPDF shows as pages: PDF, XPS, DjVu, PostScript, ebooks, comic books and images, but not to CHM help files.
Press Ctrl + 6 / 7 / 8 for one page, two pages or book view, and c to scroll pages continuously. At a glance:
  • Page layout: Single Page Ctrl + 6, Facing Ctrl + 7, Book View Ctrl + 8
  • Continuous: stack the pages and scroll through them, c (View → Show Pages Continuously)
  • Manga Mode: two-page rows right to left (View → Manga Mode)
  • Rotate: [ / ] (View → Rotate Left / Rotate Right)
  • Trim Empty Margins: hide the blank margins around the content (View → Trim Empty Margins)
  • Uniform Page Width: show every page as wide as page 1 (View → Uniform Page Width)
  • Presentation: one page, full screen, Ctrl + L / F5
In the diagrams below, the gray box with a strip on top is the SumatraPDF window. White boxes are pages. Dashed outlines are the parts of pages that are scrolled out of view.

Choose a page layout #

Single Page shows one page, Facing two pages side by side starting with 1 and 2, Book View pairs starting with 2 and 3 3 3 Single Page one page 3 4 3 4 Facing pairs 1 | 2, 3 | 4, ... 2 3 2 3 Book View 1 alone, then 2 | 3, ...
  • Single Page (Ctrl + 6, CmdSinglePageView): one page across the window, centered.
  • Facing (Ctrl + 7, CmdFacingView): two pages side by side, page 1 on the left and page 2 on the right, then 3 and 4, and so on.
  • Book View (Ctrl + 8, CmdBookView): like Facing, but page 1 (the cover) is alone, so pages 2 and 3, 4 and 5 face each other the way they do in a printed book.
Facing pairs pages 1 and 2, 3 and 4. Book View shows page 1 alone, then pairs 2 and 3, 4 and 5 Facing 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 5 6 Book View 1 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 4 5
In Facing and Book View the two pages of a row meet in the middle with a small gap between them (see page spacing). Each column is as wide as the widest page in it, and pages are aligned to the top of their row. The fit zooms (Fit Page, Fit Width) fit the whole row, both pages, to the window. In PDFs both pages of a row are then drawn at the same scale; in comics they are scaled to the same height.
A last page without a partner (page 5 of 5 in Facing, page 4 of 4 in Book View) is in the left column.

Scroll pages continuously #

Without continuous view the window shows only the current page. In continuous view pages are stacked and scroll through the window 2 2 Single Page one page at a time 1 2 3 1 2 3 Single Page, continuous pages stacked, scroll through
View → Show Pages Continuously (c, CmdToggleContinuousView) switches between two ways of showing pages:
  • Not continuous: the window shows only the current page (or the current pair of pages). Go to another page with n / p, Page Down / Page Up or the toolbar arrows. With Fit Page the page fits the window and there is nothing to scroll.
  • Continuous: all pages are stacked from top to bottom, with a small gap between them, and you scroll through them like one long sheet.
Continuous works with every layout, so there are six combinations: Single Page, Facing and Book View, each continuous or not.
Continuous facing stacks rows of two pages. Continuous book view puts page 1 alone in the right column 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 Facing, continuous 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Book View, continuous page 1 in the right column
In continuous Book View the cover (page 1) is in the right column, where a right-hand page of a book would be. When it is not continuous, the cover is shown centered.
Normally you can scroll only until the last page reaches the bottom of the window. Set PaddingAfterLastPage = true in advanced settings to scroll further, until the end of the document is at the top of the window.

Set the layout new documents open with #

DefaultDisplayMode in advanced settings is the layout used for a document you open for the first time. After that, SumatraPDF remembers the layout (and zoom, rotation and the other options on this page) for each document.
Value Layout
automatic (default) the layout the document asks for (a PDF can say it should open as single pages or two-page spreads), continuous unless it asks for one page at a time; continuous single page if it says nothing
single page, facing, book view that layout, not continuous
continuous, continuous facing, continuous book view that layout, continuous
page aspect looks at page 1 of a PDF, XPS, DjVu or PostScript file: a page taller than wide opens continuous at Fit Width, a page wider than tall opens as a single page at Fit Page
FixedPageUI.DefaultDisplayMode (PDF, XPS, DjVu and PostScript) and ComicBookUI.DefaultDisplayMode (comic books) override it for those kinds of documents, so comics can open as two-page spreads while PDFs scroll. The command line option -view sets the layout of a file you open, e.g. -view "continuous facing" (see Command line arguments for the values).

Read right to left (manga mode) #

Manga mode lays out the pages of a row right to left: page 2 left of page 1 1 2 1 2 Facing read left to right 2 1 2 1 Facing, Manga Mode read right to left 3 2 3 2 Book View, Manga Mode after page 1: 3 | 2
View → Manga Mode (CmdToggleMangaMode) lays out the pages of a two-page row from right to left: page 1 on the right, page 2 on the left. It is for manga and other right-to-left books, and only changes Facing and Book View (a single page has no left and right).
  • Left goes to the next page and Right to the previous one, and clicking the window edges to turn pages (ClickEdgeToTurnPage) is reversed too.
  • A document that states its reading direction (a PDF’s Direction viewer preference, an EPUB’s page-progression-direction) opens the way it asks.
  • ComicBookUI.CbxMangaMode = true makes manga mode the default for comic books. See Comics and manga.

Show landscape pages as spreads #

With LandscapeAsSpread a landscape page takes a whole row; without it, it is paired with the next page 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 LandscapeAsSpread = true spread 3 takes a whole row 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 LandscapeAsSpread = false spread 3 squeezed next to 4
Comic books often store a double-page spread as one wide image. In Facing and Book View such a page is shown on its own row, as wide as two pages, instead of being squeezed into one half of a row next to the following page. This is on by default for comic books (ComicBookUI.LandscapeAsSpread) and folders of images (ImageUI.LandscapeAsSpread); set it to false to pair every page. Book View still keeps the cover alone. It doesn’t apply to PDFs.

Turn wide comic pages #

Auto-Rotate Wide Pages turns a wide page in a tall window so it is shown as large as the other pages 7 7 off: a small wide page 7 7 on: turned to fill the window
View → Auto-Rotate Wide Pages (CmdToggleAutoRotateWidePages, comic books only) turns a page that is wider than it is tall so its long side follows the long side of the window. In a tall window a double-page spread then fills the window at Fit Page, as large as the other pages, instead of a small strip in the middle. It applies to the Single Page layout and is saved as ComicBookUI.AutoRotateWidePages.

Rotate pages #

After Rotate Right pages are landscape. Continuous view stacks them below each other, or with ContinuousScrollFollowsRotation in a row, next page to the left 1 2 1 2 Rotate Right, continuous next page below 1 2 1 2 ContinuousScrollFollowsRotation = true next page to the left; wheel and Page Down go left
View → Rotate Left ([, Shift + Ctrl + -, CmdRotateLeft) and Rotate Right (], Shift + Ctrl + +, CmdRotateRight) turn all pages by 90 degrees. The rotation is remembered for the document but doesn’t change the file; to rotate pages in the PDF itself, see Rotate PDF pages.
In continuous view the rotated pages are still stacked from top to bottom, which is what you want for sideways scans and charts. With ContinuousScrollFollowsRotation = true (ver 3.7+, off by default) the pages are laid out as if the whole document was turned, not each page: after Rotate Right the next page is to the left, after Rotate Left to the right, and after a half turn above. The mouse wheel and Page Up / Page Down move in that direction.

Trim empty margins #

Trim Empty Margins drops the blank margins around the page content, so the content is shown larger 1 1 off: page with blank margins 1 1 on: only the boxed area, larger
View → Trim Empty Margins (CmdToggleTrimEmptyMargins, ver 3.7+) shows each page without the blank space around its content. The page is laid out as just the area that has text or pictures, so:
  • the fit zooms make the content larger, since no space is spent on margins
  • in continuous view the content of one page follows closely after the content of the previous one
The content area of a page is found when the page first comes into view, so the layout can shift slightly as you scroll to new pages. Pages with nothing to trim are shown whole. The setting is remembered per document.
Compare with Zoom → Fit Content (Ctrl + 3), which zooms so the content fills the window but keeps the pages whole: the margins are still there, scrolled just out of view. Trim Empty Margins changes the pages themselves, so it works with every zoom.

Show pages at the same width #

At a percentage zoom pages keep their sizes. Uniform Page Width scales every page to the width of page 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 100% each page at its own size 1 2 3 1 2 3 100%, Uniform Page Width every page as wide as page 1
At a percentage zoom (100%, 150%, …) every page is drawn at the same scale, so a document that mixes page sizes shows small pages small and large pages large. View → Uniform Page Width (CmdToggleUniformPageWidth, ver 3.7+) scales each page to the width page 1 has at that zoom, so all pages line up at the same width. It is remembered per document.
The fit zooms already size each page by itself: in the Single Page layout with Fit Width every page fills the window width, whatever its size.

Zoom to fit the window #

Fit Page shows the whole page, Fit Width fills the window width and scrolls, Fit Content fills the window with the content and hides the blank margins 1 1 Fit Page Ctrl + 0 1 1 Fit Width Ctrl + 2 1 1 Fit Content Ctrl + 3
The zoom decides how large the pages are drawn. The fit zooms follow the window: when you resize it, the pages are resized too.
  • Fit Page (Ctrl + 0): the whole page, or both pages of a row, is visible.
  • Fit Width (Ctrl + 2): the page fills the window width and you scroll down to see the rest.
  • Fit Content (Ctrl + 3): like Fit Page, for the area of the page that has content, with the blank margins out of view.
  • Fit Visible, Fit Height, Shrink To Fit, Fit by Orientation and percentages (Ctrl + 1 for 100%) are in the Zoom menu.
All zooms, the zoom levels and how to zoom with the mouse are in Scrolling, zooming, navigating. For comics, LimitToWindowWidth / LimitToWindowHeight keep wide spreads inside the window at a percentage zoom; see Comics and manga.

Change the margins and the gap between pages #

WindowMargin is the gap between the window edge and the pages, PageSpacing the gap between pages 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 WindowMargin PageSpacing (x) PageSpacing (y) Facing, continuous
Two advanced settings set the space around the pages, in pixels (scaled with the display’s DPI):
  • WindowMargin: the gap between the window edges and the pages: top, right, bottom and left.
  • PageSpacing: the gap between the two pages of a row (first number) and between rows in continuous view (second number).
FixedPageUI [
    WindowMargin = 2 4 2 4
    PageSpacing = 4 4
]

ComicBookUI [
    WindowMargin = 0 0 0 0
    PageSpacing = 4 4
]
FixedPageUI is for PDF, XPS, DjVu and PostScript, ComicBookUI for comic books. Set PageSpacing = 0 0 for pages that touch, e.g. a webtoon strip split into pages. When the pages are smaller than the window they are centered in it.

Present or go full screen #

Presentation mode fills the screen with one page at Fit Page, without the toolbar, tabs or window margins 4 5 4 5 window: toolbar, Facing, margins 4 4 Presentation (Ctrl + L) one page, Fit Page, nothing else
  • View → Presentation (Ctrl + L, Shift + F11, F5): the document fills the screen with nothing else, one page at a time at Fit Page and without window margins. Leaving presentation (Esc) restores the layout and zoom you had. See Present a PDF.
  • View → Fullscreen (F11, Shift + Ctrl + L, f): the window fills the screen and keeps your layout and zoom; the toolbar is hidden (Fullscreen.Toolbar).
Fullscreen.DisplayMode (ver 3.7+) sets the layout for both, e.g. continuous to scroll through a presentation or facing for two pages full screen.

What is remembered for each document #

When SumatraPDF remembers the state of documents, it saves for each one: the layout and whether it is continuous, the zoom, the rotation, manga mode, Uniform Page Width, Trim Empty Margins and free pan. The next time you open the document it looks the same. The options without a per-document value (ContinuousScrollFollowsRotation, PaddingAfterLastPage, WindowMargin, PageSpacing, LandscapeAsSpread, AutoRotateWidePages) apply to all documents.

Tips #

  • Read a book as two-page spreads with Book View (Ctrl + 8) and continuous (c), so the cover is alone and the pages pair as in print.
  • Use Trim Empty Margins on scans and papers with wide margins to read them larger on a small screen.
  • Use Uniform Page Width for a PDF that mixes page sizes, so you don’t change the zoom from page to page.
  • Turn on ContinuousScrollFollowsRotation when you rotate a document to read it sideways, so the wheel goes from page to page.
  • Assign a key to any command below with custom shortcuts.
Command Menu Shortcut
CmdSinglePageView View → Single Page Ctrl + 6
CmdFacingView View → Facing Ctrl + 7
CmdBookView View → Book View Ctrl + 8
CmdToggleContinuousView View → Show Pages Continuously c
CmdToggleMangaMode View → Manga Mode
CmdToggleAutoRotateWidePages View → Auto-Rotate Wide Pages
CmdToggleUniformPageWidth View → Uniform Page Width
CmdToggleTrimEmptyMargins View → Trim Empty Margins
CmdRotateLeft View → Rotate Left [, Shift + Ctrl + -
CmdRotateRight View → Rotate Right ], Shift + Ctrl + +
CmdTogglePresentationMode View → Presentation Ctrl + L, Shift + F11, F5
CmdToggleFullscreen View → Fullscreen F11, Shift + Ctrl + L, f
CmdZoomFitPageAndSinglePage toolbar: Fit a Single Page
All commands: Commands.

See also #

SumatraPDF documentation
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Viewing modes
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