Microsoft Edge Canary brings back legacy Edge’s two-page layout for PDFs

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by Radu Tyrsina 

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Microsoft has been working to improve the PDF experience for Edge users. Not long ago, the software gaint announced that Microsoft Edge’s PDF reader will get a two-page layout. Microsoft Edge Canary now offers a new “page view” option to open PDF documents in a two-page view on a PC (via Reddit).

If Microsoft Edge has supported PDF documents for a long time, it only offered a limited set of capabilities that forced users to look for alternative apps. Right now, it is only possible to view one page at a time and users need to scroll down to flip pages.

With this new feature, the company wants to ensure that PDF files can be viewed without the need to use online services or third-party applications. Currently, the option is disabled by default in Edge Canary. Insiders who want to test the feature can follow the steps below to enable it.

  1. Open Microsoft Edge Canary (version Build 88.0.688.0 or later).
  2. Type edge://flags/#edge-pdf-two-page-view in the address bar.
  3. Now use the drop-down menu to enable the “Enable two page view for PDF” flag.
  4. Finally, restart Microsoft Edge to apply the change.

 

Once enabled, open a PDF document in your browser, navigate to the toolbar, and then click on the “Page View” icon. You should now see an option to switch between the single page and two-page layouts. There is also another option to make the cover page display separately (based on the user’s preferences).

As you probably know, the two-page layout experience isn’t something new, as the legacy version of Edge supported this capability. Moreover, it’s already available in other Chromium-based browsers including Google Chrome. The latest addition should be helpful for Microsoft Edge users who often need to use PDF editing tools in the new Edge browser. Do you think you could benefit from this feature? Sound off in the comments down below.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina Shield

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.