KDE's Multi-Format Document Viewer
Open Viewing
View and annotate documents with Okular, a powerful and extensible document viewer for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Viewing and annotating documents is a daily task for many Linux users, whether in professional, academic, or personal contexts. PDFs, EPUBs, scanned documents, and technical manuals are all commonly handled through a single application, which must balance performance, correctness, and flexibility. Okular is the document viewer developed by the KDE project and distributed as part of KDE Gear. Although it is often associated with the Plasma desktop environment, Okular is a standalone application that runs well on any major Linux desktop, Windows, and macOS.
Unlike simple PDF viewers, Okular is designed as a multi-format document viewer, supporting a wide range of file types through a modular back end system. This article examines Okular's architecture, installation methods, main features, and integration in Linux workflows, with particular attention to its strengths and its limitations.
Installation and Setup
Okular is available in the repositories of virtually all Linux distributions. On Debian-based systems, it can be installed using the package manager with the command:
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Bottlenecks Discovered by Meta Engineers Lead to Scalability Improvements
Thanks to a small group of engineers at Meta, the Linux kernel module kernfs has been improved, which has led to some serious gains.
-
PwnEscape Poses VM Vulnerability
A guest-to-host escape flaw in Linux KVM, named PwnEscape, might be yet another means of attacking Linux.
-
Linux Mint 27 Set for a Christmas Release
The developers behind Linux Mint have announced a Christmas release, and it looks like Santa's sack will be brimming with features.
-
Is Linus Torvalds Vibe Coding?
The creator of Linux has added AI into his process for Linux kernel development, and it's more than just for debugging.
-
openKylin 3.0 Released with Expanded AI Integration
The latest release features a pre-installed AI agent to help perform tasks.
-
DigitalOcean Ends Open Source Credits Program
In a change that has surprised many open source developers, DigitalOcean has decided to sunset its Open Source Credits Program.
-
Office 365 Available for Testing on Linux via Bottles
Linux users can now test the official Office 365, thanks to Mirko Brombin's work on Bottles.
-
Dutch Government Turns to Open Source for Digital Sovereignty
Following in the footsteps of other European countries, the Netherlands is looking to increase its sovereign digital infrastructure with open source software.
-
Linux May Soon Work on Snapdragon X2-Based PCs
If you're thinking about buying a Snapdragon X2-based desktop or laptop, Linux may soon be an option.
-
KDE for People Initiative Calls for AI Ban in Plasma
A new community of KDE wants the project to adopt a strict no-AI policy for KDE Plasma.