Vim Keybindings
Navigate with hjkl, jump with marks, select in visual mode. Your muscle memory, perfected for PDFs.
Avior
The vim-way to read PDFs
A native macOS PDF viewer built for keyboard-driven productivity. Navigate with vim keybindings, run any action from the command palette, and annotate without ever modifying the original file.
A native Swift app for macOS
Built for Power Users
Every feature designed to keep your hands on the keyboard and your focus on the content.
Command Palette
Press : to run any action — with fuzzy search, command-only mode (!), and annotation search (/). No mouse required.
Non-Destructive Annotations
Highlight and annotate freely. Everything is saved to JSON sidecars, so your original PDF is never modified.
Open from the Terminal
Install the avior command and open any PDF straight from your shell: avior report.pdf.
Native Performance
Built with Swift for macOS. Instant startup, smooth scrolling, minimal memory footprint.
Why Avior?
A different approach to reading PDFs.
Built Like a Hammer
A solid, robust tool that just works. No subscriptions, no cloud dependencies. Own it as long as your OS supports it.
Keyboard-First Philosophy
Inspired by vim's operational elegance. Designed for those who think in keyboard shortcuts, not mouse clicks.
Focused Reading Experience
Purpose-built for academic researchers and technical readers. Not a PDF editor, but a PDF reading machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Avior.
What macOS versions are supported?
Avior requires macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later, and is fully optimized for the latest macOS 26 (Tahoe).
Is Avior free?
Yes, Avior is completely free.
How do updates work?
Avior updates itself. Choose Check for Updates… and the new version is downloaded, cryptographically verified, and installed in place — signed and notarized, with no manual re-downloads.
Can I open PDFs from the terminal?
Yes. Install the avior command from File ▸ Install 'avior' Shell Command…, then run avior report.pdf from any shell — or just avior to launch the app.
Does Avior collect any of my data?
Your PDFs are processed entirely on your device and never uploaded. Avior offers optional anonymous diagnostics that are off by default; see our Privacy Policy for details.
How do I learn the keybindings?
Use the command palette (:) to discover available commands with their shortcuts. The help command works like the Linux man command — a handy tool to learn more about any feature.
Changelog
Track the evolution of Avior.
v1.38.0 2026-05-26
- Automatic updates — choose Check for Updates… and Avior downloads, cryptographically verifies, and installs the new version in place. No more manual re-downloads.
- Open PDFs from the terminal — install the
aviorcommand and runavior report.pdf(or justaviorto launch the app) from any shell. - Zoom that remembers — Avior reopens each document at the zoom you left it, and you can choose a default zoom — including Fit Page — in Settings.
- Optional anonymous diagnostics to help guide development — off by default, and never including file names, paths, or document contents.
- Now distributed as a notarized, Developer ID-signed build, so it installs without Gatekeeper warnings.