--- title: "Add PDF functionality on iOS | Nutrient iOS SDK" canonical_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/ios/getting-started/" md_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/ios/getting-started.md" last_updated: "2026-05-14T16:53:43.984Z" description: "Learn how to integrate Nutrient iOS SDK into your iOS application. Step-by-step guide for adding PDF viewing, editing, and annotation features." --- # Add PDF functionality on iOS This guide explains how to integrate Nutrient iOS SDK into a new or existing iOS project. By the end, you’ll be able to display a PDF document using the default Nutrient user interface (UI). **Jump to example** Prefer to jump straight to code? View the example repo on GitHub. [Read more](https://github.com/PSPDFKit/pspdfkit-ios-catalog.git) ## Requirements - A Mac running macOS - The [latest stable version of Xcode](https://developer.apple.com/xcode/) ## Creating your project Skip this step if you’re using an existing project. If you’re starting a new iOS app, follow the steps below. **Steps:** 1. Open Xcode and select **File** > **New** > **Project**. 2. Select the **iOS** tab and choose the **App** template. 3. Enter your product name (for example, `Nutrient-Demo`) and organization identifier (for example, `com.example`). You can choose either **SwiftUI** or **Storyboard** (UIKit) as the interface. 4. Click **Next**, choose a location to save the project, and click **Create**. ## Adding Nutrient to your project **Steps:** 1. In Xcode, select your project. 2. Go to the **Package Dependencies** tab and click **+**. 3. Enter the Nutrient Swift Package URL into the search field: ``` https://github.com/PSPDFKit/PSPDFKit-SP ``` 4. In the **Dependency Rule** fields, select: - **Branch** > `master` — to use the latest version - **Version** > **Up to Next Minor** — for controlled updates 5. Click **Add Package**. Confirm the addition. > In this confirmation step, ensure that the **Add to Target** column displays the correct target (usually the app target), and that the checkbox on the left is selected. For many projects — especially newly created ones — there will only be one target, so you can click the **Add Package** button again. However, for more complex projects with multiple targets, it’s important to double-check this setting. Nutrient will now appear under **Swift Package Dependencies**. ## Displaying a PDF ### SwiftUI **Steps:** 1. Add your PDF file to the project by dragging it into the Xcode project navigator. Click **Finish** when prompted. 2. In the file for your view (`ContentView.swift` for a new project), import the Nutrient iOS SDK: ```swift import PSPDFKit import PSPDFKitUI ``` 3. Display the PDF using the following code: ```swift struct ContentView: View { // Update to use your document name. let document = Document(url: Bundle.main.url(forResource: "Document", withExtension: "pdf")!) @PDFView.Scope private var scope var body: some View { NavigationStack { PDFView(document: document).toolbar { // Add Nutrient viewer's default toolbar items to include buttons for searching, annotating, and more. DefaultToolbarButtons() } // Set the scope for the view hierarchy so the default toolbar buttons and the `PDFView` can communicate..pdfViewScope(scope) } } } ``` 4. Build and run your application. ### UIKit **Steps:** 1. Add your PDF file to the project by dragging it into the Xcode project navigator. Click **Finish** when prompted. 2. In your `UIViewController` subclass, import the Nutrient iOS SDK: ```swift import PSPDFKit import PSPDFKitUI ``` 3. Display the PDF using the following code. You can place this inside [`viewDidAppear(_:)`](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/uiviewcontroller/1621423-viewdidappear), a button action handler, a table view cell selection delegate, or any other suitable place: ```swift // Update to use your document name. let fileURL = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "Document", withExtension: "pdf")! let document = Document(url: fileURL) // The configuration closure is optional and allows additional customization. let pdfController = PDFViewController(document: document) { $0.isPageLabelEnabled = false } // Present the PDF view controller within a `UINavigationController` to show built-in toolbar buttons. present(UINavigationController(rootViewController: pdfController), animated: true) ``` 4. Build and run your application. You’ll now see your PDF document displayed using Nutrient iOS SDK’s built-in viewer. ## Next steps - [Add your license key](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/ios/getting-started/adding-the-license-key.md) to disable watermarks. Nutrient is commercial software. - [Add AI capabilities to Nutrient’s document viewer](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/ios/ai-assistant.md). - [Customize the UI and other SDK functionality](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/ios/getting-started/view-controller-configuration.md). - [Add document collaboration through Instant](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/ios/pspdfkit-instant/getting-started.md). - [Add OCR support to recognize text in scanned documents](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/ios/ocr/getting-started.md). For getting started on Mac Catalyst or visionOS, first follow the same instructions above, and then refer to the [Mac Catalyst and visionOS](https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/ios/getting-started/mac-catalyst-or-visionos.md) guide for specific instructions. The getting started steps mentioned in this guide are for Swift Package Manager, which is our recommendation. Alternatively, you can add Nutrient to your project [manually](https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/ios/getting-started/ios-manual-integration.md) or using [CocoaPods](https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/ios/getting-started/ios-cocoapods.md). --- ## Related pages - [Add PDF functionality on iOS](/sdk/ios/getting-started/ios-cocoapods.md) - [Add PDF functionality on Mac Catalyst or visionOS](/sdk/ios/getting-started/mac-catalyst-or-visionos.md) - [Add PDF functionality on iOS](/sdk/ios/getting-started/ios-manual-integration.md)