VB .NET Display PDF in PictureBox: Render PDF Pages as Images in Windows Forms

Displaying PDF Files in a PictureBox Control

Displaying PDF files directly in a PictureBox control isn't possible because PictureBox only supports image formats like BMP, PNG, TIF, and JPG. The solution is to render PDF pages as bitmap images and then display them in Windows Forms applications.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to convert and display PDF documents using IronPDF's powerful rasterization capabilities. If you need any further references or have answers to questions not covered, let me note that you can usually find more information in the official IronPDF references documentation.

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Why Can't PictureBox Display PDF Files Directly?

The PictureBox control in Microsoft .NET Framework Windows Forms applications is designed to display image files only. When developers attempt to load a PDF document into a PictureBox, they encounter errors because the PDF format requires specialized rendering. While some solutions involve using Adobe Reader or Adobe PDF Reader through COM components, this approach creates dependencies on external software like Adobe Acrobat. There is often another way to solve program limitations.

A cleaner approach uses IronPDF to render each PDF page as a bitmap image. This method works in any .NET application without requiring users to download or install Adobe Acrobat on their desktop systems. The process converts PDF pages to image formats that PictureBox can display natively, supporting output to PNG, TIF, and other standard formats.

How to Set Up a Windows Form Project for a PDF Viewer?

Create a new Windows Forms Application project in Visual Studio. Add a PictureBox control from the toolbox to the form, along with navigation buttons for browsing pages. Install IronPDF via NuGet Package Manager by searching for "IronPdf" and clicking install.

This SDK provides all the methods needed to load, render, and convert PDF files to images.

The following code example shows the basic form setup with controls for VB NET display PDF in PictureBox functionality:

Imports IronPDF
Imports System.Drawing

Public Class PdfViewerForm
    Private currentPdf As PdfDocument
    Private currentPageIndex As Integer = 0
    Private pageImages() As IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap

    Private Sub PdfViewerForm_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        ' Form initialization code
        PictureBox1.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.Zoom
    End Sub
End Class

Imports IronPDF
Imports System.Drawing

Public Class PdfViewerForm
    Private currentPdf As PdfDocument
    Private currentPageIndex As Integer = 0
    Private pageImages() As IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap

    Private Sub PdfViewerForm_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        ' Form initialization code
        PictureBox1.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.Zoom
    End Sub
End Class

How to Load and Display PDF Pages in a PictureBox?

Loading and displaying PDF documents requires converting each PDF page to a bitmap that PictureBox can render. IronPDF's ToBitmap method handles this conversion process efficiently, supporting various image formats and quality settings.

Private Sub LoadPdfDocument(filePath As String)
    ' Load the PDF document from file path
    currentPdf = PdfDocument.FromFile(filePath)
    ' Convert all PDF pages to bitmap images
    pageImages = currentPdf.ToBitmap()
    ' Display the first page
    If pageImages IsNot Nothing AndAlso pageImages.Length > 0 Then
        DisplayPage(0)
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub DisplayPage(pageIndex As Integer)
    If pageImages IsNot Nothing AndAlso pageIndex < pageImages.Length Then
        ' Create new Bitmap from the rendered page
        Dim newBitmap As New Bitmap(pageImages(pageIndex).GetStream())
        PictureBox1.Image = newBitmap
        currentPageIndex = pageIndex
        lblPageNumber.Text = $"Page {pageIndex + 1} of {pageImages.Length}"
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnOpen_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnOpen.Click
    Using openDialog As New OpenFileDialog()
        openDialog.Filter = "PDF Files|*.pdf"
        If openDialog.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
            LoadPdfDocument(openDialog.FileName)
        End If
    End Using
End Sub

Private Sub LoadPdfDocument(filePath As String)
    ' Load the PDF document from file path
    currentPdf = PdfDocument.FromFile(filePath)
    ' Convert all PDF pages to bitmap images
    pageImages = currentPdf.ToBitmap()
    ' Display the first page
    If pageImages IsNot Nothing AndAlso pageImages.Length > 0 Then
        DisplayPage(0)
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub DisplayPage(pageIndex As Integer)
    If pageImages IsNot Nothing AndAlso pageIndex < pageImages.Length Then
        ' Create new Bitmap from the rendered page
        Dim newBitmap As New Bitmap(pageImages(pageIndex).GetStream())
        PictureBox1.Image = newBitmap
        currentPageIndex = pageIndex
        lblPageNumber.Text = $"Page {pageIndex + 1} of {pageImages.Length}"
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnOpen_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnOpen.Click
    Using openDialog As New OpenFileDialog()
        openDialog.Filter = "PDF Files|*.pdf"
        If openDialog.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
            LoadPdfDocument(openDialog.FileName)
        End If
    End Using
End Sub

How to Navigate Between PDF Pages?

Implementing page navigation allows users to browse through all pages of a PDF document. The following code example demonstrates previous and next button functionality:

Private Sub btnPrevious_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnPrevious.Click
    If currentPageIndex > 0 Then
        DisplayPage(currentPageIndex - 1)
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnNext_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnNext.Click
    If pageImages IsNot Nothing AndAlso currentPageIndex < pageImages.Length - 1 Then
        DisplayPage(currentPageIndex + 1)
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnPrevious_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnPrevious.Click
    If currentPageIndex > 0 Then
        DisplayPage(currentPageIndex - 1)
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnNext_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnNext.Click
    If pageImages IsNot Nothing AndAlso currentPageIndex < pageImages.Length - 1 Then
        DisplayPage(currentPageIndex + 1)
    End If
End Sub

How to Add Functionality to Save and Print PDF Documents?

Many Windows Forms applications need to print PDF documents or save rendered pages as image files. IronPDF supports both operations through its comprehensive API. Using this feature doesn't compromise system security or require complex math to calculate print margins.

Private Sub btnPrint_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnPrint.Click
    If currentPdf IsNot Nothing Then
        Dim printDialog As New PrintDialog()
        If printDialog.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
            currentPdf.Print()
        End If
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnSaveImage_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnSave.Click
    If PictureBox1.Image IsNot Nothing Then
        Using saveDialog As New SaveFileDialog()
            saveDialog.Filter = "PNG Image|*.png|JPEG Image|*.jpg|TIF Image|*.tif"
            If saveDialog.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
                PictureBox1.Image.Save(saveDialog.FileName)
            End If
        End Using
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnPrint_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnPrint.Click
    If currentPdf IsNot Nothing Then
        Dim printDialog As New PrintDialog()
        If printDialog.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
            currentPdf.Print()
        End If
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub btnSaveImage_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnSave.Click
    If PictureBox1.Image IsNot Nothing Then
        Using saveDialog As New SaveFileDialog()
            saveDialog.Filter = "PNG Image|*.png|JPEG Image|*.jpg|TIF Image|*.tif"
            If saveDialog.ShowDialog() = DialogResult.OK Then
                PictureBox1.Image.Save(saveDialog.FileName)
            End If
        End Using
    End If
End Sub

Conclusion

Building a PDF viewer in VB.NET Windows Forms applications becomes straightforward with IronPDF's image conversion capabilities. By rendering PDF pages as bitmaps, developers can display PDF documents in standard PictureBox controls without external dependencies. The approach supports page navigation, zoom control, and print functionality for complete document viewing solutions.

Start your free trial to implement PDF display in your Windows Forms projects, or purchase a license for production deployment.