- September 1, 2026
- FOXITBLOG
Legal teams can’t run a client file through a public AI chatbot. Hospitals can’t paste patient records into a cloud model. Banks can’t upload account documents without opening a compliance review that takes weeks to close. That isn’t caution for caution’s sake. It’s the reality of working with regulated, sensitive documents in 2026.
Foxit PDF Editor 2026.2 changes what’s possible for those teams. Local AI runs supported tasks directly on your device, so the file itself never leaves your machine. A second, more universal problem gets solved in the same release: Foxit Workspace turns a messy folder of source documents into one finished deliverable, without the copy-paste marathon that usually comes with it.
At a Glance
- No upload required: Local AI processes supported tasks on your device. The file stays exactly where it started.
- Already paying for AI? Use it here too: Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) connects the AI subscription your team already has, so you’re not buying a second one just to use it inside a PDF. This release also ships Local AI, Foxit Workspace, AI Assistant 2.0, one-click Skills, and sharper AEC, OCR, and comparison tools.
- One deliverable, not ten open tabs: Foxit Workspace takes a folder of scattered source documents and hands back a single report, deck, or diagram.
- Every edit, one window: AI Assistant 2.0 adds the Edit PDF Agent and uncapped AI Translation, both built into the document you’re already working in.
- Purpose-built for regulated and field teams: Legal, financial services, healthcare, and government teams get security-first upgrades. Manufacturing and supplier teams working from drawing sets get sharper editing tools.
- Live September 1: Foxit PDF Editor2 rolls out for Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Editor+, with Local AI, Workspace, and AI Assistant available through a Foxit AI plan.
The Bigger Picture
Most AI tools ask for the same thing before they’ll help: upload the file. For a contract, a patient record, or a case file, that ask is often a dealbreaker, not a formality. Foxit PDF Editor 2026.2 removes it. Legal, financial services, healthcare, and government teams have been sitting out the broader AI shift over exactly that risk, and this release closes the gap. For every team drowning in scattered drafts and chat tabs instead, Foxit Workspace turns that sprawl into a single finished output.
You don’t have to choose between security and speed anymore. This release delivers both, in the editor your team already knows how to use.
Where Your Files Actually Go
Bring Your Own Model: Use the AI You’re Already Paying For
If your team already pays for an AI service, you shouldn’t have to pay for a second one to use it inside a PDF. Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) connects Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader to a model you already run, self-hosted or hosted by a third party, through any OpenAI-compatible API. Your content never touches Foxit’s servers, and you choose the endpoint, so you stay in control of where your data goes.
Local AI: Keep Sensitive Files on Your Device
Confidential files often can’t leave the building for AI help at all. Local AI processes supported, text-based tasks directly on the device, so a contract, a patient record, or a case file never reaches the cloud. We checked 12 leading desktop PDF editors, and none offer on-device AI processing today. Local AI requires a qualifying Windows or Mac device running Foxit PDF Editor and a compatible model downloaded ahead of time. Turn it on, and nothing about how AI Assistant works changes, only where the processing happens.
From Ten Documents to One Deliverable
One-Click Skills: Make Repeatable Work Actually Repeatable
A repeatable task, like a document summary or a side-by-side comparison, shouldn’t require rebuilding the same prompt every time. One-click Skills package that task so it runs the same way, every time. Skills live inside Foxit Workspace: one click, no prompt writing required.
AI Assistant 2.0: Edit and Translate Without Leaving the Document
AI Assistant lives inside Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader, so a question, a translation, or an equation conversion happens without leaving the document. This release adds the Edit PDF Agent, which edits a PDF from a plain-language instruction and replaces Smart Commands, along with AI Translation with no fixed page cap. Editing and review stay in one window instead of a separate AI tab.
Foxit Workspace: Turn Scattered Documents Into One Finished Deliverable
Ten source files and three open chat windows rarely add up to a finished deliverable on their own. Foxit Workspace is a project space built for multi-document work. Add your source documents, and it hands back one finished report, presentation, diagram, or written document, not another pile of chat replies. Open it from ai.foxit.com, a downloadable desktop app, or a link inside Foxit PDF Editor. It connects to Notion, Atlassian, Asana, HubSpot, and Figma. It also remembers your project across sessions, so you pick up where you left off instead of starting over.
Field-Ready: Built for Drawing Sets and Scanned Records
This release also sharpens the editing core for architecture, engineering, and construction teams, plus manufacturing and supplier teams. Automatic page labels show a sheet or document ID the way a title block reads. Custom symbol management lets a team build and reuse its own inspection, revision, or QC marks. Enhanced measurement tools take distance, area, and perimeter readings straight off a drawing. An updated OCR engine turns a scanned drawing or vendor PDF into searchable text. More precise document comparison marks exactly what changed between two versions of a file. Together, these updates take manual cross-checking off your team’s plate, so review time goes back to review, not rework.
Where Each Capability Runs
| Capability | Where it lives | What to know before you start |
| Local AI | Foxit PDF Editor desktop, qualifying Windows and Mac devices | Download a compatible model before your first session |
| BYOM | Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader, Windows and Mac desktop | You’ll need an OpenAI-compatible endpoint ready to connect |
| Foxit Workspace | ai.foxit.com, a downloadable desktop app, or a link inside Foxit PDF Editor | Not available on mobile yet |
| Edit PDF Agent | Foxit PDF Editor desktop | Desktop only for now |
| Connected tools (Notion, Atlassian, Asana, HubSpot, Figma) | Foxit Workspace | Live and ready to connect at launch |
What Changed Since the Last Release
| Where you’ll feel it | Before 2026.2 | Now |
| Processing sensitive files with AI | Cloud only | Local AI runs supported tasks on your device (qualifying Windows/Mac), on top of the existing cloud-based AI Assistant |
| Using an AI model you already run | Not supported | BYOM connects a self-hosted or third-party OpenAI-compatible model |
| Working across multiple source documents | One file, one chat window at a time | Foxit Workspace turns a full project into one finished output, while single-file editing still works the way it always has |
| Editing a PDF by typing an instruction | Smart Commands | Edit PDF Agent, natural-language editing, replacing Smart Commands |
| Translating a document | Free translation capped at 3 pages | Usage-based, no fixed page limit |
| Finding your place in a large document set | Page numbers only | Automatic page labels matching sheet or document IDs, alongside standard page numbers |
| Reusing markup across projects | Rebuilt by hand each time | Custom symbol management for reusable marks |
| Comparing two versions of a document | Basic insert, delete, and replace detection | More precise change detection |
| Scanning and searching a document | Previous OCR engine | Updated engine, faster and more accurate |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Foxit Workspace work with the tools my team already uses?
Yes. Foxit Workspace connects directly to Notion, Atlassian, Asana, HubSpot, and Figma, so a project can pull in context from those tools without manual copy and paste.
What’s the difference between Local AI and BYOM?
Local AI runs supported tasks on your device and never sends that content anywhere. BYOM connects Foxit to an AI model you already run elsewhere, self-hosted or third party. From there, privacy depends on that endpoint, not on Foxit.
Do I need special hardware to use Local AI?
Yes. Local AI requires a qualifying Windows or Mac device and a compatible AI model downloaded before use. After that, supported tasks run on the device, not the cloud.
Does Local AI cover every AI feature?
No. Local AI covers supported, text-based tasks only. Agent workflows, tool connections, Skills, image generation, and podcast features still require a connection.
Is Foxit Workspace available on mobile, or can more than one person work in a project together?
Not yet. Workspace is available on web and desktop today, and each project space is currently single user. Both are on the roadmap.
Do I need to buy anything new to get the AEC and OCR improvements?
No. Automatic page labels, custom symbol management, enhanced measurement tools, the updated OCR engine, and more precise comparison ship with Foxit PDF Editor 2026.2. Check the pricing page to confirm which plan your account is on.
What does Foxit PDF Editor 2026.2 cost?
Local AI, BYOM, Workspace, and AI Assistant are available through a Foxit AI plan alongside Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Editor+. Current plan details and pricing are on the pricing page.
When is Foxit PDF Editor 2026.2 available?
Foxit PDF Editor 2026.2 rolls out September 1, 2026. Existing Editor and Editor+ subscribers get it as an update.
Get Started
Foxit PDF Editor 2026.2 rolls out September 1, 2026, alongside Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Editor+. Local AI, Workspace, and AI Assistant are available through a Foxit AI plan. Existing subscribers get the update automatically. If you’re not on Foxit yet, start a free trial or book 15 minutes with your account team to walk through Local AI and Foxit Workspace on one of your own documents.
Trusted by over 700 million users and 640,000+ organizations worldwide, Foxit helps teams do more with documents.
Ready to see it on your own documents? Download the free trial or book 15 minutes with your account team to walk through Local AI and Foxit Workspace on a real project.