Guides

Short, practical guides to the PDF tasks people do most. Every method here is free and runs entirely in your browser — your files never leave your device.

• Do online PDF tools upload your files? Here's how to check
  A two-minute DevTools test reveals whether any PDF site sends your document to a server — and what a truly private, no-upload tool looks like.
• How to merge PDF files for free (without uploading them)
  Combine several PDFs into one document in seconds — privately, right in your browser.
• How to compress a PDF and reduce its file size (free)
  Shrink large PDFs so they fit email limits, without paying for software.
• PDF metadata: what your files reveal about you (and how to clean it)
  Your PDFs quietly carry your name, your software and the exact time you made them. Here is how to read that hidden layer and wipe it before you hit send.
• How to redact a PDF so the text is really gone
  A black rectangle over text is not redaction. Here is how to remove sensitive content from a PDF permanently, and how to prove to yourself that it is gone.
• How to convert a PDF to JPG images
  Turn each page of a PDF into a clean image you can share or edit.
• How to convert JPG or PNG images into a PDF
  Bundle photos and scans into a single, tidy PDF document.
• How to split a PDF or extract specific pages
  Keep only the pages you need, or break a PDF into separate files.
• How to rotate PDF pages (and save it for good)
  Fix sideways scans so the file looks right for everyone, not just you.
• How to annotate a PDF (highlight and comment, like Adobe)
  Highlight passages and drop Adobe-style comment notes on any PDF, then pass the file back and forth with colleagues — no accounts, no uploads.
• How to password-protect a PDF (and remove the password later)
  Lock a PDF with real AES-256 encryption without uploading it anywhere — and learn what a PDF password actually protects, and what it doesn't.
• How to make a scanned PDF searchable (OCR)
  Scans are just photos of text. Run OCR in your browser and make them searchable — without uploading a single page.
• How to put both sides of an ID card on one PDF page
  The bank wants both sides of your ID on a single sheet. Here is the two-minute way to do it from your phone, without your ID ever leaving your device.
• How to compare two PDF files and spot the differences
  Someone sends back "the same contract" with one quiet change. Here's how to find exactly what moved — before you sign.
• How to print multiple PDF pages on one sheet (2-up, 4-up and beyond)
  Turn a 60-page PDF into a 15-sheet printout with a proper 2-up or 4-up layout — a reusable PDF, not a fragile printer setting.
• How to reduce a PDF's size so it fits an email
  Get under common 10 MB / 25 MB attachment limits in seconds.
• How to convert a PDF to PNG images (free, lossless)
  Lossless, high-quality images — ideal for diagrams, logos and line art.
• How to delete pages from a PDF
  Drop the pages you don’t need by keeping the ones you do.
• How to reorder pages in a PDF
  Put pages in the right order with a simple split-and-merge.
• How to scan a document to PDF with your phone
  No scanner needed — turn phone photos into a clean PDF.
• How to fill in a PDF form
  Fill interactive forms or flat scans, free and without software.
• How to sign a PDF
  Add your signature privately, without printing or signing up.
• How to add a watermark to a PDF (free, no upload)
  Stamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or your name across every page of a PDF in seconds — privately, right in your browser.
• How to add page numbers to a PDF for free
  Number the pages of any PDF in seconds — privately, right in your browser.
• How to extract text from a PDF
  Copy the text out of a PDF into a clean .txt file in seconds — privately, right in your browser.
• How to extract images from a PDF (free, in your browser)
  Save every picture embedded in a PDF as a separate PNG in seconds — privately, right in your browser.
• How to crop a PDF (trim the margins)
  Trim the white margins off a PDF in seconds with a draggable box — privately, right in your browser.
• How to convert a PDF to Word for free (no email)
  Turn a PDF into an editable Word document in seconds — privately, right in your browser.
• How to edit a PDF for free (without Acrobat)
  Reorder pages, sign, fill a form, crop or number a PDF — for free, right in your browser. Here's the right tool for each task.
• Are online PDF tools safe? What to check before you upload
  Most PDF sites upload your files to a server. Here is why that matters — and the safer alternative.