Practical PDF Guides
Choose the workflow that matches the job, then review the downloaded copy before relying on it. Each guide links to its tool and related background when that context helps explain quality, privacy, or limitations.
How to merge PDFs
What it is: Combining separate PDF files into one document in the order you choose.
When it helps: You need one shareable file from reports, scans, forms, or other documents that currently sit in separate files.
Steps
- Open Merge PDF and add the files you want to combine.
- Review the file list and move files up or down until the order is correct.
- Choose Merge & download, then open the downloaded PDF to check the page order.
Tips and limitations: The merge tool accepts multiple PDFs, but encrypted, malformed, or unusually complex files may fail to parse. Keep the originals until you have checked the result.
Quick FAQ: Can I add more files later? Yes. Use Add more PDFs before merging.
How to organize PDF pages
What it is: A visual page workspace for reordering, rotating, duplicating, deleting, and inserting content into a PDF.
When it helps: You need to fix page order, remove a duplicate, rotate a scan, or assemble a cleaner document before sending it.
Steps
- Open Organize PDF and add one PDF.
- Select a page to use its controls, or drag cards on desktop; on a phone, use Move Up or Move Down.
- Review the thumbnails and the page count, then download the new PDF.
Tips and limitations: The original file is not overwritten. Encrypted, malformed, or unusually complex PDFs may not render or export correctly.
Quick FAQ: Does organizing change the original? No. It creates a new downloaded copy.
How to delete PDF pages
What it is: Removing selected pages from a PDF while keeping the remaining pages in their current order.
When it helps: You need to remove a cover sheet, blank page, duplicate, or page that should not be in the copy you share.
Steps
- Open Delete PDF Pages and add the PDF.
- Select the pages to remove and review the selection carefully.
- Choose the delete/download action and open the result to confirm the remaining pages.
Tips and limitations: Keep at least one page in the document. Page deletion is not a general redaction or document-sanitization tool; inspect the remaining pages and document properties for information that should not be shared. Complex or encrypted PDFs may fail, so verify the exported copy.
Quick FAQ: Can I undo after downloading? The original remains available, but the tool does not change files on your device.
How to insert PDF pages
What it is: Adding a blank page, an image, or selected pages from another PDF at a chosen insertion gap.
When it helps: You need a cover page, an extra form page, a scanned image, or pages from a second document in the middle of a PDF.
Steps
- Open Organize PDF and add the main PDF.
- Choose the gap where the new content should go.
- Insert a blank page, image, or selected pages from another PDF, then review the new order.
- Download the result after checking the inserted pages and their orientation.
Tips and limitations: Insertion is part of the Organize PDF workflow. Keep the source PDFs and images until you have reviewed the exported copy.
Quick FAQ: Can I add pages from another PDF? Yes. Select only the pages you want from the import panel.
How to compress a PDF
What it is: Creating a separately downloaded PDF copy through a browser-side structural re-save and comparing its size with the original.
When it helps: You need to test whether re-saving a PDF makes a lighter attachment or upload without replacing the source.
Steps
- Open Compress PDF and add the file.
- Choose Make lighter copy and wait for processing to finish.
- Compare the displayed original and output sizes, then open the downloaded copy to check quality.
Tips and limitations: This workflow re-saves PDF structure; it does not downsample embedded images. A PDF that is already optimized or dominated by images may not become smaller. Check the output before using it.
Quick FAQ: Will every PDF shrink? No. The tool shows the result so you can decide whether it is useful.
How to convert PDF to Word
What it is: Turning selectable PDF text into an editable Word document with basic paragraphs and headings.
When it helps: You need to continue editing text in Word instead of working from a fixed PDF.
Steps
- Open PDF to Word and add a text-based PDF up to 25 MB.
- Choose Convert to Word; the text extraction runs locally in your browser.
- Download the DOCX and compare its text, page breaks, tables, and formatting with the original.
Tips and limitations: PDF-to-Word conversion can change fonts, spacing, tables, images, and page breaks. It does not show a text preview before converting and is not a guarantee of a pixel-identical editable file.
Quick FAQ: Should I convert a scan this way? Use OCR PDF first when the document is an image-only scan.
How to convert PDF to Excel
What it is: Extracting recognizable selectable table text from a PDF into an Excel workbook.
When it helps: You need to continue working with clear rows and columns instead of copying a table manually.
Steps
- Open PDF to Excel and add a PDF up to 25 MB with a recognizable text-based table.
- Wait for the local extraction to finish and review the displayed rows and columns.
- Download the XLSX and check headers, numeric values, merged cells, and row boundaries.
Tips and limitations: Table extraction depends on the PDF’s layout. Scanned tables need OCR first, and visually complex tables may need manual correction after export.
Quick FAQ: Will every table become a perfect spreadsheet? No. Always compare extracted cells with the source.
See PDF Tool Help for upload and conversion troubleshooting.
How to OCR a scanned PDF
What it is: Recognizing text in scanned page images so you can read, copy, or search it.
When it helps: A PDF contains photographs or scans rather than selectable text.
Steps
- Open OCR PDF and add a PDF up to 20 MB.
- Choose English, Spanish, French, German, or Hindi; OCR processes up to the first 10 pages in the browser.
- Review the extracted text, then download TXT or a searchable PDF for supported Latin-script output.
Tips and limitations: OCR accuracy depends on scan quality, contrast, page orientation, typeface, and language. Hindi OCR currently provides text output but not searchable PDF export. Language data may download on first use.
Quick FAQ: Does OCR guarantee exact text? No. Compare important names, numbers, and dates with the scan.
How to sign a PDF
What it is: Adding a basic typed, drawn, or uploaded signature appearance to selected PDF pages.
When it helps: You need to place a visible signature mark on a document for a review or routine workflow.
Steps
- Open Sign PDF and choose the pages that need a signature.
- Type, draw, or upload the signature appearance and set its size and position.
- Download the result and inspect every signed page before sharing it.
Tips and limitations: This creates a basic electronic signature appearance, not a certified digital signature or proof of identity.
Quick FAQ: Can I sign only one page? Yes. Select the exact pages you want before placing the signature.
How to protect a PDF
What it is: Creating a password-protected copy of a PDF.
When it helps: You want an additional password barrier before sharing a document through another channel.
Steps
- Open Protect PDF and add a PDF up to 25 MB.
- Enter a non-empty password of up to 256 characters and submit the operation.
- Download the protected copy and test opening it before sending it to someone else.
Tips and limitations: Protection uses temporary server processing. The app does not recover unknown passwords, so keep the password in a safe place and send it separately from the PDF when possible.
Quick FAQ: Can the site recover a forgotten password? No. It does not bypass or recover unknown passwords.
Read the Privacy Policy for details about temporary server processing.
How to convert images to PDF
What it is: Turning JPG or PNG images into one paginated PDF with a chosen page size and orientation.
When it helps: You have photographed receipts, scanned pages, or image files that need to be printed or shared as one document.
Steps
- Open JPG to PDF and add the images in any order.
- Choose Fit image, A4, or Letter and set portrait or landscape orientation.
- Arrange the images, create the PDF, and inspect page order, margins, and readability.
Tips and limitations: The generated PDF contains the source images; large images can create a large output file. Keep the originals until you have checked the result.
Quick FAQ: Can I mix portrait and landscape images? The document uses the selected orientation, so review mixed images for fit and margins.
How to extract pages from a PDF
What it is: Creating a new PDF from selected pages of a larger document by entering individual page numbers or ranges.
When it helps: You need to send an appendix, chapter, completed form, or short section without sharing the full source.
Steps
- Open Split PDF and upload the source document.
- Enter page numbers such as 2, 4-6, or 9-10, then check the selected range.
- Download the extracted PDF and confirm that the first and last pages are correct.
Tips and limitations: The original file is not changed. Page numbers start at 1, and this workflow creates one output PDF per run.
Quick FAQ: Can I select non-consecutive pages? Yes. Separate individual pages and ranges with commas.
How to compare PDF revisions
What it is: Reviewing two PDF versions with page previews and extracted-text differences.
When it helps: You need a first-pass review of a revised report, agreement, or export before deciding which version to share.
Steps
- Open Compare PDF and choose the two versions.
- Review matching page previews and run the text comparison.
- Inspect pages marked as different or present in only one version, then verify important changes in the originals.
Tips and limitations: The comparison is not pixel-perfect image diffing. Image-only changes can require a visual review even when extracted text is unchanged.
Quick FAQ: Can the two versions have different page counts? Yes. The result identifies pages that exist in only one PDF.
How to prepare text for PDF translation
What it is: Extracting selectable PDF text and creating a text-first translation while keeping page markers and paragraph breaks.
When it helps: You need an understandable draft of a document in another language and can review the result against the original.
Steps
- Open Translate PDF and upload a selectable-text PDF up to 20 MB. The tool reads at most the first 30 pages and 100,000 extracted characters.
- Choose a source language (automatic detection, English, Hindi, Spanish, French, or German) and a target language (English, Hindi, Spanish, French, German, or Portuguese).
- Run the translation, review names, dates, numbers, clauses, and technical terms, then download the text result.
Tips and limitations: The extracted text is sent to the configured AI provider for translation. If that provider is not configured or is unavailable, the page reports that the action cannot run. Scanned PDFs need OCR PDF first; the result does not recreate the original page layout and is not a substitute for qualified review of high-stakes documents.
Quick FAQ: Can the translated result preserve the original form layout? No. It is a text-first result with page markers and paragraph breaks.
How to add a watermark to a PDF
What it is: Adding a text watermark to selected PDF pages to label a draft, copy, or document version.
When it helps: You want a visible label on a document before sharing it.
Steps
- Open Watermark PDF and upload your PDF.
- Enter the watermark text and choose the pages where it should appear.
- Adjust the text size, opacity, position, and rotation.
- Create the watermarked copy, download it, and inspect several pages before sharing.
Tips and limitations: Use a readable contrast and avoid covering important text. A visible watermark is not encryption or access control; keep the original unchanged and check the exported pages.
Quick FAQ: Can I control where the watermark appears? Yes. The tool provides controls for position, size, opacity, rotation, and page selection.
How to convert Excel to PDF
What it is: Converting an XLSX workbook into a PDF that is easier to view, print, and share.
When it helps: You need to share spreadsheet results without asking the recipient to open Excel.
Steps
- Open Excel to PDF and upload an XLSX workbook within the tool’s 25 MB limit.
- Start the conversion and wait for the server-side processing to finish.
- Download the PDF and inspect each relevant worksheet.
- Check print scaling, page breaks, column widths, headers, totals, and clipped cells before sharing.
Tips and limitations: Spreadsheet print settings can change how sheets appear in the PDF. Verify formulas and displayed values in the source workbook; do not assume every sheet fits on one page.
Quick FAQ: Will every workbook look exactly like Excel? Not necessarily. Check page layout, fonts, formulas, and print settings in the exported PDF.
How to convert Word to PDF
What it is: Converting a DOCX document into a PDF for consistent viewing and printing.
When it helps: You need to submit or share a document in a format that is less easily edited.
Steps
- Open Word to PDF and upload your DOCX file within the tool’s 25 MB limit.
- Start the conversion and wait for processing to finish.
- Download the PDF and compare it with the original Word document.
- Review headings, fonts, images, tables, page breaks, page numbers, and margins.
Tips and limitations: Common Word formatting is supported, but unusual fonts, macros, and embedded objects may not transfer perfectly. Keep the DOCX original and review every page before submitting the PDF.
Quick FAQ: Will the PDF always match Word exactly? No. Inspect the exported pages, especially where fonts, tables, or page breaks matter.
How to crop a PDF
What it is: Trimming the visible page area by adjusting the crop margins of a PDF.
When it helps: You want to remove visible margins or focus on the main content of a page.
Steps
- Open Crop PDF and upload your document.
- Choose the pages you want to crop and review the preview.
- Adjust the top, bottom, left, and right trim values in PDF points.
- Apply the crop, download the new PDF, and check the affected pages.
Tips and limitations: Cropping changes the visible page area; it is not secure redaction. Hidden content may remain in the PDF. Do not use cropping to conceal confidential information.
Quick FAQ: Does cropping permanently erase content outside the visible area? Do not assume that it does. Cropping is not a substitute for a verified redaction workflow.
How to unlock a PDF with its password
What it is: Creating an accessible PDF copy when you know the document’s correct password.
When it helps: You are authorized to use the PDF and have the password needed to open or unlock it.
Steps
- Open Unlock PDF and upload the protected PDF.
- Enter the correct password when prompted.
- Start the unlock operation and wait for processing to finish.
- Download the result and test that it opens as expected before using it.
Tips and limitations: The tool does not crack passwords or bypass an unknown password. Only process documents you are authorized to access, and store sensitive files and passwords carefully.
Quick FAQ: Can this tool recover a forgotten password? No. You need the correct password; unknown passwords are not cracked or bypassed.
How to convert PDF to JPG
What it is: Rendering selected PDF pages as JPG images for previews, sharing, or image-based workflows.
When it helps: You need page images rather than a multipage PDF file.
Steps
- Open PDF to JPG and upload the source PDF.
- Select the pages you want to export.
- Choose the available image-quality setting and review the preview.
- Generate the JPG images and download individual files or the ZIP when offered.
- Open the images and check text readability, image dimensions, and page order.
Tips and limitations: JPG is a raster image format, so text will not remain directly selectable as PDF text. Higher image quality can increase file size; keep the original PDF for printing or later editing.
Quick FAQ: Can I convert only selected pages? Yes. Select the pages you need before generating the JPG images.