PDF guides and how-tos

Task guides, troubleshooting, and privacy explainers for working with PDF files — written from testing the real tools on this site, not paraphrased from someone else's blog.

• How to Merge PDF Files on iPhone (No App Needed)

  Combine multiple PDFs into one file directly on your iPhone, using only Safari — no App Store download required.

• How to Sign a PDF on iPhone in Under a Minute

  Add a real signature to a PDF from your iPhone's browser — no Adobe or DocuSign account needed for a simple visual signature.

• How to Compress a PDF to Under 1MB

  A step-by-step guide to shrinking a PDF below 1MB for email attachments and upload forms with strict size limits.

• How to Redact a PDF (Permanently, Not Just Hide)

  The difference between drawing a black box over text and actually removing it — and how to redact a PDF the right way.

• How to Split a PDF Into Multiple Files

  Extract specific pages or break a large PDF into several smaller documents, without installing software.

• How to Edit a PDF Without Adobe Acrobat

  A free way to edit existing text in a PDF directly in your browser, with no Acrobat subscription.

• How to Convert Word to PDF for Free

  Turn a .docx file into a PDF in seconds, without Microsoft Word or a paid converter subscription.

• Is It Safe to Upload a PDF to an Online Tool? A Privacy Explainer

  What actually happens to your file when you use an online PDF tool — and how to tell the difference between an upload-based tool and a truly local one.

• How to Convert a Scanned PDF Into Editable Text (OCR Explained)

  What OCR actually does to a scanned document, and how to make a scanned PDF searchable and copyable.

• How to Compress a PDF Without Losing Quality

  How PDF compression actually reduces file size, and how to keep visual quality high while still shrinking the file.

• Why Is My PDF Blurry? 5 Causes and Fixes

  The five most common reasons a PDF looks blurry on screen or in print, and which ones you can actually fix.

• How to Combine PDF Files on a Mac (Built-In + Free Tools)

  Two ways to merge PDFs on a Mac: the built-in Preview method and a faster browser-based alternative.

• How to Convert JPG to PDF on Android

  Turn one or more photos into a PDF directly from an Android phone, without installing a converter app.

• How to Reduce PDF File Size for Email Attachments

  The size limits most email providers enforce, and how to get a PDF attachment under them without losing readability.

• How to Unlock a Password-Protected PDF File

  What "unlocking" a PDF actually means, the difference between removing restrictions and cracking an unknown password, and what this site's tool can and can't do today.

• How to Password Protect a PDF (Full Walkthrough)

  What real PDF password protection requires, and where to do it today while this site's Encrypt PDF tool catches up.

• How to Merge PDF Files on Windows 11

  Combine multiple PDFs into one file on Windows 11, without installing desktop software.

• How to Rotate a PDF Permanently (Not Just in the Viewer)

  The difference between rotating your view of a PDF and actually rotating the page data, and why the difference matters.

• How to Remove a Page From a PDF

  Delete one page or several from a PDF without recreating the whole document.

• How to Fix a Corrupt or Unreadable PDF File

  Why PDFs become corrupted, what can realistically be recovered, and how to attempt a repair.

• How to Add a Signature to a PDF

  Three ways to get your signature onto a PDF, and when each one is appropriate.

• How to Convert PDF to Word Without Losing Formatting

  What actually determines whether a PDF-to-Word conversion keeps its formatting, and how to get the best result.

• How to Convert PDF to Excel (Tables That Stay Editable)

  Get tabular data out of a PDF and into a real, editable spreadsheet.

• Best PDF Tools for Students: Merge, Annotate, Compress, Cite

  The PDF tasks students run into most often during a semester, and the free tools that handle each one.

• PDF Tools Every HR Team Needs for Offer Letters and Records

  The recurring PDF tasks in HR — offer letters, signed records, and document bundling — and how to handle them without dedicated HR software.