PDF guides
Practical guides for everyday file work. Each post ends with the tool that does the job.
- How to Compress a PDF Without Making It UnreadableThree ways to shrink a PDF that is too big to email, and how to pick the right one so the text stays sharp.
- How to Merge PDF Files: 5 Ways and When to Use EachThere are five common ways to combine PDFs. We compare them on speed, privacy and quality so you can pick the right one.
- Converting PDF to Word: Why It Is Never Perfect, and How to Get ClosePDF was never meant to be edited. Here is why conversion always loses something, and the order of steps that loses the least.
- Are Online PDF Converters Safe? What Happens to Your UploadMost free PDF sites upload your file to their servers. Here is what that means for contracts, payslips and ID scans, and how to work safely.
- How to Redact a PDF Properly (and Why Black Boxes Often Fail)Drawing a black rectangle over text does not remove it. Here is how real redaction works and how to check that it worked.
- How to Sign a PDF Without Printing ItPrint, sign, scan, email: there is a faster way. How to add a signature to a PDF on your computer or phone, and when that is legally enough.
- How to Convert Word to PDF Without Microsoft WordNo Office licence on this computer? You can still turn a .docx into a clean PDF. What carries over, what does not, and how to check.
- How to Get Tables Out of a PDF and Into ExcelCopying a table from a PDF usually gives you one long jumbled column. How table extraction works, and what to do when it does not.
- How to Extract Images from a PDF: Two Different JobsSaving the photos inside a PDF and saving each page as a picture sound alike but need different tools. Here is how to tell which you need.