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Most PDF jobs take two or three tools. Start from what you have.

19 PDF tools, all running in your browser. Pick the situation closest to yours and we'll line up the tools in the right order, with what happens to the file at each step.

document_scannerScanned bundle to emailPhone photos or a scanner pile that’s too big to send.

handshakeContract to send outA Word contract that needs signing and sending securely.

groupsBoard pack from several filesReports, spreadsheets and slides into one confidential pack.

query_statsGet the numbers outTables in a bank statement or report you need to work with.

step 1arrow_forwardadd_photo_alternateImages to PDFPhotos or phone scans into one document.

receipts.pdf14 pages · 38 MB

Open Images to PDFarrow_forward

step 2arrow_forwardview_moduleOrganizeRotate, reorder and delete pages.

receipts.pdf11 pages · upright

Open Organizearrow_forward

step 3flagcompressCompressShrink scans and image-heavy files for email.

receipts.pdf11 pages · 4.2 MB

Open Compressarrow_forward

Organise before compressing: deleting blank pages first means less to compress, and the result lands under most 10 MB email limits.

~/every-pdf-tool

Grouped by what they do to the file.

All19Arrange3Finish & secure4Get content out6Make a PDF6

auto_storiesArrange pagesChange which pages are in the file, and in what order.

call_mergeMergeJoin several PDFs into one, in any order.3 filesarrow_forwardone pack.pdf content_cutSplitBreak a long PDF into parts or single pages.60 pagesarrow_forward6 files view_moduleOrganizeRotate, reorder and delete pages.sideways scanarrow_forwardupright, no blanks

verified_userFinish & secureGet a final file ready to send.

compressCompressShrink scans and image-heavy files for email.24 MBarrow_forward3 MB drawSignDraw or type a signature and place it on the page.contract.pdfarrow_forwardsigned approvalWatermarkStamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or a name across pages.board-pack.pdfarrow_forwardstamped lockProtectAdd an open password or block printing and copying.payroll.pdfarrow_forwardencrypted

outputGet content outTurn a PDF back into something editable.

descriptionPDF to WordEdit the text with headings and tables intact.report.pdfarrow_forward.docx table_chartPDF to ExcelPull tables back into real cells.statement.pdfarrow_forward.xlsx slideshowPDF to PowerPointTurn slides saved as PDF back into a deck.deck.pdfarrow_forward.pptx notesPDF to TXTJust the words, in reading order.paper.pdfarrow_forward.txt imagePDF to JPGEach page as a photo-friendly image.12 pagesarrow_forward12 JPGs photoPDF to PNGSharp, lossless page images for slides.diagram.pdfarrow_forward.png

inputMake a PDFTurn other files into a PDF.

descriptionWord to PDFLock a document’s layout for sharing.letter.docxarrow_forward.pdf slideshowPowerPoint to PDFSend a deck that looks the same everywhere.pitch.pptxarrow_forward.pdf table_chartExcel to PDFPage breaks and headers set for printing.budget.xlsxarrow_forward.pdf notesTXT to PDFTypeset plain text, logs and code.app.logarrow_forward.pdf menu_bookEPUB to PDFFixed pages from a reflowable ebook.novel.epubarrow_forward.pdf add_photo_alternateImages to PDFPhotos or phone scans into one document.8 photosarrow_forwardreceipts.pdf

~/inspect-your-pdf

What's inside your PDF decides which tools are safe to use.

Drop in a PDF and your browser reads its structure: version, saved revisions, encryption, signatures, tags, fonts and images. It also decompresses the object streams that modern PDFs hide their pages in. Everything happens on your device. Or try one of three sample files, each built in your browser just now.

upload_fileDrop a PDF or click to chooseRead in your browser. Everything stays on your device.or a sample

Signed contract3 pages · 2 revisions · 1 signature

Scanned bundle6 JPEG pages · no text

Tagged reportPDF/A-2a + PDF/UA-1 · object streams

signed-contract.pdf2.7 KB · read in 1 ms

VersionPDF 1.7From the %PDF- header at byte 0. Not linearized.

Pages3Counted from /Type /Page objects. Only the latest version of each object counts.

Saved revisions21 incremental update appended. Earlier versions of the changed objects are still in the bytes.

Cross-referencexref tableA classic table: 20 bytes per object, each object stored on its own.

EncryptionnoneNo /Encrypt entry in the trailer.

Signatures1/SubFilter ETSI.CAdES.detached. Each one covers a /ByteRange of the file, so rewriting the file breaks it.

Form fields1An /AcroForm dictionary is present.

TagsuntaggedNo structure tree, and no document language. Screen readers have to guess the reading order.

Standards claimednoneNo PDF/A, /UA, /X, /E or /VT identifier in the metadata.

Fonts0 of 1 embeddedFonts that aren’t embedded are swapped by the viewer, so text can reflow or look different.

Images0No image XObjects.

Active contentnoneNo JavaScript and no embedded files.

what to do with this file

drawSigned: change nothing elseMerge, Organize, Compress and Watermark all rewrite the file and would break the signature. Make changes to the unsigned original, then sign again.Signarrow_forward

~/order-of-operations

Compress, sign, protect. Do them in the wrong order and one undoes another.

A locked file can't be shrunk, and changing a signed file can void the signature. Click steps to reorder them and see which sequences survive.

lock1. Protectarrow_forwardcompress2. Compressarrow_forwarddraw3. Sign

click one step, then another, to swap them

cancelProtect isn’t last: the compress and sign steps would need the password to unlock the file first, then re-encrypt it.check_circleCompress happens before signing, so the signed version is the one you send.

errorThis order causes rework.Show the best order

~/side-effects

What each operation does to the rest of the file.

Every tool here does its main job well. What differs is the collateral: signatures, accessibility tags, form fields and standards claims that live alongside the pages. Click a cell for the reason. If you've inspected a file above, the panel also says how it applies to yours.

operationPage contentDigital signaturesTagsForm fieldsPDF/A claim

call_mergeMergecheck_circlekeptcancellostwarningdependswarningdependswarningdepends

content_cutSplitcheck_circlekeptcancellostwarningdependswarningdependswarningdepends

view_moduleOrganizecheck_circlekeptcancellostwarningdependscheck_circlekeptcheck_circlekept

compressCompresswarningdependscancellostwarningdependscheck_circlekeptwarningdepends

approvalWatermarkcheck_circlekeptwarningdependswarningdependscheck_circlekeptwarningdepends

drawSigncheck_circlekeptcheck_circlekeptwarningdependscheck_circlekeptcheck_circlekept

lockProtectcheck_circlekeptcancellostcheck_circlekeptcheck_circlekeptcancellost

descriptionPDF to Wordwarningdependscancellostwarningdependscancellostcancellost

Digital signaturesCompresscancellost

Any rewrite breaks it. Compress first, then sign.Your file (signed-contract.pdf): 1 digital signature.

The PDF family: six ISO standards

PDF/A, /X, /UA, /E and /VT are restricted subsets of PDF, each written for one job. A file declares which it follows in its metadata. The inspector above reads that declaration. It doesn't validate the file.

PDF/AISO 19005 · 2005Long-term archivingFonts embedded, colour pinned by an output intent, XMP metadata required. No encryption, JavaScript or external content. PDF/A-1 also bans transparency, JPEG 2000 and object streams.detected by: pdfaid:part and pdfaid:conformance in XMP

PDF/XISO 15930 · 2001Exchange for printFonts embedded, an output intent for the press, and a TrimBox or ArtBox on every page. No encryption; PDF/X-1a also bans RGB colour and transparency.detected by: GTS_PDFXVersion in /Info or XMP

PDF/UAISO 14289 · 2012AccessibilityAll content tagged or marked as an artifact, a document language, alternative text for figures, and the title shown in the window bar.detected by: pdfuaid:part in XMP

PDF/EISO 24517 · 2008Engineering documentsBuilds on PDF/A-style rules, with allowances for 3D models, very large pages and layers in technical drawings.detected by: pdfe:ISO_PDFEVersion in XMP

PDF/VTISO 16612-2 · 2010Variable data printingBuilds on PDF/X for bills and statements. A document-part tree marks where each customer’s record starts, so a press can handle millions of pages.detected by: GTS_PDFVTVersion in XMP

PDF 2.0ISO 32000-2 · 2017The base formatThe core standard everything above builds on. Deprecates the /Info dictionary in favour of XMP and deprecates RC4 encryption.detected by: the %PDF-2.0 header

Sources

[1]ISO 32000-2 (PDF 2.0)The current PDF standard, available free through sponsored access.PDF Association ↗[2]ISO 32000-1 (PDF 1.7)Free copy. Clause 7.5 covers xref tables, streams and incremental updates.Adobe / ISO ↗[3]PDF/A (ISO 19005)Overview of the archiving parts and their conformance levels.PDF Association ↗[4]PDF/UA (ISO 14289)The accessibility standard and its requirements for tags and artifacts.PDF Association ↗[5]veraPDFOpen-source validator for PDF/A and PDF/UA claims like the ones read above.veraPDF consortium ↗[6]Compression StreamsThe browser API the inspector uses to decompress object streams.WHATWG ↗

~/other-toolboxes

Not a PDF?

The other toolboxes, with a typical job for each.

imageImage toolsResize, crop, compress and convert photos.IMG_4402.HEICarrow_forward.jpg · 1.2 MB movieVideo toolsConvert, trim and shrink clips.clip.mov · 480 MBarrow_forward.mp4 · 60 MB descriptionDocument toolsWord, ODT, RTF, Pages and more.notes.pagesarrow_forward.docx codeDeveloper toolsJSON, JWT, hashes and timestamps.{"a":1}arrow_forwardformatted