ThePDF
Articles
Guides and explainers for the tools on this site.
{ } Guides
How to edit a PDF on Windows and macOS without AcrobatWhat the built-in tools on each platform can already do, where they stop, and how to cover the gaps in a browser tab instead of buying a subscription.How to edit a PDF on an iPhone or iPad in SafariCombine, shrink, sign and convert PDFs from Safari on iOS — using the Files app and Markup, with the document never leaving the device.How to edit a PDF on Android without installing an appMerge, split, compress, sign and convert PDFs straight from Chrome on an Android phone — no install, no account, and the file stays on the handset.How to reorder the pages of a PDFFix a scan that came out backwards, move an appendix to the end, or put the summary first — by dragging thumbnails in your browser.How to split a PDF by page rangeCut one PDF into several — a chapter here, an appendix there — using range syntax, and get them back as a ZIP.How to see and remove the hidden metadata in a PDFEvery PDF carries properties you never typed — author, software, timestamps. Here is how to read them, remove them, and what removing them does not do.How to combine PDF and image files into one documentTurn a mix of photos, scans, and PDFs into a single tidy PDF — choosing page size, orientation, and fit, all in your browser.How to password-protect a PDF (and remove a password)Add or remove a PDF password with 256-bit AES encryption — entirely in your browser, so the file and password never leave your device.How to get the text out of a PDFExtract selectable text as plain text or Markdown — and what to do when a PDF is really just scanned images.Prepare a print-ready PDF: booklets, N-up, and resizingImpose pages into a fold-and-staple booklet, fit several pages per sheet, and standardize page sizes before printing.Convert a PDF to images — and images back to a PDFWhen to export pages as PNG or JPG, how resolution and quality trade off, and how to build a PDF from photos.How to fill in and sign a PDF for freeFill interactive form fields, type onto flat forms, and add a signature — privately, without an account.How to compress a PDF without wrecking qualityLossless vs. rasterized compression, when grayscale helps, and how to hit a target file size — all in your browser.Merge and split PDFs privately in your browserHow to combine, split, and reorder PDF pages without uploading your documents to anyone.
{ } Concepts
PDF vs PDF/A: what the difference is and when it mattersPDF/A is PDF with the rules tightened for long-term archiving. What it forbids, when you are actually required to use it, and how to tell what you have.PDF compression levels explainedWhat High quality, Balanced, and Maximum compression actually do to a PDF — and how to pick the right one.How browser-based PDF processing protects your privacyWhy doing PDF work in your browser — instead of uploading to a server — is a real technical privacy advantage, not just a slogan.OCR explained: make a scanned PDF searchableWhat OCR does, when you need it, and how to add a selectable text layer to a scanned PDF — locally in your browser.