PDF tools for merging, splitting, converting and more

Which PDF tool for which job

To combine documents, use Merge PDF; to keep only some pages, use Split PDF or Reorder / Delete Pages, which also lets you change page order. If the file is too big to email, try Compress PDF before anything else. For editing the words, PDF to Word gives you a DOCX, PDF to Text gives plain text, and PDF to Images renders pages as pictures. Extract PDF Images pulls out the pictures embedded in the file instead. For the look of the document, Rotate PDF fixes sideways pages, Crop PDF trims margins, Add Page Numbers and Watermark PDF stamp every page, and Edit PDF Metadata changes the title and author fields. If a file will not open, try Repair PDF. PDF Password adds or removes protection, and you need the existing password to unlock a protected file. Scanned pages are a special case: they hold pictures, not text, so run Searchable PDF first if you need to copy, search or convert the words.

File limits and privacy

Each PDF can be up to 25 MiB. Tools that take several files, such as Merge PDF, apply that limit to each file. Results are meant to be downloaded straight away; the service keeps them only briefly and then removes them. Searchable PDF runs as a background job, so it can take longer than the quick tools. Only upload documents you are allowed to share with a third-party service, and keep your original: no tool here changes the file you uploaded, but a converted copy is never a perfect replacement. If your PDF is over the limit, Split PDF can break it into parts, and Compress PDF may bring it under 25 MiB, though a smaller file is not guaranteed.

Common PDF workflows

Scan to editable text: run Searchable PDF on the scan, then PDF to Word or PDF to Text. Both Word and text output reuse the extracted words, not the page design. Send a big report by email: Reorder / Delete Pages to drop what the reader does not need, then Compress PDF, and check the size. Assemble a pack: Merge PDF the parts, then Add Page Numbers so the combined file reads as one document. Share a draft: Watermark PDF with the word Draft, and use PDF Password if only certain people should open it. Reuse a chart: PDF to Images gives you a picture of the page, and Extract PDF Images gives you the embedded image files. Chain tools by downloading each result and uploading it to the next.

What to expect from conversions

Converting a PDF is not like converting between word processors. PDF stores where each character sits on a page, not paragraphs. PDF to Word therefore rebuilds the text as plain paragraphs and does not keep fonts, columns, tables or images. If you need the exact layout, keep the PDF. If you need the content, convert it and restyle the result.

Frequently asked questions