Choose a tool by task
Almost every PDF task starts with one of three questions. Is the file too large? Are the pages wrong because there are too many, they're sideways, or they're spread across several files? Or do you need a different format? The table matches each goal to a tool. It also shows what you select and which file you download at the end.
The two conversions between JPG/PNG and PDF work with whole pages. When going from images to PDF, each JPG or PNG is placed on a page as an image. This does not create searchable or editable text; that's what the separate text recognition is for. In the reverse direction, each selected PDF page is saved in full as an image, with everything visible on it. Individual photos embedded in the PDF are not extracted as original files.
Smaller file or fewer pages?
Compressing and the page tools can both lead to smaller files. But they change something entirely different. When compressing, the tool tries to save the PDF more space-efficiently, and all pages remain included. When splitting, one PDF becomes one or more new files with selected pages. When deleting, the marked pages are missing from the result. Splitting and deleting are therefore decisions about content. They only fit if the recipient accepts excerpts or separate files. Also, after splitting, the parts together are not necessarily smaller than the original.
Example with assumed values: A job application has 12 pages and is 9 MB in size. The portal allows one file of up to 5 MB.
- Compress: All 12 pages are kept. Only the result shows whether 5 MB is reached. With the tool for a size limit, you can enter 5 MB directly as the target.
- Remove pages: The file would have fewer pages. But your CV or references would be missing if they're among the deleted pages.
- Split: The 12 pages become, for example, two files of 6 pages each. This only helps if the portal allows multiple uploads. Also, each file on its own may be at most 5 MB.
In this case, compressing is the right first step, because the complete documents need to arrive. What else matters for job applications is explained in the guide Compress a job application PDF.
How the tool collection works
All eleven PDF tools follow the same workflow. Once you know one, you'll find your way around the others.
- Open the tool that fits your goal.
- Select the file or files. Depending on the tool, these are PDFs, JPG and PNG images or a DOCX file.
- Set the options, for example page selection, order, rotation angle, target size or image format.
- Download the result. Open and check it before you share it.
Are your files uploaded in the process? Processing takes place in your browser's memory on your device. Only the website itself loads from the internet, meaning program code and page components. Your documents are not sent to a server for processing. You need neither an account nor a payment. You also don't need to install a program or app, because the tools run directly in the browser. The website does need to be loaded for this. The process is described in detail in How PDF processing works.
Your original stays unchanged. Every result is a new file that you save yourself. The tools do not automatically pass results on to the next tool. If you combine several steps, first save the intermediate result and then select that file in the next tool. There it must meet that tool's own rules for format, size and content: a PDF may be at most 50 MiB, a DOCX file for conversion to PDF at most 20 MiB. The page tools, however, can output results of up to 100 MiB, even from smaller source files. If your intermediate result is larger than 50 MiB, continue working on it with a suitable PDF program on your device or recreate it from the source material.
Example with two steps: A scanned document with 20 pages contains two sideways pages and is too large to send.
- In the rotate tool, select the two pages, rotate them and save the new PDF.
- In the compress tool, select the file you just saved, not the original scan. This works if it is at most 50 MiB.
- Open the compressed result. Check that all pages are the right way up and easy to read.
What to keep in mind for legibility with scans is covered in the guide Compress a scanned PDF.
Check limits before selecting
Which limit applies depends on the tool. Each selected PDF, JPG or PNG file may be at most 50 MiB, which is 52,428,800 bytes. A DOCX file for conversion to PDF may be at most 20 MiB. If you select multiple files when merging or with JPG and PNG to PDF, together they may be at most 100 MiB. On top of that, there are limits on pages, pixels, text and output data that differ by tool family.
The page tools for merging, splitting, removing, rotating and image export require a standard PDF. Rejected are PDFs with interactive forms (including XFA), with digital signatures or certifications, with encryption or password protection, PDF portfolios, PDFs with embedded file attachments and PDFs with optional layers. Only some of these rules apply when compressing. Ordinary forms are allowed there, but encryption and existing signatures are not.
Even within these limits, your device's memory can become a bottleneck, especially with large files or many pages and images. You'll find the exact note on each tool's page. An overview is provided in File limits and supported features.
Example with assumed values: You want to merge three PDFs. The first is 40 MiB with 120 pages, the second 35 MiB with 90 pages, the third 30 MiB with 60 pages.
- Each file is under 50 MiB, so individually everything is fine.
- Together they come to 105 MiB. That is 5 MiB more than the 100 MiB per operation.
- Together they also come to 270 pages. That is 20 pages more than the permitted 250.
- Compressing beforehand can help with the 105 MiB, but it doesn't change the 270 pages. A single PDF with all pages therefore cannot be created with this tool.
- What is possible: You merge the first two files (75 MiB, 210 pages) and send the third separately. Both parts stay within the limits for input and page count. But this only works if the recipient accepts two files.
For images, the pixel count matters, not just the file size. A photo with 6,000 × 4,000 pixels has 24,000,000 pixels and is therefore below the limit of 40,000,000 pixels. An image with 8,000 × 6,000 pixels has 48,000,000 pixels and exceeds it.
Calculate file sizes and print dimensions
Alongside the eleven PDF tools, there are six calculators. Most of them only work with the numbers you enter and don't process any file. You can use them to convert between KB, MB and MiB, match pixels, DPI and print size, work out a compression ratio and estimate the size of an email attachment. You can also estimate an upload time and check several files against an upload limit. For this check, you can also select PDF files. The calculator then reads the exact size in bytes on your device and, where possible, the page count of a PDF. It doesn't change the files or upload them. You'll find all calculators under Calculate file sizes and print dimensions.
Calculators and tools complement each other. Depending on the calculator, you get converted units, pixel dimensions and print sizes, a compression rate, an estimate for an attachment or upload time, or a check against a limit. Your file is only changed in the matching tool.
Example: A portal states a limit of 2 MiB. That is 2,097,152 bytes, whereas 2 MB would be only 2,000,000 bytes. The calculator handles this conversion, but it doesn't make your PDF any smaller. For that, you then enter 2 MiB as the target size in the tool for a size limit. If the file still doesn't get smaller, the guide PDF won't get smaller can help.
Which tasks are not yet available?
Many PDF collections and desktop programs offer a wider range of features. This collection offers exactly the eleven tools from the overview above. For the following tasks, there is currently no tool here:
- Text recognition directly from JPG or PNG photos and on pages that contain both text and images
- Conversion of older DOC files, Excel and other Office formats, as well as a Word conversion that preserves the exact page layout
- Editing text and other content on a PDF page
- Secure redaction of confidential passages
- Signing or digital signing
- Extracting embedded images as original files
The calculators don't replace any of these features either, because they don't change any document.
Example: You have a photographed contract as a JPG and need a PDF in which you can search for words. The JPG and PNG to PDF tool does give you a PDF. But the page contains only the photo, and search won't find any words in it. Save this PDF and then select it in Text recognition for PDF, because JPG files can't be selected there directly. The PDF may be at most 50 MiB and have at most 20 pages. Choose German, English or both languages, and check in the result whether the recognized words are correct, because error-free recognition is not guaranteed.