PDF guides
Practical, step-by-step guides for everyday PDF jobs: converting to and from Word, dealing with scans, merging and splitting files, editing, shrinking and keeping your documents private.
Converting PDFs
- How to convert a PDF to Word Four ways to do it — Word, Google Docs, Acrobat and in-browser tools — and which to use for each kind of PDF. Read guide →
- Why PDF conversions lose formatting What's really inside a PDF, and why tables, columns and fonts are so hard to turn back into a document. Read guide →
- Scanned PDFs and OCR How to tell if a PDF has real text, and free ways to turn a scan into editable, searchable text. Read guide →
- How to save a Word document as PDF Export from Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice without losing fonts, links or accessibility. Read guide →
Working with PDFs
- How to merge PDF files Combine PDFs on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android — with built-in apps where possible. Read guide →
- How to split a PDF or extract pages Pull out a page range or break a PDF into parts using tools you already have. Read guide →
- How to edit a PDF without Acrobat Annotate, fill, sign, rearrange or change text with free built-in and open-source tools. Read guide →
- How to reduce PDF file size Why PDFs get so big and practical ways to shrink them for email and upload limits. Read guide →
- Are online PDF tools safe? What happens to files you upload, a privacy checklist, and how browser-based tools differ. Read guide →