Which PDF converter do you need?
To make a PDF, use Word to PDF for .docx files and Excel to PDF for .xlsx, .xls or .csv sheets. JPG to PDF puts up to 300 photos or scans into one file. Word to PDF rebuilds headings, paragraphs and lists on fresh pages, so it suits letters, essays and plain CVs better than documents with a complex layout.
To get content out of a PDF, PDF to Word gives you an editable .docx with paragraphs, headings and bullet lists rebuilt. PDF to JPG saves each page as a JPG or PNG at up to 216 DPI, and PDF to Text pulls out plain text you can search and copy.
Why some PDF tools don't work on scanned documents
A scanned PDF is a picture of each page with no text layer behind it. PDF to Word and PDF to Text read that text layer, so scanned pages come back empty or get flagged as having no readable text. These tools don't run OCR. A quick test: try to select a word in your PDF viewer. If you can't, the page is an image.
Compress PDF works the other way round. It redraws every page as a JPEG at the quality you pick, which shrinks scanned files a lot. The trade-off is that text in the compressed copy can't be selected, so keep the original if you need to search it.
Merge, split or rearrange: which tool?
Merge PDF joins up to 200 files in the order you drag them, and you can keep just a page range from each file. Pages are copied without re-compression, so quality doesn't drop. Split PDF does the reverse: pull out pages like 1-3,5,8 into one file, or break the document into single pages, groups or every N pages.
To move, rotate, delete or duplicate individual pages, use Organize PDF. It can also insert a blank page or an image anywhere. Add page numbers last, once the order is final.
Frequently asked questions
Are these PDF tools free?
Yes. Every PDF tool is free, needs no sign-up and doesn't stamp a watermark on your file.
Are my PDFs uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF tools read and write files inside your browser, so your documents never leave your device.
Can I convert a scanned PDF to Word?
Not with these tools. PDF to Word reads the PDF's text layer, and scanned pages don't have one, so you'd need an OCR app to recognise the text first.
How do I make a PDF smaller for email?
Open Compress PDF, pick a preset such as Balanced or Strong Compression and select Compress PDF. It works best on scanned files, and the text in the result can't be selected.
Can you remove a PDF password I don't know?
No. Unlock PDF only removes a password you can type in. It doesn't guess or crack passwords.
How secure is Password Protect PDF?
It encrypts the file with AES-256 and keeps your original pages, so text stays selectable. The PDF can't be opened without the password you set.