Guides
PDF how-tos that respect your time
Each guide pairs with a free tool on this site. Read, then do it in your browser — no signup.
Working with PDFs is something almost everyone has to do, but the tools and terminology are often confusing. These guides explain the most common tasks in plain language — what the steps are, why they work that way, and what to watch out for. Every guide links to a free tool on this site so you can apply what you read immediately.
Topics covered include making a PDF fillable, signing documents electronically, redacting sensitive information, converting iPhone HEIC photos and other image formats to PDF, running OCR to make scanned documents searchable, and adding or removing watermarks and passwords. New guides are published alongside new tools.
Guide
How to make a PDF fillable (without paying for Acrobat)
Drag rectangles onto the page to add text fields, checkboxes, and signature spots. Save once — recipients fill it anywhere.
Guide
How to turn iPhone (HEIC) photos into a PDF
HEIC is great on iPhone, painful everywhere else. Decode and combine into a clean multi-page PDF without uploading anything.
Guide
How to scan documents to a searchable PDF
From paper to searchable PDF in one minute, all in your browser. Includes the tips that actually move quality.
Guide
How to add a signature to a PDF — draw, type, or upload
Three signature modes, one drag to place, save to reuse on the same device. Nothing uploaded.
Guide
How to add a watermark to a PDF — text, image, your choice
DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, your logo — every option, baked into the file, all in your browser.
Guide
How to remove a watermark from a PDF (honestly)
Overlay text watermarks: removable. Flattened image watermarks: not really. Here's how to tell which is which.
Guide
How to redact a PDF — properly, so the text is actually gone
Most 'redact PDF' tools just draw a black box on top. The text underneath is still copyable. Here's the right way.
Guide
How to annotate a PDF — highlight, type, sketch
Five annotation modes, every popular reader compatible, nothing uploaded. The fast guide.
Guide
How to remove a password from a PDF (safely, in your browser)
Strip the password from a PDF you can already open, including owner restrictions like 'can't print' or 'can't copy'.
Guide
How to edit a PDF — a practical, honest map of your options
Filling, annotating, redacting, signing, watermarking — each is a different operation. The honest breakdown plus the tool for each.
Guide
How to extract images from a PDF — three reliable methods
The fast path, the surgical path, and the path for tricky PDFs. Plus when 'extract' is the wrong question entirely.
Guide
How to rotate pages in a PDF (single page or all)
Three rotation paths depending on what you have and what you need. Including the case where rotation is hiding a different problem.
Guide
How to fill out a PDF on iPhone (Safari only, no app needed)
Mobile Safari is more capable than people realize. Here's the 60-second method for iPhone, no app store required.
Guide
PDF vs DOCX — which format to send (a practical guide)
When PDF is the wrong choice. When DOCX is the wrong choice. The three workflows most people get wrong.