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PDF guides, fixes and plain answers
Everything we’ve written about PDFs: how to do the job, why a file misbehaves, and what the terms mean. Every answer ends at a tool that runs on your device.
Guides
22 · Step-by-step answers, each ending in a working file.
- How to merge PDFs on a Mac (without fighting Preview)
- How to combine PDFs on Windows for free
- How to merge PDFs on an iPhone without an app
- How to merge PDFs on Android without installing an app
- How to redact a PDF for free
- How to remove a PDF password without Adobe
Common PDF problems
17 · Why it happens, and the fix.
- Why can’t I copy text from my PDF?
- This PDF is password protected but I never set one
- The black box I drew didn’t hide the text
- My name is in the PDF and I didn’t put it there
- The portal says my PDF is too big to upload
- Why is my scanned PDF so big?
Start here
14 · The shortest route through the jobs people arrive with.
- Send a large PDF by email
- Black out text in a PDF properly
- Open a PDF someone sent with a password
- Combine several PDFs into one file
- Turn a PDF into an editable Word file
- Get a table out of a PDF
By profession
8 · The same tools, arranged around one job.
- PDF tools for lawyers
- PDF tools for accountants
- PDF tools for students
- PDF tools for teachers
- PDF tools for HR
- PDF tools for freelancers
- PDF tools for real estate agents
- PDF tools for small business
Compress to a size
6 · What each limit costs, and what is realistic.
- Compress a PDF to 100 KB
- Compress a PDF to 200 KB
- Compress a PDF to 300 KB
- Compress a PDF to 500 KB
- Compress a PDF to 1 MB
- Compress a PDF to 2 MB
PDF glossary
18 · What the jargon means, in a sentence.
- Redaction
- PDF metadata
- XMP
- PDF encryption
- User password
- Owner password
- Flattening a PDF
- PDF form fields
Alternatives
5 · How we compare with the popular PDF sites.
- FixMyPDFs vs iLovePDF
- FixMyPDFs vs Smallpdf
- FixMyPDFs vs Adobe Acrobat
- FixMyPDFs vs PDF24
- FixMyPDFs vs Sejda
Looking for something specific? The sitemap lists every page on the site, and the licenses page names the open-source engines each tool runs on.