What is a PDF file?
PDF is a fixed-layout document format created by Adobe in 1993 and an open ISO standard since 2008. It renders identically on every device and printer, which is exactly why it is the default for contracts, invoices and anything official, and also why editing one is awkward.
At a glance
- Full name
- Portable Document Format
- Extensions
- Type
- Document
- Introduced
- 1993
- Created by
- Adobe; ISO 32000 since 2008
- Compression
- Both
- MIME type
- application/pdf
Strengths
- Layout, fonts and pagination are identical everywhere
- Supports digital signatures, encryption and form fields
- PDF/A is a recognised standard for long-term archiving
Limitations
- Hard to edit, because it describes a page rather than a document structure
- Reflows badly on small screens
- Text in a scanned PDF is just an image until OCR is run
When to use PDF
The layout must not change: contracts, invoices, reports, print-ready files.
The content is still being written or needs to reflow. Keep it in DOCX or Markdown until final.
Convert PDF files
Every tool below runs in your browser unless it is labelled otherwise, so the file stays on your device.
PDF to Markdown
Converts PDF pages to Markdown, keeping full-page visuals, extracting text and images, with optional OCR for scanned pages.
PDF to Image
Extracts every page of a PDF as a high-resolution JPG or PNG image file, saved individually so each page downloads on its own.
PDF to Word
Converts PDF files to Word, letting you choose between an exact-layout copy or fully editable, reflowable text output document.
PDF to PDF/A
Normalizes PDF pages into self-contained PDF/A-2b files, the standard format built for long-term document archival storage.
PDF to PowerPoint
Converts PDF pages into PowerPoint slides, choosing between exact-layout page images or fully editable, resizable text box content.
PDF to Excel
Converts PDF tables and data into Excel, choosing between an exact-layout copy or fully editable, sortable spreadsheet cell data.
PDF to EPUB
Converts a PDF into an EPUB ebook, choosing between a fixed page layout or fully reflowable text formatted for e-readers.
PDF to Images (ZIP)
Extracts every PDF page as a JPG or PNG image and bundles the complete set into one convenient downloadable ZIP archive file.
Images to PDF
Combines multiple JPG, PNG, or WebP images into a single PDF file, arranged in whatever page order you choose beforehand.
Scan to PDF
Captures document pages using your phone camera or existing photos and stitches them together into one clean, shareable PDF file.
Word to PDF
Converts Microsoft Word documents to PDF while preserving the original fonts, page layout, images, and formatting exactly as designed.
Excel to PDF
Converts Excel spreadsheets to PDF with full control over page orientation, margins, and scaling before you export the file.
PowerPoint to PDF
Renders every PowerPoint slide and combines them into a single presentation-sized PDF file, ready to share, archive, or print.
HTML to PDF
Converts raw HTML markup into a paginated PDF document, preserving the original layout and styling as closely as possible.
Markdown to PDF
Converts Markdown files into a cleanly formatted, print-ready PDF, rendering headings, lists, links, and code blocks correctly.
EPUB to PDF
Converts an EPUB ebook file into a standard, print-ready PDF document with pagination suited for on-screen reading or printing.
PDF Merger
Combines multiple PDF files into a single document, letting you drag and set the exact page order before the files are merged.
PDF Splitter
Splits a multi-page PDF into individual single-page files, all downloaded together in one batch as a complete set of documents.
Extract PDF Pages
Pulls selected pages out of a PDF and saves them either as one new document or a ZIP archive of separate individual page files.
PDF Compressor
Shrinks a PDF's file size for easier emailing and faster web uploads, while keeping pages sharp enough to stay readable.
OCR PDF Pro
Runs OCR on scanned PDFs and exports searchable files in Word or Excel with the original page layout preserved throughout.
PDF Rotate & Reorder
Rotates individual PDF pages, reorders the whole set by dragging into a new sequence, or removes pages you no longer need.
Crop PDF
Crops a single page, a chosen page range, or the entire document, with precise, adjustable margins set individually on every edge.
Compare PDF
Compares two PDF documents side by side, page by page, and visually highlights exactly what changed between the two versions.
Redact PDF
Permanently removes selected sensitive content from a PDF, producing rasterized output that cannot be recovered or copied.
Repair PDF
Rebuilds a damaged PDF's internal file structure, or recovers whichever pages can still be rendered from a corrupted document.
PDF Watermark
Stamps a diagonal text watermark across every page of a PDF, useful for marking drafts or confidential documents clearly.
PDF Page Numbers
Adds page numbers to a PDF with custom starting ranges, positions, fonts, sizes, and colors, all configurable before you export.
Flatten PDF
Locks a PDF's form fields and visible page content in place so the finished document can no longer be edited or filled in.
PDF Forms
Fills existing PDF form fields, or builds new text, checkbox, radio button, and list fields directly from a blank starting page.
Edit PDF
Adds text, images, shapes, highlights, and freehand ink annotations directly onto PDF pages before exporting the result.
AI PDF Assistant
Chat with multiple PDFs at once to summarize content, pull out action items, and generate study questions; 10 credits, sign-in required.
PDF Translator
Translates PDF text into another language while preserving the original page layout and line positions; 15 credits per document.
Sign PDF
Draws, types, or uploads a signature image and places it precisely wherever it's needed across the PDF's pages before download.
PDF Password Remover
Removes the open password from a protected PDF file, provided you already know the current password protecting it right now.
Protect PDF
Adds AES-256 password encryption and custom document access permissions to a PDF before you send or publish it any further.
PDF compared
Related document formats
Last updated 2026-08-03