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 embedded PDF text to selectable Word text boxes with an approximate layout, or creates a visual page-image copy. Scanned PDFs need OCR first.
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 to PowerPoint as images, or extracts embedded text into editable text boxes with an approximate layout. Scanned text needs OCR first.
PDF to Excel
Converts PDF pages to worksheet images, or groups embedded text into editable rows. Table structure is inferred and complex layouts may need cleanup.
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
Renders basic DOCX content as PDF page images. Complex Word layouts, fonts, headers, and footers may differ, and output text is not selectable.
Excel to PDF
Exports Excel cell values as a basic PDF grid with orientation, margins, and scaling controls. Charts, images, and full workbook styling are not preserved.
PowerPoint to PDF
Renders each PowerPoint slide as a page image in a PDF. The slide appearance is retained, but the PDF text is not selectable or editable.
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. Searchable PDF adds hidden selectable text; Word keeps page images, while Excel also adds recognized text on a separate sheet.
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.
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 to JSON
Extracts the text, tables, and metadata from a PDF into structured JSON, Markdown, CSV, or plain text, right in your browser with no upload.
PDF compared
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Last updated 2026-08-12