Practical guides
Everyday file problems, organised by situation. Each guide ends with the tool that solves it.
Hit the daily limit on a free PDF site? An alternative with no limits, no watermark, no upload
When a PDF service tells you to wait until tomorrow or pay, here is how to finish the same job now, without limits or watermarks.
Merge PDFCompress PDFSplit PDFPDF to image
Edit a PDF without uploading it — keep contracts and ID scans on your own computer
When you would rather not put a sensitive document on someone else's server, here is how to merge, compress and crop PDFs in a way that keeps the file on your machine.
Compress PDFMerge PDFCrop PDF marginsEdit PDF metadata
PDF tools with no sign-up and no install — for locked-down work computers
When you cannot install software on a work PC and do not want to register with a company email, here is how to merge, compress and split PDFs straight from the browser.
Merge PDFCompress PDFSplit PDFRotate PDFAdd page numbers
Reduce a portfolio PDF to under 10 or 20 MB without wrecking the images
Image-heavy design and architecture portfolios blow past application limits. How far you can compress safely, and the order that keeps quality.
Compress PDFMerge PDFEdit PDF metadata
Fix an upside-down or sideways scanned PDF — rotate only the pages that need it
Pages that came in flipped from a duplex scanner, or landscape tables lying on their side, fixed in the file itself rather than in the viewer.
Rotate PDFOrganize pages
Clean up a scanned book PDF — crop borders, drop blank pages, cut the size
Turning a raw book scan into something readable on a tablet: remove black borders and blank pages, then bring the size down.
Crop PDF marginsOrganize pagesCompress PDF
Make a bulk product upload CSV from Excel — without broken characters or lost leading zeros
Converting a product spreadsheet into the CSV a store platform expects, and avoiding the three things that break on the way: encoding, commas in fields and SKUs starting with zero.
Excel ↔ CSV
Make a contact QR code for a business card — scan and save, no app, no link
A vCard QR puts your name, phone and email straight into the recipient's contacts. How to make one, size it for print, and why it beats a link.
QR code generatorResize images
Send dozens of photos at once — zip them in the browser, no software needed
Event or site photos by the dozen, sent as a single ZIP from a browser, with the file size cut first so it fits an email.
Zip / UnzipCompress imagesResize images
USCIS online upload: getting each PDF under the 6 MB file limit
Scanned passports, tax returns and letters routinely exceed the per-file cap on the USCIS online account. How to compress, split and merge evidence so it uploads the first time.
Compress PDFSplit PDFMerge PDFImage to PDF
Organise tax documents into clean PDFs for your accountant or tax software
W-2s, 1099s, receipts and statements arrive as a mix of paper, photos and downloads. How to turn them into a tidy set of PDFs that upload without hitting size limits.
Image to PDFMerge PDFCompress PDFAdd page numbers
Mortgage application documents as PDF — pay stubs, statements and tax returns that upload cleanly
Lender portals want each document category as a readable PDF under a size cap. How to prepare pay stubs, bank statements and returns so underwriting does not bounce them back.
Image to PDFMerge PDFCompress PDFEdit PDF metadata
Submit an insurance claim as one PDF — medical bills, receipts and reports in a single file
Claim portals and email submissions work best with one organised PDF per claim. How to photograph, combine and size medical bills and supporting documents.
Image to PDFMerge PDFCompress PDF
Turn receipt photos into one PDF for an expense report
Combine phone photos of receipts and emailed invoice PDFs into a single file your finance team can open, and get it under the upload limit.
Image to PDFMerge PDFCompress PDFZip / Unzip
Extract text from a PDF before feeding it to an AI assistant
Long PDFs get truncated or slow down chat assistants. Pull the text out first, and send only the pages that matter.
PDF to textExtract pagesSplit PDF
Merge PDFs on your phone — no app, iPhone and Android
Combine several PDFs into one from a phone browser, including how to reach files you received in email or chat.
Merge PDFImage to PDFCompress PDF
PDF prints with the edges cut off — why, and how to fix it
Page numbers and table edges disappearing when you print usually comes down to printer margins. Here is how to check and correct it.
Crop PDF marginsRotate PDF
Visa application documents — matching the PDF size and photo rules
Embassy portals reject uploads that miss the format or size limit. Here is how to get your documents and photo within spec before you start.
Compress PDFResize imagesImage to PDFMerge PDF
Resume PDF too large to upload — getting under the job portal limit
Application portals often cap resumes at 1 to 5 MB. How to shrink yours without blurring the text, and what keeps it readable to automated screening.
Compress PDFPDF to textEdit PDF metadata
Compress images for a website — faster pages without visible quality loss
Oversized photos are the usual reason a page loads slowly. How to size and convert images for the web, and what dimensions actually make sense.
Compress imagesResize imagesConvert image format
Thesis PDF submission — page numbers, margins and size limits
Meeting your university or journal's PDF requirements without rebuilding the document: renumbering after merging, trimming margins and hitting the upload cap.
Add page numbersMerge PDFCompress PDFCrop PDF margins
Merge PDF files free — combine multiple PDFs into one (no sign-up, no watermark)
How to combine several PDF files into a single document in your browser, put them in the right order, add page numbers, and keep the result under upload size limits. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
Merge PDFAdd page numbersImage to PDFCompress PDF
Convert PDF to Word free — 3 ways that keep formatting, and why scans don't work
Turn a PDF into an editable Word document using Word itself, Google Docs or LibreOffice — no converter site needed. Includes why scanned PDFs fail and how to extract text instead.
PDF to textOCR scanned PDFPDF to image
Compress a PDF to under 1 MB (or 2 MB) for upload forms — free, in your browser
Job applications, visa portals and government forms often cap uploads at 1–2 MB. Here's how to get a PDF under the limit without wrecking readability, what each compression level does, and what to do when compression isn't enough.
Compress PDFSplit PDFExtract pages
Passport photo size in pixels — 2×2 in (600×600), 35×45 mm and how to resize a phone photo
Exact pixel dimensions for US 2×2 inch passport photos, UK/EU 35×45 mm, visa portals and online ID forms, plus a 3-step way to crop and resize a phone photo to spec without losing quality.
Resize imagesCompress imagesConvert image format
PDF to JPG in high quality — export pages as images at 150/300 dpi without blur
How to turn PDF pages into sharp JPG or PNG images for slides, social posts, websites and print, which resolution to pick, and how to keep the files small afterwards. Runs in your browser.
PDF to imageCompress imagesResize imagesExtract pages
Add page numbers to a PDF — free, choose position and starting number (no Acrobat)
Insert page numbers into an existing PDF in your browser: pick bottom-centre or corner placement, start counting from any page (skip the cover), and set the font size. Useful for theses, court filings, manuals and merged documents.
Add page numbersMerge PDFAdd watermark
Email attachment too large? How to get a PDF under 25 MB in a minute
Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo attachment limits, how much you can compress a PDF without losing readability, and what to do when it still won't fit.
Compress PDFSplit PDF
Remove location data from photos before selling or posting online
Phone photos carry GPS coordinates, timestamps and device model. See what is inside your photos and strip it in one step before a marketplace listing or blog post.
Remove photo metadataCompress images
CSV shows wrong characters in Excel — the UTF-8 fix
Why accented and non-Latin text turns into symbols when you open a CSV in Excel, and the 30-second fix that does not involve the import wizard.
Excel ↔ CSV
Make a Wi-Fi QR code for your café, shop or guest room
Turn your Wi-Fi name and password into a QR code guests can scan to connect instantly. Free, never expires, print-ready.
QR code generator
How to save only specific pages of a PDF (extract vs. split)
Pull a few pages out of a long PDF into a new file, or break one PDF into several. Which tool to use and how to write page ranges.
Extract pagesSplit PDFOrganize pages
Free PDF tools without daily limits, watermarks or sign-up — how this works
Most free PDF sites cap your daily tasks or stamp the output. Here is why browser-based tools can skip all of that, and what they cannot do.
Merge PDFCompress PDFSplit PDFImage to PDF
Add a CONFIDENTIAL watermark to a PDF before sending it out
Mark proposals, quotes and drafts so copies can be traced and misuse discouraged. Text, opacity, angle and tiling settings that work — plus the metadata you should also clear.
Add watermarkEdit PDF metadata
Turn phone photos of a document into a single PDF (no scanner needed)
Photograph a form or contract with your phone, then combine the shots into one clean A4 or Letter PDF. Ordering, margins and keeping the size small.
Image to PDFCompress imagesOrganize pages