Practical, step-by-step answers for merging, splitting, deleting, rotating, reordering, compressing, watermarking, and image-to-PDF conversion.
PDF Tools runs the PDF operations people need most on a single page, directly in your browser, using the open-source pdf-lib library. Because your files are never uploaded to a server, it's both fast and private. Below you'll find what each tool does and how to use it.
How do you merge PDF files?
Quick answerAdd two or more PDFs in the Merge tab, arrange them by dragging or with the up/down arrows, and click "Merge PDFs." The files are combined into a single PDF in the order shown, and a download link appears immediately. There's no practical limit on page count; the operation runs on your device.
How do you split a PDF or extract pages?
Quick answerUpload a PDF in the Split / Extract tab and type a page range (e.g. 1-3,5,8) — a new PDF is built from just those pages. Check "Split every page into its own file" to turn the whole document into one downloadable PDF per page.
The range syntax is simple: commas separate individual pages (2,5,9), a hyphen defines a consecutive range (4-9). You can combine both. Page numbers that don't exist in the document are ignored.
How do you delete pages from a PDF?
Quick answerUpload your file in the Delete Pages tab, enter the page numbers to remove (e.g. 2,4,6 or 5-8), and click "Delete pages." A new PDF is created from the remaining pages. You can't delete every page at once — at least one page must remain.
How do you rotate a PDF?
Quick answerUpload your PDF in the Rotate tab, choose 90°, 180°, or 270°, and specify whether to rotate every page or just certain ones. The tool adds the chosen angle to each page's existing rotation, which is exactly what you need to straighten out sideways-scanned documents. It's free and adds no watermark.
How do you convert images to a PDF?
Quick answerAdd your JPG/PNG images in the Images → PDF tab, reorder them, and choose a page size: "Match image size" makes each page exactly the pixel dimensions of its image, while "US Letter" centers each image on a standard 8.5 × 11 in page. Click "Create PDF" and download the result — ideal for combining several photos into a single document.
Reordering pages
In the Reorder tab, once you upload a PDF its pages appear as a list. Drag each row, or move it with the up/down arrows, until it's in the order you want, then click "Save new order." The tool lays out the pages into a new PDF in exactly that sequence.
How do you compress a PDF?
Quick answerUpload your file in the Compress tab and click "Compress PDF." The tool rebuilds the document, removing unused objects and metadata and re-saving it with compressed cross-reference streams. Because this doesn't re-encode embedded images, PDFs whose size mainly comes from high-resolution photos may shrink only modestly.
How do you add a watermark to a PDF?
Quick answerUpload your PDF in the Watermark tab, type your own watermark text (e.g. CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, SAMPLE), choose a layout (diagonal single mark or tiled), a color, and an opacity, then click "Add watermark." The text is drawn semi-transparently across every page. Because it's your own text, there's no copyright concern, and the whole operation runs in your browser.
Text is drawn with a standard PDF font (Helvetica), so characters outside basic Latin letters and numbers may not render as expected — stick to plain English text for the most reliable result. "Diagonal" draws one large watermark across the center of the page at a 45° angle; "tiled" repeats the text across the entire page.
How do you add page numbers to a PDF?
Quick answerUpload your PDF in the Page Numbers tab; choose the position (bottom/top — left, center, right), the format (1, 2, 3…; 1 of N; Page 1; or Page 1 of N), and a starting number, then click "Add page numbers." The tool stamps every page in sequence and gives you the numbered PDF to download.
Change the starting number to skip a cover page (start at 0 and remove the first page later) or to begin counting from any value you like. In the "1 of N" and "Page 1 of N" formats, the denominator is always the last number reached by the numbering.
How do you convert a PDF to JPG or PNG images?
Quick answerUpload your PDF in the PDF to Image tab, choose JPG or PNG and an export quality (72/144/216 DPI), then click "Convert to images." Every page is rendered in your browser and offered as its own download, named page-1, page-2, and so on.
JPG produces smaller files and is a good default for photos or general sharing; PNG is lossless, so it's better for pages with sharp text or line art you plan to edit further. Higher DPI settings produce larger, sharper images at the cost of a little more processing time per page. The first time you use this tool, a small page-rendering engine loads in your browser — after that, rendering still happens entirely on your device and your PDF is never uploaded.
How do you sign a PDF online?
Quick answerUpload your PDF in the Sign PDF tab, then either draw your signature on the pad with your mouse or finger, or switch to "Type" and enter your name in a handwriting-style font. Pick the page number and a corner or center position, then click "Add signature to PDF." The signature is drawn permanently onto that page.
Drawing gives the most natural-looking result; typing is faster and works well on desktop without a mouse or touchscreen for freehand drawing. The signature size (small/medium/large) controls its width on the page — height scales proportionally. Because everything happens in your browser, no third-party e-signature service ever sees your document.