PDF Tools You Must Know: Merge, Split, Compress, Convert

TL;DR: Essential PDF tools include merge, split, compress, convert, and page management. Use our free PDF tools to edit PDFs online—no software installation, all processing happens in your browser.

PDFs are everywhere—contracts, reports, invoices, ebooks. But editing them usually requires expensive software like Adobe Acrobat. The good news? Modern browser-based tools can handle most PDF tasks for free.

This guide covers every essential PDF tool, when to use each one, and how to accomplish common PDF tasks without installing software.

Essential PDF Tools Overview

PDF Merge: Combine Multiple PDFs

Merging combines multiple PDF files into one document.

When to Merge PDFs

• Combining report sections into one file
• Creating portfolios from separate documents
• Assembling contract packages
• Compiling meeting materials
• Building documentation sets

How to Merge PDFs

Use our PDF Merger:

1. Upload PDFs:

   • Select multiple PDF files
   • Or drag and drop several at once

2. Arrange order:

   • Drag files to reorder
   • Preview arrangement

3. Merge and download:

   • Click merge
   • Download combined PDF

Result: Single PDF containing all your documents in order.

Merge Tips

• Ensure consistent page sizes if possible
• Merge in logical order (you can reorder before merging)
• Consider adding bookmarks for navigation in long merged documents
• Check final file size—may need compression after merging

PDF Split: Extract Pages

Splitting extracts specific pages into new PDF files.

When to Split PDFs

• Extracting chapters from ebooks
• Separating individual pages
• Breaking large documents into sections
• Removing confidential sections before sharing
• Creating handouts from presentations

How to Split PDFs

Use our PDF Splitter:

1. Upload PDF:

   • Select your multi-page PDF
   • Preview all pages

2. Select pages to extract:

   • Choose specific page numbers
   • Or split at regular intervals

3. Download extracted pages:

   • Get new PDF with selected pages only

Result: New PDF containing only the pages you selected.

Split Options

• Extract single page: Get one specific page
• Extract range: Get pages 5-10, for example
• Split every N pages: Create multiple files
• Extract all pages: Each page as separate PDF

PDF Compress: Reduce File Size

Compression makes PDFs smaller for easier sharing and storage.

When to Compress PDFs

• PDF too large for email (usually 10-25MB limit)
• Uploading to websites with size limits
• Saving storage space
• Faster downloads/uploads
• Mobile-friendly documents

How to Compress PDFs

Use our PDF Compressor:

1. Upload PDF:

   • Select your large PDF file
   • Note original file size

2. Choose compression level:

   • Low: Maximum quality, moderate reduction
   • Medium: Balanced (recommended)
   • High: Maximum reduction, some quality loss

3. Download compressed PDF:

   • Compare sizes
   • Verify quality is acceptable

Result: Smaller PDF, typically 50-80% reduction.

Compression Results

PDF Convert: To and From PDF

Convert other formats to PDF and PDF to other formats.

Convert TO PDF

Create PDFs from various file types:

Images to PDF:

• JPG to PDF – Photos to PDF
• PNG to PDF – Graphics to PDF
• WebP to PDF – Web images to PDF

Documents to PDF:

• Word to PDF – Word documents
• Excel to PDF – Spreadsheets
• PowerPoint to PDF – Presentations
• Text to PDF – Plain text
• Markdown to PDF – Markdown documents

Ebooks:

• EPUB to PDF – Ebook conversion

Convert FROM PDF

Extract content from PDFs:

To Images:

• PDF to JPG – PDF pages as JPEG
• PDF to PNG – PDF pages as PNG
• PDF to WebP – PDF pages as WebP

To Documents:

• PDF to Word – Editable Word document
• PDF to Excel – Extract tables
• PDF to PowerPoint – Convert to slides
• PDF to Text – Extract plain text

To Ebooks:

• PDF to EPUB – Ebook format
• PDF to Kindle – Kindle format

PDF Page Tools

Tools for managing individual pages within PDFs.

Rotate PDF Pages

Fix pages that are sideways or upside-down:

Use our Rotate PDF tool:

1. Upload PDF with incorrectly oriented pages
2. Select pages to rotate
3. Choose rotation (90°, 180°, 270°)
4. Download corrected PDF

Common for: Scanned documents, mixed orientation PDFs.

Delete PDF Pages

Remove unwanted pages from PDFs:

Use our PDF Page Deleter:

1. Upload PDF
2. Select pages to remove
3. Download PDF without those pages

Common for: Removing cover pages, blank pages, confidential sections.

Reorder PDF Pages

Rearrange pages in different order:

Use our Reorder PDF Pages tool:

1. Upload PDF
2. Drag pages to new positions
3. Download reordered PDF

Common for: Fixing scanning order, reorganizing documents.

Complete PDF Tools List

Creation & Conversion

• JPG to PDF
• PNG to PDF
• WebP to PDF
• Word to PDF
• Excel to PDF
• PowerPoint to PDF
• Text to PDF
• Markdown to PDF
• EPUB to PDF

Extraction & Export

• PDF to JPG
• PDF to PNG
• PDF to WebP
• PDF to Word
• PDF to Excel
• PDF to PowerPoint
• PDF to Text
• PDF to EPUB

Editing & Management

• PDF Merger
• PDF Splitter
• PDF Compressor
• Rotate PDF
• Delete PDF Pages
• Reorder PDF Pages

Common PDF Workflows

Workflow 1: Email Large Document

1. Compress: Use PDF Compressor to reduce size
2. Verify: Ensure under email limit (usually 10-25MB)
3. If still too large: Split into parts with PDF Splitter

Workflow 2: Create Report from Multiple Sources

1. Convert: Convert images with JPG to PDF
2. Convert: Convert documents with Word to PDF
3. Merge: Combine all with PDF Merger
4. Compress: Reduce size with PDF Compressor

Workflow 3: Extract and Edit PDF Content

1. Convert: Extract to Word with PDF to Word
2. Edit: Make changes in Word
3. Convert back: Create new PDF with Word to PDF

Workflow 4: Clean Up Scanned Document

1. Rotate: Fix orientation with Rotate PDF
2. Delete: Remove blank pages with PDF Page Deleter
3. Compress: Reduce file size with PDF Compressor

Common Problems and Solutions

Problem: PDF is too large to email

Solution: Use PDF Compressor first. If still too large, use PDF Splitter to break into smaller parts.

Problem: Need to edit PDF text

Solution: Convert to Word using PDF to Word, edit in Word, then convert back using Word to PDF.

Problem: Pages are in wrong order

Solution: Use Reorder PDF Pages to drag pages into correct sequence.

Problem: Some pages are sideways

Solution: Use Rotate PDF to fix orientation of specific pages.

Problem: Need to combine many PDFs

Solution: Use PDF Merger—upload all files, arrange order, merge into single document.

Problem: Need one page from large PDF

Solution: Use PDF Splitter to extract just the page you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Modern browser-based PDF tools eliminate the need for expensive software like Adobe Acrobat. Whether you need to merge, split, compress, convert, or edit PDFs, free online tools can handle it—privately and instantly.

Ready to work with PDFs? Browse our complete collection of PDF tools and accomplish any PDF task in seconds.

Recommended Tools:

• PDF Merger - Combine multiple PDFs
• PDF Splitter - Extract pages
• PDF Compressor - Reduce file size
• PDF to Word - Edit PDF content
• Word to PDF - Create PDFs from Word

Related Articles:

• Convert Any File to PDF Online – Complete Guide
• PDF Compression Guide: Reduce Size Without Quality Loss
• Best Online Image Converters Guide
• How to Compress Images Without Losing Quality