PDF guides

Practical, plain-English guides to everyday PDF jobs — why things work the way they do, which settings to choose, and the mistakes to avoid. Each guide ends with how to do it on FlexyFiles.

How to reduce a PDF's file size (without ruining it) Why PDFs get so big, how image resolution affects file size, which compression level to pick, lossless optimisation, and how to check the result before sending. Read the guide → How to merge PDF files in the right order Plan the page order, name files so they sort, mix images with PDFs, pick single pages, fix rotations and learn what merging can lose, like bookmarks and forms. Read the guide → How to split a PDF: by page, every N pages or by ranges When to split a PDF, how page ranges like 1-3, 4-6, 7- work with worked examples, how to name the parts and how to recombine them into a new document later. Read the guide → PDF to JPG: which resolution (DPI) should you choose? What DPI means when turning PDF pages into images, pixel sizes of A4 and Letter at 72, 150 and 300 DPI, JPG versus PNG, and which setting suits slides or print. Read the guide → Password-protecting a PDF: what it does and doesn't do Open versus permission passwords, AES-256 versus old RC4, picking a strong password, sharing it safely, unlocking files and why lost passwords stay lost. Read the guide → Turning phone photos and scans into a clean PDF Take sharp, flat, well-lit document photos, turn JPG and PNG into a PDF, fix page order and rotation, drop blank pages, compress scans and know the OCR limit. Read the guide → Adding page numbers to a PDF: reports, theses and document bundles Where page numbers should go, which format to choose, how to start at a number other than 1 and how to number a merged bundle of PDFs so the sequence is right. Read the guide → Watermarking PDFs: when it helps and what it can't do When to watermark a PDF as DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or SAMPLE, how to keep it readable, why naming the recipient helps, and why a watermark alone is not security. Read the guide → What hidden information does a PDF carry? PDF document properties explained: title, author, keywords, creator and dates, why the title matters, the privacy risks, and what editing metadata won't remove. Read the guide → Fixing a badly scanned PDF: reorder, rotate and remove pages Fix sideways and upside-down scans, untangle the page order from double-sided scanning, remove blank and duplicate pages and extract only the pages you need. Read the guide → Doing several PDF jobs in one go: the FlexyFiles workspace How the FlexyFiles workspace chains PDF steps like merge, compress, page numbers and protect, why step order matters, and worked examples you can follow today. Read the guide →

PDF tools

⧉ Merge PDF Combine several PDFs into one document, in the order you want. ✂ Split PDF Split every page into its own file, every N pages, or by custom page ranges. ▦ Organize pages See every page as a thumbnail. Drag to reorder, rotate or delete pages, then save. ↻ Rotate PDF Rotate all pages or only the ones you select, and save the result permanently. ⌫ Delete pages Remove blank or unwanted pages from a PDF in a few clicks. ⇱ Extract pages Pick pages and save them as a new PDF, leaving the original untouched. ⇲ Compress PDF Make PDFs smaller for email and upload forms, with a choice of quality. ▣ JPG to PDF Turn photos and scans into a single PDF, one image per page. ◩ PDF to JPG Save every page of a PDF as a JPG or PNG image, downloaded as a ZIP. ◌ Watermark PDF Stamp text such as CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT diagonally across every page. # Page numbers Number pages at the top or bottom, with formats like "3" or "3 / 10". ⚿ Protect PDF Encrypt a PDF with a password (AES-256) so only people who know it can open it. ⚷ Unlock PDF Remove the password from a PDF you are allowed to open. ⓘ Edit metadata Change the document properties that appear in readers and search results.