# PDF Tools

PDF tools work on Portable Document Format files: combining and splitting them, rearranging pages, reducing file size, filling in forms, adding signatures and passwords, and converting to or from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and images. Most tasks change an existing PDF; the Convert to PDF and Create PDF groups make new PDF files from other documents or from scratch.

## Subcategories

- [Organize Pages](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/organize-pages) (0 tools)
- [Edit & Annotate](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/edit-annotate) (0 tools)
- [Forms](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/forms) (0 tools)
- [Compress & Optimize PDFs](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/compress-optimize) (0 tools)
- [Protect & Sign](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/protect-sign) (0 tools)
- [Convert to PDF](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/convert-to-pdf) (0 tools)
- [Convert from PDF](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/convert-from-pdf) (0 tools)
- [Extract Content](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/extract-content) (0 tools)
- [View & Compare](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/view-compare) (0 tools)
- [Summarize & Translate](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/summarize-translate) (0 tools)
- [Create PDF](https://techolm.com/pdf-tools/create-pdf) (0 tools)

## Tools

- Merge PDF (Coming soon): Combine several PDF files into one document in the order you choose.
- Split PDF (Coming soon): Split one PDF into several files by page range, or save each page as a separate PDF.
- Edit PDF (Coming soon): Add text, images, shapes and highlights to the pages of an existing PDF.
- Compress PDF (Coming soon): Reduce the file size of a PDF so it fits email attachment and upload limits.
- Protect PDF (Coming soon): Encrypt a PDF with a password so only people who know it can open the file.
- Sign PDF (Coming soon): Place a drawn, typed or image signature on a PDF and save the signed file.
- Unlock PDF (Coming soon): Remove the password from a PDF you are allowed to open, after entering the current password.
- Excel to PDF (Coming soon): Convert Excel spreadsheets in XLSX, XLS or ODS format into PDF documents.
- JPG to PDF (Coming soon): Combine JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC images into one PDF, one image per page, in the order you set.
- PowerPoint to PDF (Coming soon): Convert PowerPoint and OpenDocument presentations into PDF files, one slide per page.
- Word to PDF (Coming soon): Convert Word documents in DOCX, DOC, ODT or RTF format into PDF files.
- PDF to Excel (Coming soon): Extract tables from a PDF into an Excel workbook (XLSX) with editable rows and columns.
- PDF to JPG (Coming soon): Save each page of a PDF as a JPG image at the resolution you choose.
- PDF to Word (Coming soon): Convert a PDF into an editable Word document in DOCX format.
- OCR PDF (Coming soon): Recognize the text in scanned PDF pages so it can be searched, selected and copied.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a PDF?

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format for documents with a fixed page layout. Adobe introduced it in 1993, and it has been an open ISO standard, ISO 32000, since 2008. A PDF keeps text, fonts, images and vector graphics together, so pages print and display consistently.

### Why can't I select or copy the text in a PDF?

Usually because the PDF is a scan: each page is a picture, so there is no text to select until OCR (optical character recognition) reads the letters and adds a text layer. Less often, the author set a permission that blocks copying, which compliant PDF readers respect.

### Does converting a PDF to Word keep the layout?

Not always exactly. A PDF records where each character sits on the page, not the paragraphs, columns and styles a Word document uses, so a converter has to rebuild that structure. Simple documents usually come through closely, while multi-column layouts, floating images and unusual fonts often need manual fixes.