Guides

Practical, no-nonsense guides to working with PDFs without handing them to a server.

• How to check whether an online PDF tool uploads your files

  Verify a “no upload” claim yourself: a 30-second test in your browser’s developer tools, what that test cannot tell you, and the response header that rules out third parties for good.

• How to make a PDF small enough to email

  Attachment limits for Gmail, Outlook and company mail servers, why some PDFs are huge, and how to shrink one without uploading it anywhere.

• How to merge PDFs without uploading them

  Every way to combine PDF files while keeping them on your own device: in the browser, with the tools built into Mac and iPhone, and what to do on Windows and Chromebooks.

• How to remove the password from a PDF statement you own

  Bank and payroll PDFs that ask for a password every time are tedious to archive. Three ways to save an unprotected copy when you know the password — without sending the file to anyone.