About PDF Tools

The problem we set out to solve

Almost everyone eventually needs to merge two PDFs, pull one page out of a scan, shrink a file that is too large to email, or add a watermark before sending a draft. The usual options are frustrating: desktop software that costs money for a task that takes ten seconds, or free websites that require you to upload a document — often a contract, an invoice, a medical record, or an ID scan — to an unknown server, then wait, then hope it gets deleted.

Modern browsers are genuinely powerful. They can parse, rewrite, render, and re-encode a PDF without any help from a server. We built this site to take advantage of that.

How it works

10 of our tools run entirely on your own device. When you pick a file, it is read into your browser's memory, processed by JavaScript running on your machine, and handed straight back to you as a download. Nothing is uploaded, so there is no upload wait, no queue, and no copy of your document on our infrastructure for us to lose or leak. It also means the tools keep working on a slow connection, and you can confirm the claim yourself: open your browser's developer tools, watch the network tab, and you will see no request carrying your file.

A small number of features — converting between Office formats and PDF, for instance — need a document engine that has no browser equivalent. Those run on a server, and we say so clearly on the tool itself. Files sent there are converted and deleted immediately, and never inspected or retained. The full detail is in our Privacy Policy.

What we believe

• Privacy by architecture, not by promise. A tool that never receives your file cannot misuse it. We prefer designs where you do not have to trust us.
• No friction. No account, no email address, no watermark on your output, no "three free conversions then upgrade".
• Honesty about limits. Compression cannot shrink every file dramatically, and format conversion is never perfect. We would rather tell you that up front than overpromise.
• Fast and light. Pages are small and static, and processing starts the moment you drop a file in.

How the site is funded

The tools are free and there is no paid tier. Hosting, domain, and development are paid for by the advertisements you see on the site. Ads let us keep the service free for people who need it and avoid charging for a one-minute task. We do not sell your data — we could not sell your documents even if we wanted to, because for most tools we never receive them. Our Cookie Policy explains what our advertising partners set in your browser and how to opt out of personalised ads.

Who we are

PDF Tools is built and maintained by a small independent team of software developers, funded entirely by advertising rather than outside investors. We use these tools ourselves, which is the main reason the rough edges keep getting filed down.

Get in touch

Found a PDF that breaks a tool, or want a feature that is missing? Bug reports with a description of the file are genuinely useful and are the fastest way to get something fixed. Reach us through the contact page, or browse all available tools to see what we have built so far.