Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask most about merging, splitting, and compressing PDFs here. The most important one first: nothing you do on this site is uploaded. Every tool runs inside your own browser, so your files stay on your device.
The core promise: merge, split, and compress all run locally in your browser. No upload, no watermark, no page limit, and no sign-up.
Privacy and safety
Are my PDF files uploaded to a server?
No. Every tool on this site runs entirely inside your browser using JavaScript, so your PDFs are processed on your own device and are never sent to a server. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tools still work. Nothing is uploaded, stored, or logged.
Is there a watermark, page limit, or sign-up?
No to all three. The tools add no watermark, impose no page or file-count limit as an upsell, and never ask you to create an account. Merge needs at least two files; split and compress work on a single PDF of any length.
Are password-protected PDFs supported?
Not directly. A PDF locked with an open password cannot be read, so the tool will report that the file may be corrupt or password-protected. Remove the password first by opening the file in your PDF viewer with the password and saving an unprotected copy, then run that copy through the tool.
Merging and splitting
How do I merge several PDFs into one file?
Open the Merge PDF tool, drop in two or more files, drag them into the order you want, and click Merge to download a single combined PDF. It all happens in your browser. For step-by-step methods on Windows and Mac, see the guide on how to merge PDF files.
How do I extract only certain pages from a PDF?
Open the Split PDF tool and either click the pages you want or type a range such as 1-3, 7. You can save the selected pages as one combined PDF or as a separate file per page, then download. Nothing is uploaded.
Will merging or splitting reduce quality?
No. Merging and splitting copy pages exactly as they are into the new file, so text stays sharp and searchable and images are untouched. Quality is only lost with workarounds that print or re-scan pages instead of copying them.
File size and compression
Why is my PDF so large?
Usually because it is a scan. A scanner saves each page as a photograph rather than as text, so a color scan at high resolution can reach several megabytes per page. Oversized embedded images and embedded fonts add more. See why is my PDF so large for the full breakdown.
How much can compression shrink a PDF?
It depends on what is inside. Scanned and image-heavy PDFs routinely drop by 70-90% because their images are re-encoded at a resolution suited to screens. Text-only PDFs are already small, so there is much less to remove. Try the Compress PDF tool to see the new size before you download.
Will compressing a PDF make the text blurry?
Real text in a PDF is vector data and is not touched by image compression, so it stays sharp. In a scan the text is part of the page image, so very aggressive settings can soften it, but at moderate settings the difference is rarely noticeable on screen.
Compatibility and cost
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. The tools run in any modern browser and work the same on desktop, tablet, and mobile, with no app to install. Because the processing happens on your own device, no upload or connection is needed once the page has loaded.
Is it really free?
Yes, completely free. There is no paid tier, no trial, and no account. The tools are free to use as often as you like.