Practical guide 3 min read
How to compress a PDF to 100 KB for an upload form
Get a PDF under 100 KB, 200 KB or 1 MB for an application portal: what the tool tries first, why pages sometimes become images, and what to do if it won't fit.
New
Tool
Free PDF Tools
18 free PDF tools that run in your browser: merge, split, compress, convert, edit, sign and fill in PDFs without uploading them anywhere.
All 18 PDF tools
Organize pages
- Merge PDF Combine several PDFs into one, in the order you choose.
- Split PDF Break a PDF into single pages or page ranges.
- Rotate PDF Turn pages that are sideways or upside down.
- Delete PDF Pages Remove blank, unwanted or duplicate pages.
- Extract PDF Pages Pull chosen pages out into a new PDF.
- Add Pages to PDF Insert blank pages or pages from another PDF.
- Crop PDF Trim margins or cut pages down to an area.
- Organize PDF Reorder, rotate, delete and combine pages in one place.
Convert from PDF
Convert to PDF
Edit & sign
- Edit PDF Add text, images, shapes and white-out to pages.
- Sign PDF Draw, type or upload your signature and eSign a PDF.
- Annotate PDF Draw, highlight, write notes, add arrows and boxes.
- Fill Out PDF Type into PDF forms and tick their boxes.
- Create Fillable PDF Add text fields, checkboxes and dropdowns to a PDF.
- Flatten PDF Lock form fields and annotations into the page.
Working with photos? Convert iPhone pictures with HEIC to JPG, shrink them with Compress Image, or see all the image tools. Need graph, lined or dot grid paper? Printable Paper makes a PDF of any kind, at any size. Writing in Markdown? Markdown to PDF lays out the headings, lists, tables and code.
Questions
Are my files uploaded?
No. Every tool runs in your web browser, so your files are read, changed and saved on your own device and never sent to LabAnvil or anyone else. Once the page has loaded, the tools even work offline.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
Free, with no watermark, no daily limit and no account.
Can it open password-protected PDFs?
Not yet. PDFs that need a password to open, or that have editing restrictions, can't be changed by these tools.
Which devices does it work on?
Any up-to-date browser: Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad. Very large files are faster on a computer than a phone.
What does a LabAnvil account add?
Only convenience: your favourite and recently used tools follow you across devices. Every tool works the same without one.
About
Everything you usually need to do with a PDF, in one place: combine and split files, shrink them to fit an email or upload limit, reorder, rotate, crop and delete pages, turn pages into JPG, PNG or PSD images and images into PDFs, add text and signatures, highlight and mark up, and fill in or build forms.
Unlike most online PDF tools, nothing is uploaded. Your browser does all the work, so private documents stay on your device, there are no file-size limits beyond your own device’s memory, and there’s no watermark or daily limit.
How it works
- Reading PDFs: pages are drawn with pdf.js, the open-source PDF engine inside Firefox.
- Writing PDFs: changes are made with pdf-lib in a background worker, so the page stays responsive with large files. Pages are copied as they are, keeping text sharp and searchable.
- Converting: page images are rendered at the resolution you choose. Photos keep their original JPG data, so there’s no quality loss, and phone photos are turned upright.
- Everything is local: the libraries and fonts are served from this site and run in your browser. No file, signature or form answer is sent to a server.
Notes
Password-protected PDFs can’t be opened yet, and converting Word, Excel and PowerPoint files needs a server, so those tools will come later. Edit PDF adds new text and white-out rather than retyping existing text, and white-out hides content without removing it from the file.
A little guidance
Get more from your tools
Practical guide 3 min read
How to make a PDF smaller without losing quality
Shrink the photos and scans inside a PDF and leave its text sharp: which compression level to pick, what changes, and what to do when a PDF won't shrink.
Practical guide 3 min read
How to turn photos into one PDF
Combine phone photos, scans and screenshots into a single PDF, in the right order, at a page size that prints properly.
More tools
See allMarkdown Tools
Tool · New
18 free Markdown tools that run in your browser: an editor, slides, a README generator, Markdown to PDF, Word, Slack and Jira, a linter and more.
Label Maker
Tool · New
Print labels from Excel, Google Sheets or a CSV file: pick an Avery-compatible sheet, skip used labels and download a PDF. Addresses, QR codes and barcodes.
Printable Planners & Trackers
Tool · New
14 free printable planners and trackers: weekly and monthly plans, routines, meals, chores, budgets, workouts and more. Edit and print in your browser.