PDF Guides
Work with PDFs without giving up privacy: compress, split, extract, and manage documents in your browser.
Merge, split, compress, rotate, crop, protect, watermark, and convert PDFs — the PDF guides cover every common document workflow with practical advice and honest limitations. Each guide pairs an explanation with a ForgePlug tool that runs entirely in your browser.
All PDF processing happens locally using pdf-lib and pdf.js. Your files never leave your device, there are no watermarks on output, and no file size limits beyond what your browser can handle.
PDF Guides — Guides & Tutorials
6 guides covering practical workflows, examples, and best practices.
How to Merge PDFs Into One Document Without Losing Order or Quality
Combining PDFs sounds trivial until the pages come out in the wrong order or the file doubles in size. Here's how merging really works, what to check, and how to keep the result clean.
PDF to Image and Back Again: When Conversion Is the Right Move
Turning a PDF into images (or images into a PDF) is a tool for specific jobs — signatures, slides, sharing. Here's when each direction makes sense and what you lose in the process.
Password-Protecting PDFs: What Encryption Does and Doesn't Do
Adding a password to a PDF feels like locking the document — but there are two kinds of passwords, and each protects something different. Here's what encryption actually covers and when it's worth it.
Watermarks and Page Numbers: The Final Polish on a Professional PDF
A 'DRAFT' or 'CONFIDENTIAL' watermark and clean page numbers change how a document is perceived — and both are easy to do wrong. Here's the order to do them in and the mistakes to avoid.
How to Extract or Split Pages From a PDF Without Uploading It
Need just the signed page, the appendix, or a chapter boundary? Here's how to pull specific pages out of a PDF locally, with a real workflow and the gotchas to watch for.
How to Reduce PDF File Size Without Making Documents Unreadable
PDFs bloat for predictable reasons — images, fonts, metadata. Here's what actually takes up space, in what order to attack it, and what you'll realistically save.
PDF Tools
Free tools that run entirely in your browser — no sign-up, no uploads, no limits.
Merge PDF
Combine multiple PDF files directly in your browser. Reorder pages, rotate pages, preview documents, and merge PDFs securely without uploading your files.
Split PDF
Split PDF files into multiple documents by pages, ranges, or automatically. Extract specific pages or split every N pages — all in your browser.
Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size without sacrificing quality. Compress images, remove metadata, and optimize fonts — all in your browser.
Rotate PDF
Rotate PDF pages permanently in your browser. Choose from 90-degree increments, apply to all or selected pages, and download your corrected PDF instantly.
Crop PDF
Crop PDF pages to remove unwanted margins or focus on specific areas. Adjust crop boxes visually, apply to all or selected pages — all in your browser.
Extract PDF Pages
Extract selected pages from any PDF into a brand-new document. Choose specific pages, ranges, or use smart filters — all in your browser, files never leave your device.
Organize PDF
Reorder, rotate, duplicate, and delete PDF pages with an intuitive drag-and-drop workspace. Everything happens in your browser.
Delete PDF Pages
Delete unwanted pages from your PDF instantly. Select pages visually with macOS-style selection, preview results in real-time, and download your optimized PDF — all in your browser.
PDF Guides — Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about pdf guide on ForgePlug.