How to use the PDF tools

Macaaw has 40 PDF tools for converting, organising, editing, compressing, reading text from and protecting PDFs. Every tool page works the same way: add your file, choose the settings, then download the result.

Before you start

• You do not need an account. Visitors can run 10 server tasks a day on files up to 25 MB; a free account raises this to 20 tasks and 50 MB.
• Browser tools are free and unlimited on every plan.
• Three tools are part of Pro and Business: Edit PDF, Compare PDFs and Extract invoice data.

Where each tool runs

Each tool page says where the tool runs:

• In your browser (shown as Browser only in your history): the file is processed on your own device. Nothing is uploaded, so these tools also work for sensitive documents.
• On our UK servers: the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection to our servers in London, processed automatically with no person opening it, and deleted automatically.

Convert to PDF

Convert from PDF

Organise

Edit and sign

Optimise and OCR

Security

How to run a tool

1. Open the tool, for example from Tools at the top of any page, New › Run a PDF tool in your account, or a quick action on your account home.
2. Choose Choose file (or Choose files), or drag files onto the page. For tools that combine files, such as Merge PDF, use the arrow buttons or drag to change the order.
3. Check the settings. Each tool starts with the setting that suits most files.
4. Start the tool. Server tools show Waiting in the queue, then Working on it; browser tools show Processing on your device.
5. When it has finished, choose Download (or Download all for several files).

How to continue with the same file

After a tool finishes, Continue with this file lists the tools that can take the result next, for example Compress after Merge. The file is passed on without uploading it again. If you do the same steps often, choose Save as workflow to run them all in one go next time (see Workflows).

How to delete your files straight away

Server tools keep the original and the result for a short time so you can download them:

To delete them sooner, choose Delete now on the result page, or in History.

Limits on each plan

A PDF can have up to 2,000 pages. On Pro and Business, when a monthly allowance runs out, tools keep working by using credits.

If something goes wrong

• "This PDF needs a password to open." Use Unlock PDF first, then try again.
• "This PDF has no text to convert; it is probably a scan." Run OCR PDF first, then convert.
• "This file type is not supported by this tool." Check the Accepts line on the tool page for the file types it takes.
• "Files can be up to … MB on your plan." Compress the file in a browser tool first, split it, or move to a plan with bigger files.
• "This form uses XFA, which cannot be filled here." Some government forms use an old Adobe format. Open them in Adobe Reader.
• "These files have been deleted." The download link has expired after the deletion time. Run the tool again.
• More fixes are in Troubleshooting.