How to merge PDF files
Combine scanned pages, signed forms, and exports into one file — online, on Windows, or on a Mac — and fix the usual order, password, and size problems.
Read the merge guide →Everyday PDF tasks
Get the file ready without guessing the next click
PageReady Guides helps you merge, compress, convert, split, rotate, OCR, delete pages, number pages, shrink a file for email, flatten a filled form, and protect PDFs with clear steps. Articles cover online, Windows, and Mac options, plus the failure modes that waste an afternoon.
Core PDF tasks
Compress a PDF without wrecking it
A practical checklist for shrinking file size while keeping text readable and images usable for email, uploads, and print.
Read the compress guide →PDF to Word options checklist
Choose between online and desktop conversion, know when OCR is required, and avoid tools that overpromise “perfect” layouts or unlimited free use.
Read the conversion guide →Split PDF pages vs extract
Split a long document into parts, or pull out a single page. This guide explains when each job is the right one.
Read the split guide →More how-tos
Compress without losing too much quality
Milder settings, one pass from the original, and a zoom check so email size does not mean muddy type or blocky photos.
Read the quality guide →Split a PDF / extract pages
Step-by-step recipes for Mac, Windows, and the browser: one page, a range, or two packets — without overwriting the master file.
Read the split/extract steps →PDF to JPG or PNG
Export a page as an image when a form will not take a PDF. Choose PNG for text, JPG for photos, and confirm resolution before you send.
Read the image export guide →Password-protect a PDF
Set an open password on a file you already control. Known-password path only — this is not a guide to removing someone else’s lock.
Read the protect guide →Rotate, OCR, and delete pages
Rotate or reorder PDF pages
Permanent rotate versus viewer-only spin, thumbnail reorder, and the usual traps: orientation that does not save, and printed page numbers that lie about order.
Read the rotate / reorder guide →OCR a scanned PDF
Make a scan searchable and selectable. Prefer desktop for private files, expect friction in the browser, and check Find plus file size after the pass.
Read the OCR guide →Delete pages from a PDF
Remove blanks, duplicates, and pages you must not send. Delete is not extract or split — work on a copy, then compress or protect.
Read the delete-pages guide →Page numbers, email size, and forms
Add page numbers or headers/footers
Folio vs running header, Acrobat vs Preview vs browser print, and how to avoid covering letterhead or stacking numbers on a scan that already has them.
Read the page-numbers guide →Reduce a PDF for email limits
Scenario playbook: triage by common provider caps, then choose compress, split, extract, or images — not a second compress-quality article.
Read the email-size playbook →Flatten a PDF form before email
Lock filled fields so answers stay visible and uneditable. Acrobat flatten, Preview limits, print-to-PDF caveats, and an unflattened master copy.
Read the flatten-form guide →