# PDF guides

> Problem-focused guides for private PDF work: compress, redact, share, and upload limits — written for the question, not the tool.

Canonical: https://mypdf.space/guides
Last updated: 2026-11-07

## Hubs

- [Workflows](https://mypdf.space/guides/workflows) — How to compress, merge, split, convert, sign, and organise PDFs in your browser — free tools, clear limits.
- [Students](https://mypdf.space/guides/for-students) — Combine notes, meet upload limits, and make scans searchable — without uploading coursework.
- [Job seekers](https://mypdf.space/guides/for-job-seekers) — Shrink a resume under 1 MB, merge a cover letter, strip metadata, and convert Word to PDF privately.
- [Business](https://mypdf.space/guides/for-business) — Merge invoices, compress client files, redact contracts, and password-protect PDFs locally.
- [Privacy](https://mypdf.space/guides/privacy) — Local vs cloud processing, metadata, redaction, and secure sharing — what happens to your files.

## All guides

- [Redact a PDF properly](https://mypdf.space/guides/redact-pdf-before-sharing) — Why a black box isn’t redaction, how to remove text for real, and how to check the file you send.
- [Check a PDF for personal info](https://mypdf.space/guides/check-pdf-hidden-information) — A pre-share checklist: visible text, properties, attachments, form data, comments and hidden text.
- [Compress a PDF for email](https://mypdf.space/guides/pdf-too-large-to-email) — Get under the attachment limit and keep small text readable, and know when to split instead.
- [Make a scanned PDF searchable](https://mypdf.space/guides/make-scanned-pdf-searchable) — When you need OCR, how to pick the language, and how to check what it recognised.
- [Remove PDF metadata](https://mypdf.space/guides/remove-metadata-from-pdf) — What PDF properties reveal, how to clear them, and why it’s not the same as redaction.
- [Prepare a confidential PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/share-pdf-securely) — Inspect, redact, clear metadata, optionally watermark and encrypt, then check the file you actually send.
- [PDFs for government forms](https://mypdf.space/guides/government-form-pdf-upload) — From phone photo to a PDF that passes the portal’s size limit, plus what you can and can’t hide.
- [Exam application documents](https://mypdf.space/guides/exam-application-documents-pdf) — Make a reusable “upload kit” of your certificates at the sizes exam forms ask for.
- [Job and onboarding documents](https://mypdf.space/guides/job-application-documents-pdf) — Payslips, certificates, relieving letters and ID for HR portals, sized and checked.
- [Visa application documents](https://mypdf.space/guides/visa-application-documents-pdf) — Unlock bank statements, merge by category and get each file under the upload limit.
- [Scanned PDF to Word](https://mypdf.space/guides/scanned-pdf-to-word) — Why a scan converts to an empty .docx, and the OCR step that fixes it.
- [Remove a PDF password](https://mypdf.space/guides/remove-pdf-password) — Strip the password from a document you have the right to open, without uploading it.
- [Compress without losing quality](https://mypdf.space/guides/compress-pdf-without-losing-quality) — Keep selectable text when you can, and only rasterize when scans force the issue.
- [PDF to Word formatting](https://mypdf.space/guides/pdf-to-word-without-losing-formatting) — Get editable text out of a PDF without expecting a pixel-perfect Word clone.
- [Merge PDFs on any device](https://mypdf.space/guides/merge-pdfs-windows-mac-mobile) — Combine PDFs in a browser tab on Windows, Mac, or mobile — same steps everywhere.
- [Unlock a PDF legally](https://mypdf.space/guides/unlock-password-protected-pdf-legally) — Remove protection from a document you are allowed to open — with the password, not a crack.
- [PDF ↔ JPG](https://mypdf.space/guides/pdf-to-jpg-vs-jpg-to-pdf) — Pick the direction based on whether you need images or a single document.
- [PDF tools for students](https://mypdf.space/guides/best-free-pdf-tools-for-students) — A practical stack for submissions, notes, and scans — without paying or uploading coursework.
- [PDF size for email & WhatsApp](https://mypdf.space/guides/reduce-pdf-size-for-email-whatsapp) — Hit real-world attachment limits without uploading your file to a compressor.
- [Are online PDF tools safe?](https://mypdf.space/guides/are-online-pdf-tools-safe) — Upload-based tools keep copies under their policies; local tools never need the file.
- [PDF privacy guide](https://mypdf.space/guides/pdf-privacy-what-happens-to-your-files) — A clear picture of upload pipelines vs in-browser processing — and how to share PDFs with less risk.
- [Split a PDF by pages](https://mypdf.space/guides/split-pdf-by-pages) — Split by range or one file per page — privately, without uploading.
- [Extract pages from a PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/extract-pages-from-pdf) — Save only the pages you need into a new PDF — locally.
- [Rotate and reorder pages](https://mypdf.space/guides/rotate-and-reorder-pdf-pages) — Fix sideways pages and drag thumbnails into the correct order — locally.
- [Remove blank PDF pages](https://mypdf.space/guides/remove-blank-pages-from-pdf) — Delete blank or unwanted pages by number — keep at least one page.
- [Sign a PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/sign-pdf-online) — Place a drawn or uploaded signature image — private, free, no certificate claim.
- [Password-protect a PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/password-protect-pdf) — Add an open password so the file cannot be read without it — encryption stays local.
- [Local vs cloud PDF processing](https://mypdf.space/guides/local-vs-cloud-pdf-processing) — A clear comparison of browser-local tools and upload-based PDF sites.
- [Combine lecture notes](https://mypdf.space/guides/combine-lecture-notes-pdf) — Merge PDFs or turn photo notes into one study file — on your device.
- [Reduce PDF for college upload](https://mypdf.space/guides/reduce-pdf-college-upload) — Hit your portal’s size cap without uploading your assignment to a random compressor.
- [Handwritten notes to searchable PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/handwritten-notes-searchable-pdf) — Build a PDF from photos, then OCR — with honest limits on handwriting.
- [Resume PDF under 1 MB](https://mypdf.space/guides/reduce-resume-pdf-below-1mb) — Hit common 1 MB application caps without uploading your resume to a compressor.
- [Combine resume and cover letter](https://mypdf.space/guides/combine-resume-cover-letter) — One ordered PDF for portals that allow a single attachment.
- [Remove resume metadata](https://mypdf.space/guides/remove-resume-metadata) — Clear author/title fields so old usernames do not travel with your CV.
- [Word resume to PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/word-resume-to-pdf) — Export .docx to PDF locally — review the preview before you download.
- [Merge invoices](https://mypdf.space/guides/merge-invoices-pdf) — One ordered PDF of invoices — merged locally before you email the client.
- [Compress before emailing a client](https://mypdf.space/guides/compress-pdf-before-emailing-client) — Meet email size limits while keeping client documents off upload-based tools.
- [Redact a contract](https://mypdf.space/guides/redact-contract-before-sharing) — Remove sensitive terms for real — not a black rectangle that still selects.
- [Compare two PDFs](https://mypdf.space/guides/compare-two-pdf-documents) — Page-by-page text comparison — not a visual or legal track-changes report.
- [PDF upload size limits](https://mypdf.space/guides/pdf-upload-size-limits) — Typical caps for email and portals — and how to shrink toward them privately.
- [Can a PDF contain malware?](https://mypdf.space/guides/can-pdf-contain-malware) — PDFs are usually documents, not programs — but treat unexpected files carefully. Practical checks, not scare tactics.
- [OCR vs text extraction](https://mypdf.space/guides/ocr-vs-text-extraction) — Pick the right local tool: OCR for scans, Extract text for existing text, PDF to Excel for rough tables.
- [Scholarship PDF size limits](https://mypdf.space/guides/scholarship-application-pdf-size) — Hit common 100–200 KB scholarship upload caps without uploading your documents to a random compressor.
- [Passport / visa photo PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/passport-visa-photo-pdf) — Build a clean supporting PDF from scans, then compress to the embassy or portal limit.
- [PDF table to Excel](https://mypdf.space/guides/extract-table-from-pdf-to-excel) — OCR if needed, then PDF to Excel — with honest limits on complex grids.
- [Sign PDF without Adobe](https://mypdf.space/guides/sign-pdf-without-adobe) — Place a visual signature locally — free alternative for everyday approval, not certificate e-sign.
- [Redact a PDF properly](https://mypdf.space/guides/redact-pdf-properly-no-upload) — Black boxes alone are not enough — rebuild pages, clean residue, then verify.
- [Is my PDF safe to share?](https://mypdf.space/guides/is-my-pdf-safe-to-share) — Get a 0–100 privacy score and fix leaks before you email or upload.
- [Remove hidden text from PDF](https://mypdf.space/guides/remove-hidden-text-from-pdf) — Detect invisible text, then rebuild pages so it cannot be copied.
- [Compress resume for job portal](https://mypdf.space/guides/compress-resume-for-job-portal) — Hit portal size caps while keeping ATS-friendly text when you can.
- [Redact personal info from resume](https://mypdf.space/guides/redact-personal-info-from-resume) — Scan for PII patterns, redact what should not travel, then verify — carefully.
- [Prepare contract PDF before email](https://mypdf.space/guides/prepare-contract-pdf-before-email) — A private checklist before you send a sensitive agreement.
- [Upload PDF to ChatGPT?](https://mypdf.space/guides/should-you-upload-a-pdf-to-chatgpt) — AI chat uploads are third-party processing — sanitize locally first.
- [Sanitize PDF before AI](https://mypdf.space/guides/sanitize-pdf-before-using-ai) — Local checklist before any AI upload or paste.
- [Resume upload safety](https://mypdf.space/guides/is-it-safe-to-upload-resume-to-online-pdf-tools) — Resumes contain contact data — prefer local compress and clean.
- [PDF too large for Gmail](https://mypdf.space/guides/pdf-too-large-for-gmail) — Shrink attachments locally before Gmail rejects them.
- [PDF too large for Outlook](https://mypdf.space/guides/pdf-too-large-for-outlook) — Hit Outlook attachment caps with local compress.
- [Black boxes ≠ redaction](https://mypdf.space/guides/why-black-boxes-are-not-redaction) — Covered text can still be selected and copied.
- [Verify redaction](https://mypdf.space/guides/verify-pdf-redaction-worked) — Three checks after every redaction.
- [Browser-local processing](https://mypdf.space/guides/how-mypdf-processes-files-in-your-browser) — No PDF upload API — verify in DevTools.
- [Confidential PDF for email](https://mypdf.space/guides/prepare-confidential-pdf-for-email) — Safe-to-email checklist without uploading.
- [Aadhaar / PAN upload safety](https://mypdf.space/guides/is-it-safe-to-upload-aadhaar-pan-pdf-online) — Avoid upload-based compressors for India IDs.
- [India government portal compress](https://mypdf.space/guides/compress-pdf-for-government-portal-india) — Match portal KB/MB limits without uploading to a compressor site.
- [Redact invoice bank details](https://mypdf.space/guides/remove-bank-details-from-invoice-pdf) — Share invoice samples without leaking payment rails.

## Related

- [Workflows](https://mypdf.space/guides/workflows)
- [Privacy guides](https://mypdf.space/guides/privacy)