How to edit, merge and share PDFs with free online tools

More than 30 years after the introduction by Adobe, the PDF file – a portable document format – is still indispensable for archiving, disclosure and publication. It is a file type that can be opened from almost any mobile or desktop device, while formatting, colors and layout of the original document are preserved. Given the ubiquity and popularity of PDF, it is no surprise that commercial PDF software tools are very popular. However, you do not have to pay for the processing of these documents, in particular for basic processing operations. Numerous PDF tools are available on the Internet, allowing you to edit your documents quickly and easily for free (with advanced features and usage restrictions for a fee). You don't have to download, install nothing and pay nothing, and they are perfect for smaller edits. Below we have selected three of the best online PDF app suites, along with three frequent tasks that you can do with it. Although all of these sites are well established and reputable, let the documents you share manage your common sense. Be careful when using a cloud service to process files with confidential information. Edit PDFs with TinyWow

Go to TinyWow in your web browser and you will see that there are numerous PDF tools to choose from, from converters to compressors. Here we will show you how to make some basic changes to a document. So click “Edit PDF” and then select “Upload from PC or mobile device” to select the file you want to work with. On the left you will find the side navigation, on the top right the zoom control and on the top of your machining tools. For example, click “Text” and you can insert new text in a font, size and color of your choice using your PDF. With the editor, you can also click on existing text in the PDF to edit it. Select the Tools to highlight or shape your PDF file with comments: You can add a colored highlight to each text in the document and insert arrows, lines, circles and rectangles. Whenever you create a new object or select an existing object, a dialog window will be displayed where you can customize, move and delete the object. The image tool is also useful and allows you to insert an image stored on your device. On the sides of the picture there are handles with which you can change its size on the page. If you are satisfied with the appearance of your edited PDF file, click “Download” (top right) to save it, or “Start new” to start from the front. Bringing together PDFs with iLovePDF

The iLovePDF site offers a wide range of PDF tools, similar to TinyWow. You can use PDFs in Microsoft Convert Office files, convert PDFs to images or vice versa, edit PDFs in detail and even sign PDFs and provide watermarks. At the moment, we focus on bringing together PDFs: in the options, click on “To merge PDF” to begin. First, you must click on “select PDF files” to select the PDFs you want to merge on the device you use. An upper limit for files is not specified, but I could easily combine 11 PDFs. You can also move the thumbnails of the files by drag-and-drop to change their order, or click the arrow or cross in any PDF file to turn or remove them. If you have loaded all your PDFs and have them in the desired order, click “Create PDF” to summarize them in a single file. After a few moments (depending on the number of pages), the process is completed. Click Download merged PDF to save the finished file or wait until the automatic download prompt is displayed. Share PDFs with Smallpdf

The opposite of integrating PDFs is, of course, what gives us the opportunity to present the Smallpdf suite of web apps. As with the other PDF tool portals discussed above, a wide range of utility programs are available, ranging from cutting PDFs to the correct size to converting Word documents into PDFs. Click “Extras” above and then click “share PDF” to begin. Use the Select Files button to select one or more PDFs you want to share. This allows you to reach the main machining surface. Each page of the selected PDF file is displayed as a thumbnail, and you can click on one of the scissors buttons to create a division. Divisions may comprise individual or several pages. You can also use the option “After each ... share” above to automatically split the PDF into sections based on the number of pages you want in each section. Above there are buttons to turn the pages, and you can change the order of the pages by moving the thumbnails by drag & drop. If you have the divisions in the right place, click on “share PDFs” to save your pages individually as PDFs or as a ZIP file.