The Best Free PDF Tools Online — Complete Guide 2026

The PDF format is the universal standard for sharing documents, and working with it no longer requires expensive or complicated software. In this complete guide we compile the best free PDF tools online available in 2026, organized by category, so you find exactly what you need in seconds.

All the tools we mention are available at herramientasgratis.com, work in the browser without installing anything and are completely free.

Conversion tools

Converting between formats is the most frequent PDF operation. These are the available conversion tools:

Convert to PDF

• Word to PDF — Convert .docx and .doc documents to PDF preserving all formatting. Ideal for contracts, reports and resumes. See complete guide →
• Excel to PDF — Transform .xlsx spreadsheets into PDF with columns and rows correctly adjusted to page size.
• PowerPoint to PDF — Export .pptx presentations to PDF keeping animations as fixed images and exact design of each slide.
• JPG to PDF — Combine one or multiple JPEG images into a single PDF. Very useful for digitalizing scanned documents.
• PNG to PDF — Like the previous one but for PNG images, preserving transparency when appropriate.
• HTML to PDF — Convert web pages or HTML code to PDF format to archive or share.

Convert from PDF

• PDF to Word — Extract text and structure from a PDF and convert it to an editable Word document. OCR text recognition allows working even with scanned PDFs.
• PDF to Excel — Extract tables from a PDF and convert them to an editable Excel spreadsheet. Saves hours of manual data re-entry.
• PDF to PowerPoint — Convert a presentation PDF into an editable .pptx presentation.
• PDF to JPG — Export each page of a PDF as a high-resolution JPG image. Useful for sharing individual pages on social media or messaging.
• PDF to PNG — Like the previous one but in PNG format, ideal when you need transparency.
• PDF to text — Extract all text from a PDF in plain .txt format, without styles or formatting.

Page organization tools

These tools let you reorganize, combine or separate PDFs according to your needs:

• Merge PDFs — Combine multiple PDF files into one. Drag and reorder files before merging. See complete guide →
• Split PDF — Separate a PDF into multiple files by page ranges or into individual pages. See complete guide →
• Extract pages — Extract specific pages from a PDF without affecting the original file.
• Reorder pages — Change page order within a PDF by dragging thumbnails.
• Rotate PDF — Rotate individual pages or entire document 90°, 180° or 270°. Perfect for PDFs scanned in incorrect orientation.
• Delete pages — Delete specific pages from a PDF without needing to download or manually edit it.

Optimization tools

• Compress PDF — Reduce file size up to 80% with three compression levels. Essential for emailing PDFs. See complete guide →
• Compress images — Reduce JPG and PNG image size before embedding them in a PDF.
• Flatten PDF — Merge all layers and annotations into a single flat layer, ideal before printing or sharing a completed form.
• Repair PDF — Try recovering corrupted or damaged PDFs that don\'t open correctly.

Editing and annotation tools

• Edit PDF — Online PDF editor that lets you add text, images, shapes and drawings to any PDF.
• Annotate PDF — Add comments, highlights, underlines and sticky notes to PDF documents.
• Add watermark — Insert text or image as watermark on all or some pages of the PDF.
• Add page numbers — Insert page numbering in the position, size and style you prefer.
• Crop PDF — Adjust margins and eliminate unwanted edges from pages.

Signature and security tools

• Sign PDF — Add your electronic signature to any PDF by drawing it, typing it or uploading an image. See complete guide →
• Protect PDF with password — Add an opening password and/or editing password to your PDF to protect its content.
• Unlock PDF — Remove restrictions from a protected PDF (when you know the password) so you can edit, copy or print it.
• Redact PDF — Permanently erase sensitive information (names, numbers, personal data) from a PDF before sharing it.

Form tools

• Fill PDF form — Fill PDF form fields directly in the browser without installing anything.
• Create PDF form — Add fillable fields (text, checkboxes, dropdowns) to any static PDF.

How to choose the right tool?

With so many options, it can be hard to know where to start. Here\'s a quick guide:

For office and business work:

• Convert Office documents to PDF to send them securely.
• Use electronic signature for contracts and approvals.
• Compress large PDFs before emailing them.
• Protect confidential documents with password.

For students and education:

• Merge notes from different subjects into one study PDF.
• Extract pages from textbooks to study by topic.
• Convert presentations to PDF to share easily.
• Annotate PDFs with comments and highlights while reading.

For personal use:

• Digitize physical documents by converting them to PDF.
• Combine monthly invoices and receipts into one file.
• Sign rental, purchase or service contracts without printing.

Privacy and security of your documents

We understand that many documents are confidential. All our tools:

• Process files on secure servers with HTTPS connection.
• Automatically delete all uploaded and generated files after download or after 1 hour.
• Don\'t store, analyze or share the content of your documents.
• Don\'t require registration or user account.

Our commitment: Your documents are yours. We process them to give you the result you need and delete them. We never save them or use them for any other purpose.

Why use online tools instead of installing software?

Online PDF tools have clear advantages over desktop applications:

• No installation: You don\'t need administrator permissions or disk space.
• Multi-device: They work on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS from the browser.
• Always updated: No need to worry about versions or updates.
• Free: No subscriptions, no trial periods, no hidden paid features.