Guides
Straight answers to real PDF questions
Why a spreadsheet loses its columns, what a password on a PDF actually protects, why you cannot select the text in a scan. Each guide answers one question properly, and links to the tool that does the job.
Converting files
How to convert a PDF to Word (and what usually goes wrong)Upload the PDF to a converter, let it read the text and rebuild the layout, then download the .docx, but the result is only editable if the PDF contains real text rather than a scanned picture of text.How to convert Excel to PDF without losing columnsTurn on fit-to-one-page-wide before converting: it scales the sheet horizontally so every column lands on the page, while rows continue onto as many pages as they need.How to turn a web page into a PDF that actually looks rightUse a converter that renders with a real browser engine and turn on background graphics. The two reasons web pages usually print wrong are a weak rendering engine and the browser's default of dropping backgrounds.How to turn a CSV into a PDF table people can actually readUse a converter that measures each column against its contents and detects the delimiter, rather than opening the CSV in a spreadsheet program and accepting its import defaults.How do I get a table out of a PDF and into Excel?Convert the PDF to XLSX rather than copying and pasting. A converter reads the position of every number and rebuilds the columns, which pasting cannot do.How do I turn a PDF back into an editable PowerPoint?A converter puts each PDF page on its own slide and recovers the text as editable text boxes, but the original layout, animations and master slides are gone, because a PDF never contained them.How do I turn a PDF page into a JPG or PNG?Render the pages as images and pick the format by content: PNG for pages that are mostly text or line art, JPG for pages dominated by photographs.Why do my fonts change when I convert Word to PDF?Because the font you used was not available to whatever performed the conversion, so it was substituted for a similar one with different letter widths, which shifts every line after it.How do I open ODT, ODS and ODP files without LibreOffice?Convert it to PDF. The layout is preserved exactly and the result opens in any browser, with nothing to install.How do I turn a folder of files into one PDF?Zip the folder and convert the archive. Each file inside is converted in turn and the results are joined into one document, in filename order.How do I turn a text file into a PDF that keeps its layout?Use a converter that renders the file in a monospaced font and expands tabs properly. A proportional font destroys the column alignment that plain text depends on.How do I turn a PowerPoint into a PDF that looks right?Convert the .pptx directly rather than printing it. Everything visible on each slide becomes one page at the deck's own dimensions. Animations and transitions do not survive, because a PDF page cannot move.What is PDF/A, and how is it different from a normal PDF?PDF/A is an ISO standard (ISO 19005) for PDFs that must stay readable for decades: everything needed to display the file, such as fonts and a colour profile, has to be inside it, and anything that depends on outside software or files, such as scripts, encryption or embedded media, is not allowed.PDF/A-1b, 2b, 2u, 3b or 3u: which PDF/A should I choose?If nobody told you which, choose PDF/A-2b; choose PDF/A-1b only when a system asks for it, a 'u' version when the text must stay searchable and copyable, and PDF/A-3 when attached files such as XML data must travel with the document.Does my court filing or archive need PDF/A? How to prepare a PDF for submissionWhen a court, archive or agency asks for PDF/A, finish everything else first (merging, OCR, compressing), convert to PDF/A-2b unless their rules name another version, and keep the original, because conversion removes passwords, scripts and digital signatures.How do I convert a PDF to JPG without losing quality?The quality is lost to JPG compression and to the resolution, not to the conversion itself: export pages of text as PNG, keep JPG for pages that are mostly photographs, and remember that a scan cannot come out sharper than it went in.How do I convert a PowerPoint to PDF without PowerPoint installed?Upload the .pptx, .ppt or .odp file to PowerPoint to PDF in any browser. It is converted on our server, one slide per page at the slide's own size, with no Office licence needed. Speaker notes are not included.How do I convert a Notepad .txt file to PDF?Save the file as UTF-8 in Notepad, upload it to TXT to PDF, choose the typeface, text size, paper and margins, and download. For a quick copy where Notepad's own layout is fine, Windows' Print to PDF works too.How do I convert a ZIP file of images into one PDF?Upload the .zip to ZIP to PDF and keep 'One merged PDF' selected. Every JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or TIFF image inside becomes a page, sorted by file name so that page2 comes before page10, and you download a single PDF.Why is converting a PDF back to Word or Excel never perfect?A PDF stores positioned glyphs rather than paragraphs, tables or slides, so converting back is reconstruction from appearance. Text usually survives, structure is inferred, and anything the original expressed through layout alone is guesswork.What changes when an ODT, ODS or ODP file becomes a PDF?Exporting an OpenDocument file to PDF fixes its layout permanently: text and images are preserved, formulas become their results, styles become appearance, and anything that depended on a font your machine has must be embedded or substituted.Why does a web page look different when I save it as a PDF?A web page is a continuous, flexible layout with no page size, so turning it into a PDF forces a width, cuts it into pages and applies whatever print stylesheet the site has, which is frequently different from what you were looking at.
Page layout
Why does my content not fit the page width?Because the content is wider than the paper and the converter's default is to cut it into vertical strips rather than scale it. Turning on fit-to-width, rotating the page or using larger paper all solve it.How to add page numbers to a PDFOpen the PDF in a page-numbering tool, choose where the numbers go and what they say, and download the stamped copy. The numbers are drawn onto the existing pages without touching anything else.How to reduce a PDF's page count without shrinking the textMeasure where the ink actually sits on each page, crop to that, and stack several of those crops on one sheet. Pages that are mostly empty combine at full size with nothing lost.How do I add blank pages so a PDF prints double-sided correctly?In double-sided printing, odd-numbered pages are the fronts of sheets. Wherever a section that should start on a new sheet lands on an even page, insert one blank page before it, working from the front of the document to the back.Why does my PDF have so many nearly-empty pages?Word processors start sections on new pages, refuse to split tables and add page breaks before headings, so a document with little content can still be very long, and the fix is either to change the template or to recombine the sparse pages afterwards.How do I add a header, footer or page numbers to a PDF?A header or footer is three independent slots on one line (left, centre and right) and page numbers are a token that becomes the real number on each page, so a title, a date and “Page 3 of 40” can all sit on the same band.
Organising pages
How do I delete a page from a PDF on my iPhone or Android phone?Open Delete Pages from PDF in your phone's browser and choose the file. Delete the page you are looking at, or type the pages to remove, confirm, then tap Save. The trimmed copy downloads, with no app or account needed.How to merge PDFs, and keep them in the right orderUpload the files, put them in the order you want before merging, and download the combined PDF. The common trap is alphabetical sorting, which puts page10 before page2.Why can't I delete pages from a PDF?Usually because you are viewing the PDF rather than editing it (most readers deliberately have no page tools) or because the file carries a restriction on rearranging pages.Can I split a PDF without Adobe Acrobat?Yes. Splitting only rearranges pages that are already in the file, so it needs no Acrobat licence and no installed software at all.How to rotate pages in a PDF so they stay rotatedYour viewer's rotate button only changes the view, to make it stick you have to rotate the pages and save the file, which writes the rotation into the document.How to combine photos into one PDFUpload the images in the order you want them, choose whether each page matches the image or a standard paper size, and download one PDF containing them all.Can I merge 6 PDF pages into 1 without losing quality?Six full pages on one sheet must be drawn at about 40% size, so the text becomes unreadable, but pages that are mostly empty can be combined at 100% with nothing lost, and that is usually what people actually want.Does combining PDF pages break links, forms or text?Text stays selectable and vectors stay sharp because pages are embedded as content, but links and form fields are annotations rather than content and are lost, so pages carrying them should be left alone rather than combined.Why does my PDF look right on screen but print sideways?Because rotation in a PDF is a flag attached to the page rather than a change to the page itself. Most viewers apply it and some printers and tools ignore it, so the fix is to bake the rotation in rather than to keep flipping the view.How do I insert a blank page or a divider into a PDF?Insert a blank page at the position you want it and the pages after it shift down: useful for double-sided printing, for separating merged documents, and for leaving room to write or stamp.
Security
How to password-protect a PDF, and what it really protectsAdd an open password and the file is genuinely encrypted. Nothing can read it without that password. The separate permission settings, like blocking copying, are requests that only some readers honour.My PDF opens but won't let me print or copy. What now?That file has owner restrictions rather than an open password. There is no password to type, and the restrictions can be removed without one.How do I remove the password from a PDF I own?Open the file with its password and save a fresh copy without encryption, which is possible precisely because you could open it in the first place.What is a digital signature in a PDF, and why does my signed PDF say it has none?A signature you can see on a page (drawn, typed, scanned or stamped) is a picture. A digital signature is invisible proof, made with a certificate, that the document has not changed since it was signed and who signed it. A PDF can show a signature and still contain no digital signature at all.What is a digital certificate (.pfx / .p12), and do I need one to sign a PDF?A digital certificate is a digital ID: a small file, usually ending in .pfx or .p12, that holds your verified name and a secret key. It is issued to you by an organisation that has checked who you are. You need one to make a digital signature, but not to simply put your signature on a PDF.What is a trusted timestamp, and why does a signature need one?A trusted timestamp is an independent record of when you signed, made by an outside service that nobody involved in the document controls. Without one, the only proof of the signing time is your own computer's clock, and a clock can be wrong, or changed on purpose.What is long-term validation (LTV), and why can a signature 'expire' without it?Long-term validation means packing everything a checker needs (the certificates in the chain, and the proof that none of them was cancelled) into the PDF itself. Without it, checking the signature years from now depends on outside services that may no longer exist.What does an archive timestamp add to a signed PDF?An archive timestamp is a second, independent timestamp taken over the whole finished file (signature, evidence and all) so that the stored evidence itself is proved to be original and untouched. It is the last step for documents meant to survive decades.What does 'certify the document' mean, and which permission level should I pick?Certifying means signing as the document's author and stating what anyone else is allowed to do to it afterwards. You choose one of three levels: nothing at all, filling in forms and signing, or those plus comments. Anything beyond the level you chose shows as a change in PDF readers.What does 'lock the document after signing' do?Locking freezes the document's form fields at the moment you sign, so nobody can type into them or change what was typed. It does not lock the pages, the text or the ability to sign. Those are separate things.What is a .pfx or .p12 file, and where do people get one?A .pfx or .p12 file is your digital ID in a single password-protected file: your checked name plus the secret key that actually makes the signature. It is issued to you by an organisation that verified who you are, and it is the only certificate format that can sign anything.Signing with a USB token or smart card: what it is and why the key never leaves itA signing token is a small device that holds your private key and refuses to hand it over. It signs things for you instead. A web page cannot talk to one directly, so a small app on your computer passes the request to the token, which asks for your PIN before it signs.What does a self-signed Digital ID prove, and what does it not?A self-signed Digital ID proves the document has not changed since it was signed, and shows the name you typed. Nobody has checked that name, so other people's software shows the signer as unknown until they choose to trust your certificate.Visible stamp or invisible signature: which should I choose?A digital signature is invisible by default. It lives inside the file, not on the page. A visible stamp is an optional label saying a signature is there. Both are exactly the same signature underneath; only the appearance differs.SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512: hash algorithms explained without mathsA hash is a short fingerprint of a file: change one character and the fingerprint changes completely. SHA-256, 384 and 512 are three fingerprint sizes. Automatic picks the right one for your key, and that is the setting almost everyone should leave alone.How to read a signature check result: intact, who signed, and trustedA signature check answers three separate questions: has the document changed, who does the certificate say signed it, and does anyone independent vouch for that certificate. A good result on one does not imply a good result on the others.What is a certificate chain, and what is a root?A certificate chain is a line of vouching: your certificate is vouched for by the one that issued it, which is vouched for by the one above, up to a root that vouches for itself. Software trusts a signature by following that line to a root it already recognises.What is revocation checking (OCSP and CRL), and why does it matter?Certificates can be cancelled early, like a stolen bank card. Revocation checking is the step where a verifier asks the issuer whether this particular certificate was cancelled, by a quick single question (OCSP) or by downloading the issuer's cancellation list (CRL).EU trusted lists and 'qualified' signatures, in plain wordsThe EU trusted lists are official registers, published by each European country, of the providers allowed to issue regulated certificates. A qualified electronic signature is one made with a qualified certificate and a secure device, and it carries the strongest standing under EU law.What is Adobe's Approved Trust List (AATL)?The AATL is Adobe's own list of certificate authorities that Acrobat and Reader trust out of the box. If your certificate chains to one of them, Acrobat shows a green tick; if not, it shows the signature as valid but the signer as unknown.Why a picture of a signature is not a signatureA drawn, typed, scanned or pasted signature is a picture on the page. Pictures can be copied and moved, and nothing in the file records if the text around them changes. A digital signature is invisible proof inside the file that the document has not changed.Signing order: one after another, or everyone at once?With 'Sign in order' on, each person is emailed only when the one before them has finished. With it off, everybody is emailed at the same time and can sign whenever they like.Signer, approver, witness, copy-only: which role should each person have?A signer fills in their fields and signs. An approver reviews and approves without signing. A witness signs a witness block after the person they witness. Someone set to receive a copy does nothing and simply gets the finished document.Access codes and one-time email codes: when do you need them?An access code is a short code you tell the signer yourself, by phone or message, which they must type before the document will open. A one-time email code is different: it proves whoever used a public signing link really owns the email address they typed.What is a certificate of completion, and why does it matter?A certificate of completion is a report attached to the finished document listing every person involved, what they did, when, and from which address, plus the document's fingerprint. It is the evidence that the signing actually happened the way it appears to.Reassigning a signature: what happens when someone passes their turn onReassigning lets a recipient hand their turn to a colleague, with a reason. Their fields move to the new person, the sender is told, and the audit trail keeps both names, the time and the reason forever.Templates and bulk sending: how to send the same document many timesA template saves the documents, the fields, the message and the settings, with each recipient turned into a named role you fill in later. From a template you can send one request, send to a whole list from a spreadsheet, or publish one public link.Why sending a document for signature is worth more than emailing a PDFEmailing a PDF back and forth leaves you with a file and a mailbox. Sending it for signature leaves you with a single finished document, a record of who did what and when, and a seal that makes later changes detectable.How to check if a signed PDF was changed after it was signedIf the PDF carries a digital signature, a signature checker can tell you for certain whether the signed content changed: it recalculates the document's fingerprint and compares it with the one locked inside the signature. If the PDF only shows a picture of a signature, no tool can prove anything either way. You have to confirm the contents with the sender.Why Adobe says “Signature validity is unknown”, and how to fix it“Signature validity is unknown” almost always means Adobe could confirm the document has not changed, but could not confirm who signed it, because the signer's certificate does not lead to an authority on Adobe's trust list. It is a question about the signer's identity, not proof of tampering, and the fix is to establish trust in the issuer deliberately, not to click anything that makes the warning go away.Signature is valid but the document was modified: what does it mean?It means the version that was signed is still intact, but something was added to the file afterwards. PDFs are built so new content can be appended without touching the signed bytes, which is how several people can sign one document. Whether the addition is harmless (a later signature, a filled-in form field) or a problem (a changed page, a new text box) depends on what it was, so you need to look at the list of changes.How to spot a fake signed PDF: pasted signature images, forged certificates and other red flagsRun the file through a signature checker first: if it finds no digital signature, the signature you see is only an image and proves nothing about who signed or whether the document changed. If there is a digital signature, check three things. That it is intact, that nothing unexpected was added after it, and that the certificate was issued by an authority you would expect for that sender, not a self-signed or unknown one.How to verify a DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Sign documentCheck the completed PDF itself for the platform's digital signature: when it is intact, the document has not changed since the service sealed it. Then read the certificate of completion (DocuSign) or audit report (Acrobat Sign) for who signed, when and how they were authenticated. Remember the handwritten-looking signatures inside are pictures. The proof is the platform's seal plus its record.What is LTV, and why does my signed PDF say the certificate expired?Signing certificates last a year or a few, but signed documents are kept for decades. If a signature carries a trusted timestamp, checkers can confirm it was made while the certificate was still valid; if it also embeds the revocation information from that time (long-term validation, LTV), it can be checked even after the issuer's services are gone. Without them, a perfectly good old signature can show as expired or unknown.PDF signature errors explained: invalid, revoked, untrusted, self-signed and incomplete chainOnly two results mean something is actually wrong with a signed document: “invalid” (the signed content changed, or the signature is damaged) and “revoked” (the certificate was cancelled, usually because it was compromised). “Not trusted”, “unknown”, “self-signed”, “revocation not checked” and “no timestamp” are about how much you can rely on the signer's identity or time. Questions to consider, not proof of forgery.How banks, HR teams and landlords can check a signed PDF before accepting itCheck every signed PDF in the same four steps: confirm whether it has a digital signature or only a picture of one; if digital, confirm it is intact and nothing was added after signing; check who issued the signer's certificate; then confirm the contents with the issuing organisation through a channel you found yourself. Save a verification report with the file so the check can be shown later.My signed file is .p7m, .p7s, .imz or .xml, not PDF: how do I verify it?Those files use a different kind of digital signature. A signed PDF (PAdES) keeps the signature inside the PDF. A .p7m or .imz file (CAdES) wraps the document inside the signature, a .p7s is a separate signature file for a document you also need, and signed XML (XAdES) puts the signature in the XML. Each needs a validator that understands that format; a PDF signature checker can only check the first kind.How to verify a government certificate or university degree PDFVerify two things. First the file: if it carries a digital signature, check it is intact, that nothing was added after signing, and that the certificate belongs to the issuing institution. Second the record: use the issuer's own verification service (a QR code, reference number or online register) reached through an address you found yourself. The file check proves the PDF is unaltered; only the issuer can confirm the record still stands.How to verify a signed e-invoice (India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, EU and more)In most e-invoicing systems the legally relevant invoice is structured data (usually XML or JSON), registered or signed by the tax authority's system, and the PDF is only a readable copy. So verify the invoice where the system says: scan the QR code with the tax authority's official app, or look up its unique ID on the authority's portal. A PDF signature check only tells you whether that PDF copy was altered.How to verify a digital signature in the EU: qualified vs advanced (eIDAS), with France, Germany, Italy, Spain and PolandChecking an EU signature is two questions. Is it intact and made with a valid certificate? Any good checker answers that. Is it qualified? That depends on whether the certificate was issued as a qualified certificate by a qualified trust service provider on the EU Trusted Lists, created with a qualified device, which only a validator that consults those lists can determine. A qualified signature has the legal effect of a handwritten one across the EU.How to verify an ICP-Brasil or gov.br signature on a PDFUse the official ITI validator for the legal answer: it checks ICP-Brasil (qualified) signatures and gov.br (advanced) signatures and reports each as approved (aprovado), failed (reprovado) or indeterminate (indeterminado). Check integrity and what changed after signing with a PDF signature checker as well. An ICP-Brasil signature may show as “not trusted” in general-purpose tools because the Brazilian root is not on every trust list. That alone does not make it invalid.How to verify a DSC-signed PDF in India (GST, MCA, income-tax documents and e-Aadhaar)Indian DSCs chain up to the Root Certifying Authority of India run by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA). Many computers do not trust that root by default, so Adobe often shows “validity unknown” even when the signature is intact. Check that the signature is valid and nothing changed after signing, confirm the certificate chains to a licensed Indian CA and the CCA root, and only then add the root to your trusted certificates.How to verify a digitally signed PDF in the UKUK law accepts electronic signatures of many kinds, so most signed PDFs you receive will not be “qualified”, and do not need to be. Verify the file (is there a digital signature, is it intact, was anything added after signing, who issued the certificate), then verify the context: who sent it, through what platform, and whether the kind of document has special formalities such as a witnessed deed.How to verify a digitally signed PDF in the United StatesIn the US, electronic signatures are broadly valid under the federal ESIGN Act and state law, and there is no single national signature authority, so verification is about evidence, not a legal label. Check whether the PDF carries a digital signature or seal, whether it is intact and unchanged since signing, who issued the certificate, and the e-signature platform's audit trail if one was used.How to verify a UAE PASS or digitally signed document in the UAEFor a document signed through UAE PASS, use the UAE PASS verification feature for the official answer, and check the PDF itself for integrity and changes after signing. For other UAE digital signatures, confirm the signing certificate comes from a trust service provider licensed by the TDRA. A “not trusted” result in general-purpose tools often reflects their trust list, not the signature.How to verify a digitally signed document in Saudi ArabiaCheck the PDF for a digital signature, confirm it is intact and nothing was added after signing, and confirm the certificate chains to a certification service provider licensed under the Saudi national PKI. For government documents, use the issuing platform's own verification (usually a QR code or document number); for e-invoices, use ZATCA's official VAT app. A “not trusted” result elsewhere often reflects the tool's trust list, not the signature.How to verify an e-imza signed document in Turkey (PDF, .imz and e-Devlet barcodes)It depends on the form. A PAdES-signed PDF can be checked with any PDF signature checker for integrity and changes, and the certificate should chain to a certification provider authorised in Turkey. An .imz file is a CAdES container that needs a Turkish e-imza application such as Kamu SM's İmzager. A document from e-Devlet with a barcode is verified with e-Devlet's barcoded-document verification service (Barkodlu Belge Doğrulama).How to verify a certified electronic signature (TTE) on a PDF in IndonesiaIndonesian law distinguishes certified electronic signatures (made with a certificate from a PSrE recognised by the government) from uncertified ones. To check a certified signature, use the government's official PDF verification service for electronic signatures, and check integrity and changes after signing with a PDF signature checker. Government documents signed through BSrE are checked the same way.How to verify a PNPKI digitally signed PDF in the PhilippinesPNPKI certificates are issued under the Philippine National Public Key Infrastructure run by the DICT and chain to the Philippine Root CA, which Adobe does not include by default, so signatures often show as having problems even when they are intact. Check that the signature is valid and nothing changed after signing, confirm the chain ends at the genuine Philippine root, and only then add that root to your trusted certificates.How to verify an e.firma-signed document or CFDI in MexicoMost documents signed with e.firma in Mexico are not signed PDFs: the SAT's own documents carry a digital seal, an original string and a QR code, and invoices (CFDI) are XML files certified with a folio fiscal. Verify SAT documents by scanning their QR code and checking the address is the SAT's, verify a CFDI with the SAT's CFDI verification service, and check a genuinely signed PDF with a PDF signature checker.How to verify a digitally signed PDF in BangladeshDigital signatures in Bangladesh are issued by Certifying Authorities licensed by the Office of the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), and their certificates chain to the Bangladesh Root CA. Check that the signature is intact and nothing changed after signing, confirm the chain reaches the Bangladesh Root CA through a licensed CA, and, because many official documents use a QR code or online lookup rather than a digital signature. Confirm the record with the issuing office as well.How to verify a digitally signed PDF in PakistanUnder Pakistan's Electronic Transactions Ordinance, 2002, advanced electronic signatures carry stronger legal presumptions, and the clearest route to one is a certificate from a certification service provider accredited by the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council (ECAC). Check that the PDF's signature is intact and nothing changed after signing, see who issued the certificate and whether that provider is accredited, and for official documents confirm the record with the issuing body.Which electronic signatures are legally valid in the EU? eIDAS SES, AdES and QES explainedAll three levels of electronic signature are legally valid in the EU. Under Article 25 of the eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, no court may reject a signature just because it is electronic or is not qualified, and a qualified electronic signature (QES) has the same legal effect as a handwritten one in every member state. Whether a particular document needs a QES, a handwritten signature or a notary is decided by each country's own law.Are electronic signatures legal in the UK? Deeds, wills, leases and ScotlandYes. In England and Wales an electronic signature can validly sign most documents, including contracts that the law requires to be signed, as long as the signer intended to authenticate the document; the Law Commission confirmed this in 2019 and courts have accepted typed names in emails. Deeds still need a witness who is physically present, wills must be signed on paper in front of two witnesses, and Scotland has its own rules requiring advanced or qualified signatures for some documents.Are electronic signatures legal in Germany? Schriftform, Textform and QESYes. Most German contracts need no particular form, so any electronic signature is valid. Where the BGB requires Schriftform, only a qualified electronic signature (QES) can replace the handwritten signature, and for some documents, such as dismissals and termination agreements under section 623 BGB and personal guarantees, even that is excluded. Property purchases, GmbH share transfers and notarial wills still need a notary.Are electronic signatures legal in France? Code civil, eIDAS and notairesYes. Articles 1366 and 1367 of the Code civil give electronic writing and signatures the same evidential value as paper, provided the signer can be identified and the document's integrity is guaranteed. Only a qualified electronic signature is presumed reliable; for other signatures the person relying on them must prove reliability. Handwritten wills, some family-law and personal guarantee documents, and property sales before a notaire have special rules.Are electronic signatures legal in Spain? Ley 6/2020, FNMT and DNIeYes. Spain follows the eIDAS Regulation and Ley 6/2020, and the Código Civil lets most contracts be made in any form, so electronic signatures are valid. If a signature made with a qualified trust service is challenged in court, it is presumed genuine. Property transfers that need registering, and notarial wills, still go through a notary; a holographic will must be handwritten.Are electronic signatures legal in Italy? Firma digitale, FEA and the CADYes. Under the Codice dell'Amministrazione Digitale (D.Lgs. 82/2005), a document signed with a firma digitale, another qualified signature or an advanced electronic signature (FEA) meets the written-form requirement and has the evidential value of a signed private document under article 2702 of the Civil Code. A simple electronic signature is weighed freely by the judge. Property transfers and the other contracts in article 1350 nos. 1-12 of the Civil Code need a qualified or digital signature, and holographic wills must be handwritten.Are electronic signatures legal in the US? ESIGN, UETA and the exceptionsYes. The federal ESIGN Act (2000) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, adopted in 49 states and the District of Columbia (New York has its own similar statute), say a signature or contract cannot be denied legal effect just because it is electronic. Wills, family-law matters, most of the Uniform Commercial Code, court documents and certain consumer notices are carved out, and notarised or recorded documents still follow notary and county-recorder rules.Are electronic signatures legal in Canada? PIPEDA, provincial acts and exceptionsYes. Every province and territory has an electronic commerce or electronic transactions act, and federal PIPEDA Part 2 covers federal laws, so an electronic signature generally satisfies a legal signature requirement. The main exclusions are wills, powers of attorney for property or personal care and negotiable instruments, plus land-transfer documents in several provinces. British Columbia has allowed electronic wills since December 2021.Are electronic signatures legal in Brazil? ICP-Brasil, gov.br and Lei 14.063Yes. Medida Provisória 2.200-2/2001 gives documents signed with an ICP-Brasil certificate a presumption of authenticity and also lets parties use other electronic signatures they accept. Lei 14.063/2020 classifies signatures as simple, advanced or qualified and says which are needed when dealing with public bodies. Real-estate transfers and many registry acts still require a qualified ICP-Brasil signature or a notary.Are electronic signatures legal in Mexico? Código de Comercio, NOM-151 and e.firmaYes. Mexico's Código de Comercio has recognised data messages and electronic signatures since reforms in 2000 and 2003, and gives an advanced or reliable electronic signature the same effect as a handwritten one. The SAT e.firma is an advanced signature used for tax and government matters and increasingly for contracts. Acts that the law requires to be in a public deed, such as most real-estate transfers, still go through a notary.Are electronic signatures legal in Australia? ETA, deeds and company executionYes. The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) and matching state and territory acts let an electronic signature satisfy a legal signature requirement if the method identifies the signer, shows their intention, is appropriately reliable and the recipient consents. Companies can permanently sign documents, including deeds, electronically under section 127 of the Corporations Act. Deeds signed by individuals, witnessing and wills depend on the state or territory.Are electronic signatures legal in India? IT Act, Aadhaar eSign and DSC explainedYes. Under the Information Technology Act, 2000, an electronic record authenticated with a digital signature (DSC) or an approved electronic signature such as Aadhaar eSign satisfies a legal requirement for a signature. Wills, trusts and most individual powers of attorney and negotiable instruments are still excluded, and property documents still have to go through stamping and registration.Are electronic signatures legal in Bangladesh? The ICT Act 2006 and digital signaturesYes. The Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006 says that where a law requires a signature, a digital signature affixed in the prescribed manner satisfies it, and since the Evidence (Amendment) Act, 2022 courts can admit digital records and presume the integrity of secure digital signatures. Deeds, powers of attorney and other documents that must be stamped, attested or registered still follow those paper procedures.Are electronic signatures legal in Pakistan? The Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002Yes. Under the Electronic Transactions Ordinance, 2002, any legal requirement for a signature is satisfied by an electronic signature or an advanced electronic signature, and advanced electronic signatures are presumed genuine in court. The Ordinance does not apply to negotiable instruments, powers of attorney, trusts, wills, or contracts for the sale or conveyance of immovable property.Are electronic signatures legal in the UAE? Decree-Law 46 of 2021, UAE Pass and DIFC/ADGMYes. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services, a contract does not lose its validity or enforceability just because it is electronic, and any form of electronic signature may be used unless another law says otherwise. A qualified electronic signature, issued through a provider approved by the TDRA, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. The DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own laws that still exclude some documents, such as powers of attorney and wills (and, in the ADGM, long property leases and documents to be notarised).Are electronic signatures legal in Saudi Arabia? Electronic Transactions Law, Nafath and NajizYes. The Saudi Electronic Transactions Law (Royal Decree No. M/18 of 1428H, 2007) says that where a signature is required, an electronic signature made in line with the law satisfies it, and electronic records can be used as evidence. The law excludes personal status transactions and the issuing of real estate deeds unless the responsible authority allows them electronically, which the Ministry of Justice now does through its Najiz platform. Most government and regulated processes use their own systems with Nafath login.Are electronic signatures legal in South Africa? The ECT Act, advanced signatures and propertyYes. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 recognises electronic signatures. Where the parties require a signature, any method that identifies the signer and shows approval can do. Where a law requires a signature, only an advanced electronic signature from an accredited provider counts. The Act excludes agreements to sell land, long leases of land, wills and bills of exchange, so a sale agreement for a house must still be signed in ink.Are electronic signatures legal in Nigeria? Evidence Act, Cybercrimes Act and what to sign in inkYes. Section 93 of the Evidence Act 2011 says that where a rule of evidence requires a signature, an electronic signature satisfies it (a 2023 amendment added digital signatures), and section 17 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 makes electronic signatures binding for purchases and other transactions. The Cybercrimes Act excludes wills, birth and death certificates, family law matters, court documents, utility cancellations and some safety notices. Deeds that must be sealed, such as land documents, are usually still signed on paper.Are electronic signatures legal in Turkey? Law 5070, güvenli e-imza and mobil imzaYes. Under Electronic Signature Law No. 5070 (2004), a secure electronic signature (güvenli elektronik imza), based on a qualified certificate from a provider operating under the BTK, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature. It cannot be used for transactions that the law subjects to official form or a special ceremony, such as property sales at the land registry, or for guarantee agreements, apart from bank letters of guarantee and insurers' surety bonds. Simple e-signatures are valid for contracts with no form requirement, but they carry less weight as evidence.Are electronic signatures legal in Japan? E-signatures vs hanko explainedYes. Japanese contract law generally needs no particular form, so most contracts can be signed electronically, and the Act on Electronic Signatures and Certification Business (Act No. 102 of 2000) gives a qualifying electronic signature by the person themselves the same presumption of authenticity that a personal seal or handwritten signature gets on paper. Cloud 'witness-type' services can also qualify for that presumption if they meet conditions the government set out in 2020. A few acts still need a notary, a special procedure or handwriting, most notably wills.Are electronic signatures legal in Singapore? ETA and Singpass explainedYes. Under section 8 of the Electronic Transactions Act 2010, an electronic signature satisfies a legal requirement for a signature if it identifies the signer, shows their intention and is reliable enough for the purpose. A 'secure electronic signature', such as one made with Sign with Singpass, also gets a legal presumption that it is genuine. Wills, most trusts and powers of attorney, negotiable instruments and property sale contracts and conveyances are excluded, except where newer laws create specific electronic routes.Are electronic signatures legal in the Philippines? E-Commerce Act and e-notarizationYes. The Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 8792) makes an electronic signature the equivalent of a handwritten one when it is reliable and properly linked to the signer, and the Supreme Court's Rules on Electronic Evidence let courts admit electronically signed documents once authenticated. Documents that must be public instruments, such as deeds of sale of land, still need notarization, which since 2025 can be done electronically before an accredited electronic notary. Wills still follow the Civil Code's formal rules.Are electronic signatures legal in Indonesia? UU ITE, PSrE and e-MeteraiYes. Under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (Law No. 11 of 2008, amended in 2016 and 2024), an electronic signature has legal force if it meets the conditions in Article 11. Government Regulation 71 of 2019 splits signatures into certified ones, made with a certificate from an Indonesian PSrE, and uncertified ones; both are valid, but certified signatures are much stronger evidence and the 2024 amendment requires them for high-risk transactions. Notarial deeds and land deeds made by a PPAT still need the official in person.Can you sign a will electronically? A country-by-country guideIn most countries, no. Wills are the most common exclusion from electronic signature laws, so a will usually has to be signed on paper in front of witnesses, or written entirely by hand. The main exceptions are a group of US states with electronic wills statutes, British Columbia in Canada, and Victoria in Australia, and each of them has its own witnessing steps. England and Wales do not allow electronic wills yet, although the Law Commission recommended them in 2025.Can you e-sign a lease or rental agreement? Country guideUsually yes. In the US, Canada, England and Wales, France, Spain, Brazil and most other countries, an ordinary residential tenancy can be signed electronically. Problems start with long leases, which may need a deed, registration or a stronger signature, and with countries that require official registration or stamp duty. Examples are India's Registration Act, Singapore's Electronic Transactions Act exclusion, Dubai's Ejari and Saudi Arabia's Ejar.Can an employment contract be signed electronically?In most countries, yes. Offer letters and employment contracts can be signed with an ordinary electronic signature in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, Singapore, South Africa and much of the EU. The main exceptions are specific documents. In Germany, terminations must be on paper and fixed-term clauses need wet ink or a qualified e-signature. In Italy, resignations go through the ministry's online system. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the contract must also be recorded on the government platform.Can you e-sign a property deed or sale contract? A country-by-country guideUsually the purchase agreement can be e-signed, but the deed that actually transfers ownership often cannot be signed on an ordinary e-signature platform. In most civil-law countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Brazil) the transfer goes through a notary, and in many common-law countries it goes through a land registry with its own witnessing, identity and lodgement rules. A few countries, including South Africa and Singapore, still exclude even the sale agreement from their general e-signature law.Digital vs electronic signature: which does the law require?An electronic signature is any electronic sign of agreement, such as a typed name, a drawn signature or a click. A digital signature is a specific technology: a cryptographic signature tied to a certificate from a certificate authority. Most laws accept a simple electronic signature for ordinary contracts, but some countries (for example India, Bangladesh and Turkey) give full legal effect mainly to certificate-based signatures, and tiered systems such as the EU's reserve handwritten-equivalent status for qualified signatures.Is an e-signature from an online platform legally binding?Yes, in most countries a signature collected through an online signing platform is legally binding for ordinary contracts, because e-signature laws say a signature cannot be refused just for being electronic. What decides a dispute is evidence: that the signer intended to sign, consented to signing electronically, can be linked to the signature, and that the document has not changed since. It is not enough where the law requires a notary, witnesses, a qualified signature or excludes the document.How do you get a digital signature certificate in your country?You get a digital signature certificate from a certificate authority your country recognises, after an identity check. It comes either as a file (.pfx or .p12) you can install and back up, or locked to a smart card, USB token, phone app or remote signing service. Only exportable .pfx or .p12 files can be used on a website such as KovaPDF; token, card and cloud certificates are used through the issuer's own software.How to redact a PDF permanently, not just black it outUse a tool that deletes what is under each box instead of drawing over it: in Redact PDF you mark text, areas or search results, apply, and the marked content is removed from the file before a box is drawn where it was.Why can blacked-out text in a PDF still be read, and how do I check mine?Because a black box drawn on a PDF is just another shape on top of the page: the text underneath is still stored in the file, so anyone can copy, search or extract it unless a redaction tool actually deleted it.How to redact personal data from a PDF before sharing it (GDPR and subject access requests)Search the document for every name, email address, phone number, account number and ID belonging to people the recipient should not see, redact each match so it is deleted rather than covered, clear the document properties, and check the finished file before sending it.How do I watermark a copy of my ID or passport before sending it?Put the copy into a PDF and add a text watermark across the photo and details that says who the copy is for, why and when. A copy that leaks is then marked for one purpose and much less useful to anyone else.
Working with scans
How do I improve the quality of a scanned PDF before I send it?Run the scan through Enhance with Sharpen on and a little more contrast, switch text-only pages to grayscale or pure black and white, then make it searchable and small enough to upload. Blur, skew and missing resolution cannot be repaired after scanning.How do I copy text from a PDF when copying doesn't work?Open the file in PDF to Text instead of selecting. Pages with real text are read directly, and pages that are only pictures of text are recognised with OCR. You can then copy one page, copy everything, or download a .txt file.Why can't I select the text in my PDF?Because the PDF is almost certainly a scan (a photograph of a page rather than text) so there is nothing to select until OCR reads the pixels and turns them into characters.How do I get the text out of a screenshot or a photo?Run the image through optical character recognition, which reads the shapes of the letters and gives you back real, selectable text.How do I edit the text in a scanned PDF?You cannot edit a scan directly, because the page is a picture. OCR PDF recognises the words and rebuilds them as real editable lines on top of the original page, so you can correct a name or a figure and save a normal PDF.How do I make a grey, speckled scan readable?Raise the contrast and convert to black and white. That removes the grey cast and the speckle in one step, because a scan's real problem is almost never brightness. It is that the paper and the ink are too close in tone.
Getting the most out of PDFs
How to make a PDF fillable for free, without AcrobatOpen the PDF in PDF Forms, accept the fields it finds on the blank lines and boxes, add any it missed, and download: the result has real PDF form fields that can be filled in and saved in Acrobat, Reader, Chrome, Edge, Firefox and other PDF apps.How to turn a scanned paper form into a fillable PDFOpen the scan in PDF Forms and choose Find fields on the scan: it measures the lines and boxes in the page image, reads the labels beside them, and places real form fields on top of the unchanged scan for you to accept, adjust and download.How to add check boxes, dropdowns and date fields to a PDF formIn PDF Forms, pick the field type on the left and click or drag where it belongs: a check box for yes or no, choice buttons when only one answer is allowed, a dropdown or list box for a longer list, and a date field that can hold a fixed format such as dd/mm/yyyy.How do I summarize a research paper or a long report PDF?Open it in Summarize PDF: your browser reads the text, and an AI writes the key points beside the document. Only about the first 60,000 characters go to the AI, so for a long paper, remove the references and appendices first, or summarise it in parts.Compress a PDF or cut its page count: which do I need?If the file will not attach to an email you need compression; if the document is tedious to read or expensive to print you need fewer pages. Compression never removes a page and combining pages barely changes the file size.How do I print a long PDF on fewer sheets of paper?Double-sided printing halves the sheets for nothing; your printer's own 2-up halves them again at about 70% size; and rebuilding the PDF so sparse pages share a sheet reduces the count with the text left at full size.How do I summarise a long PDF without uploading the file?Open the PDF in Summarize PDF. Your browser reads the text out of the file on your own machine, and only that text is sent to an AI service to write the summary. The document itself is never uploaded, and we do not keep anything afterwards.How do I translate a PDF without sending it to a server?Recent Chrome and Edge include an on-device translator a web page can use, so a PDF's text can be translated with nothing uploaded, at the cost of a one-time language-pack download, and with real gaps in which language pairs are supported.Why does translated text never fit the original layout?Translation changes the length and the height of the text but not the boxes it has to sit in, so a faithful translation almost always overflows or under-fills the original layout, which is why translated text is best taken out, read, and placed deliberately rather than substituted in place.Why is my PDF so large, and what actually makes it smaller?Almost always images: a scan or a photo-heavy document is mostly picture data, and re-encoding those images is what reduces the size; text and vectors take almost no space at all.A4 vs Letter: why your PDF prints with the wrong marginsA4 is taller and narrower than Letter, so printing one on the other either shrinks the page slightly or crops it. Set the document to the size it will actually be printed on.How to sign a PDF without printing itOpen the PDF in an editor, add your signature as an image or drawing, position it and save. No printing, scanning or posting involved.How to add a watermark to a PDFPlace your text or logo over every page at an opacity low enough to read through. It marks the document's status clearly but does not prevent anyone copying it.Why won't my PDF attach to an email?Almost always because the file is over the recipient's size limit, which is often lower than your own, and attachments grow by roughly a third in transit, so a 24 MB file is really 32 MB.