Help Center
Guides, troubleshooting steps and answers for getting the most out of every My PDF tool.
Popular Questions
Tool Guides
Every tool page includes its own step-by-step instructions and FAQ — start with a category below.
Merge PDF Tools
Combine several PDF files into a single document.
Split PDF Tools
Separate, extract or remove pages from a PDF.
Compress PDF Tools
Shrink file size while keeping visual quality.
Convert PDF Tools
Turn PDFs into other formats and back again.
Security PDF Tools
Protect, sign and watermark sensitive documents.
Edit PDF Tools
Add text, numbers and fix page orientation.
Optimize PDF Tools
Repair damaged files and prepare them for the web.
Utilities PDF Tools
Compare, archive and reorganize your documents.
Text Tools PDF Tools
Clean up, count, sort and generate text online.
Encoding Tools PDF Tools
Encode and decode Base64, URL and HTML strings.
Hash Generators PDF Tools
Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512 hashes.
Password Tools PDF Tools
Generate strong passwords and check password strength.
Identifier & Random Tools PDF Tools
Generate UUIDs, random numbers, strings and colors.
Color Tools PDF Tools
Convert, pick and generate colors, palettes and gradients.
JSON & Code Tools PDF Tools
Format, validate and minify JSON, XML, HTML, CSS and JS.
Time & Date Tools PDF Tools
Convert timestamps and calculate date differences and ages.
QR & Barcode Tools PDF Tools
Generate and read QR codes and simple numeric barcodes.
Troubleshooting
The most common issues visitors run into, and how to resolve each one.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| A file won't upload at all | The file exceeds the size limit, or the browser lost its connection mid-upload. | Confirm the file is under 50 MB and try again on a stable connection. |
| "Unsupported file type" error | The file's real content doesn't match an accepted format for that tool, even if the extension looks right. | Check the accepted formats listed on the tool page, or re-export the file from its original application. |
| "This file appears corrupted" error | The PDF's internal structure is damaged, often from an earlier failed save or an unreliable third-party tool. | Try re-exporting the original document to PDF again, or open and re-save it in a PDF reader first. |
| "This PDF is password-protected" error | The tool you chose cannot safely process an encrypted file. | Run the file through Unlock PDF first, then use your intended tool on the unlocked result. |
| Download link no longer works | Download links are single-purpose and expire automatically after a short window. | Re-run the original tool on your file to get a new, working download link. |
| Processing seems stuck or very slow | Very large or visually complex PDFs take longer, especially for compression and conversion. | Give it a little longer, or try compressing the file first to reduce its size before converting. |
Downloads
Once a tool finishes processing your file, you're given a one-time download link. That link points to a temporary result file, not a permanent address — it expires after a short window (currently about 30 minutes) and cannot be reused once the underlying file is cleaned up. If you need the result again later, simply re-run the tool; regenerating it takes only a few seconds.
Save the file to your device as soon as it downloads. We cannot recover a result once its retention window has passed, since nothing is kept beyond that point.
File Issues
Most upload rejections come down to one of a handful of checks every file passes through: an unsupported format, a file over the size limit, a corrupted PDF structure, or an encrypted PDF submitted to a tool that requires an unlocked file. The error shown always names which check failed rather than a generic "something went wrong" — if you're stuck, that message is the fastest way to know what to try next.
Performance Issues
Processing time scales with file size and complexity — a 100-page scanned PDF simply takes longer than a five-page text document. If a tool feels slow:
- Try compressing the file first with Compress PDF, then run your intended tool on the smaller result.
- Check your own network connection — a slow or unstable upload affects how quickly a file reaches our servers in the first place.
- If you see a rate-limit message, that's a deliberate safeguard against automated abuse, not a bug — wait a minute and try again.
Privacy Questions
Every file is processed automatically and deleted shortly afterward — nothing is read by a person, stored long-term, or shared with a third party. For the full details, see our Privacy Policy and our dedicated Security & Privacy page.