Doing four things to a document one tool at a time means four uploads, four downloads and four intermediate files to keep straight. Here the document is opened once and each step hands its result to the next, so those files never exist. Order matters more than people expect, and the sequence is checked as you build it: compressing turns the pages into images, so anything that draws text belongs before it; clearing the metadata belongs last, because every earlier step writes metadata of its own. Twelve steps are available, and four presets set up the sequences people build most often.
Numbering runs before compression so the numbers are not re-encoded.
Common errors & troubleshooting
A step is marked as having nothing to do. — It runs after compression, which already turned the pages into images. Move it above the compress step.
The run stopped partway. — One step could not complete — usually a page range that would leave no pages. The message names the step; fix its settings and run again.
The page numbers look soft. — They were drawn before compression and then re-encoded as part of the page image. Put the numbering step after the compress step if sharpness matters more than size.
Stripping the metadata did not clear the producer. — A later step wrote its own. Metadata stripping has to be the last step, which is why it warns when it is not.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the order of the steps matter so much?
Because each step reads the previous result. Compression rasterises the pages, so text drawn afterwards is re-encoded and text drawn before is baked in. Metadata is rewritten by almost every step, so clearing it early achieves nothing.
Can I run the same workflow on several files?
Not in one go — load one document at a time. The steps stay set between runs, so a second file only needs dropping in and running.
Is a workflow saved for next time?
It lasts as long as the page is open. The presets cover the common sequences, and rebuilding a custom one takes a few clicks.
What does the "rasterises" badge mean?
That the step redraws the pages as images. After it, the document has no text layer, so anything depending on text — searching, copying, extraction — no longer applies.
Does a failed step leave the document half-processed?
No. The result is only offered when every step has completed. A failure stops the run and nothing is downloaded.
Related tools
Compress PDF — Shrink a PDF by re-rendering each page to a JPEG at a chosen quality and resolution.
Watermark PDF — Add a diagonal text watermark to every page.
Add Page Numbers — Stamp page numbers onto a PDF (position, format, start).
Rotate PDF — Rotate all pages or a selection by 90/180/270°.
Flatten PDF — Lock filled form fields into the page so a PDF looks the same everywhere.
PDF Metadata Editor — View, edit or strip a PDF’s title, author, subject, keywords and producer.
Organize PDF — Reorder, rotate and delete pages from thumbnails, then export.
More PDF tools
Image to PDF — Combine images into a single PDF (auto / portrait / landscape).
PDF to Images — Render PDF pages to PNG or JPG images you can download.
Merge PDFs — Combine multiple PDFs into one, with reordering.
Split PDF — Extract pages or ranges (e.g. 1-3,5,7-9) into a new PDF.
Rotate PDF — Rotate all pages or a selection by 90/180/270°.
Organize PDF — Reorder, rotate and delete pages from thumbnails, then export.
Add Page Numbers — Stamp page numbers onto a PDF (position, format, start).
Watermark PDF — Add a diagonal text watermark to every page.
Crop PDF — Trim margins from every page via the crop box.
PDF to Text — Extract selectable text from a PDF as plain text or Markdown.
Compare PDFs — Diff the extracted text of two PDFs line-by-line.
Encrypt PDF — Password-protect a PDF with AES-256 or RC4 encryption.
Decrypt PDF — Remove password protection from an encrypted PDF.
Compress PDF — Shrink a PDF by re-rendering each page to a JPEG at a chosen quality and resolution.
PDF Metadata Editor — View, edit or strip a PDF’s title, author, subject, keywords and producer.
Resize PDF — Rescale every PDF page to A4, Letter or another standard size, content centred.
Flatten PDF — Lock filled form fields into the page so a PDF looks the same everywhere.
PDF N-up — Print 2, 4, 9 or 16 pages per sheet, with a booklet option for folding.
Interleave PDF Pages — Merge odd and even scan passes back into one document, reversing if needed.
PDF to Single Long Page — Stack every page onto one continuous sheet you scroll instead of paging.
PDF Form Data Extractor — Pull the answers out of a filled PDF form as JSON or CSV, field by field.
Blank Page Remover — Find and delete blank pages from a scan, with a tolerance you control.
Text to PDF — Turn typed or pasted text into a paginated, downloadable PDF.
Markdown to PDF — Render Markdown — headings, lists, tables and code — as a PDF.