A product-tested guide to the editing, review, page, conversion, security, OCR, and local AI tools in the current PickPDF app.
Built from the product
PickPDF processes PDF content on your device. Some tools rewrite page objects, some add annotations, and others create a new document from selected pages or source files. The descriptions below state which operation each tool performs and where you should review the output.
Work with page content, annotations, forms, signatures, and review marks from one document view.
Retype text that already exists in the PDF.
PickPDF uses PDFium to rewrite the selected text object in its page content stream. You can edit a line, paragraph, or contiguous block. The source font controls which replacement characters the run can support.
Read the full guidePlace new text boxes and image stamps anywhere on a page.
You place and style an overlay in the live editor. PickPDF embeds the added content into the saved PDF. Added text remains separate from the source text object.
Read the full guideMove, resize, recolor, or delete text, images, and vector shapes.
The Edit objects tool selects real page objects through PDFium. PickPDF previews the change during the drag and writes it on the same undo timeline as other edits.
Read the full guideHighlight text, draw ink, underline, strike through, add shapes, arrows, clouds, callouts, and check marks.
The toolbar creates positioned annotations with color, stroke, fill, and size controls. PickPDF bakes supported additions into the saved document and writes comments as PDF annotations.
Add sticky notes or clickable regions for URLs, email, phone numbers, and page jumps.
A comment becomes a native popup annotation on save. A link stores its target in a clickable page rectangle. Current PickPDF builds write comments but do not re-import saved comments on reopen.
Measure distance, perimeter, and area after calibrating against a known length.
You calibrate the page scale, choose units, and place measurement points. PickPDF calculates the result from page coordinates and stores the measurement markup with the document edits.
Remove covered text and images instead of hiding them.
PDFium deletes page content under applied redaction boxes, then PickPDF paints the visible black area. The tool does not remove annotations or metadata, so those need a separate review.
Read the full guidePlace a drawn, typed, or uploaded signature appearance.
PickPDF stores the appearance on the device, lets you place and resize it, and embeds it in the saved PDF. A separate P12 or PFX workflow supports certificate signing.
Read the full guideComplete existing fields or create a reusable fillable PDF.
PickPDF reads and writes AcroForm text, checkbox, radio, and dropdown fields. PDFium regenerates field appearance streams during save so values show in other viewers.
Read the full guideAssemble pages, create new PDFs, extract content, and prepare files for delivery or archiving.
Reorder, rotate, duplicate, delete, extract, or insert pages.
PickPDF shows page thumbnails and applies each action to the open document. You can insert blank pages or pages from another PDF, then save the revised order.
Combine PDF, PNG, and JPEG files into one document.
PickPDF copies PDF pages in list order and turns each image into a page. The app assembles the new document in local memory and leaves the source files unchanged.
Read the full guideCreate one PDF from selected ranges or one file per page.
A range parser accepts entries such as 1-3, 5, 8-10. PickPDF copies those pages into one output or packages single-page PDFs in a ZIP archive.
Read the full guideTurn ordered PNG and JPEG images into a new PDF.
Each image becomes one page. You can reorder images and choose how their pixels fit the page before opening or downloading the result.
Create a PDF from DOCX, TXT, Markdown, or plain-text content.
PickPDF reads the source on the device and typesets supported text into PDF pages. Complex Word layout may not match the original document, so review the generated pages.
Trim margins or keep a selected page region.
You drag a crop box on a page preview and apply it to one page, a range, or the full document. Cropping changes the visible page box and can hide content outside that box.
Stamp watermark text or add numbered pages.
PickPDF draws the chosen text, opacity, color, angle, and page number position onto the selected pages, then saves the changed document.
Add text to six header and footer positions.
Each slot accepts text plus page, page-count, date, and Bates tokens. PickPDF resolves the tokens for each page and embeds the result.
Reduce file size by downsampling oversized page images.
The compressor checks effective image DPI, resizes images above your target, and adjusts JPEG quality. It leaves PDF text and vector graphics untouched.
Read the full guideExport text, HTML, DOCX, or high-resolution PNG pages.
PickPDF extracts the available text layer for text-based formats or renders pages for PNG output. Scans need OCR before text export can recover words.
Review word-level and rendered pixel differences page by page.
PickPDF extracts text for a word diff and renders both pages for a visual diff. Both source documents stay on the device during comparison.
Check a document against a PDF/A-2b-oriented baseline.
The preflight reports encryption, font, transparency, JavaScript, attachment, XFA, metadata, OutputIntent, and annotation findings. It is a screening check, not formal certification.
Find information, work across documents, and keep document handling under your control.
Add searchable text to scanned and image-only PDFs.
PickPDF downloads a language model once and runs Tesseract.js recognition on the device. It aligns an invisible text layer with the original scan.
Read the full guideSearch the full document, follow links, use thumbnails, and browse the outline.
PDFium provides page text, link targets, outlines, and page rendering. Search highlights the matched word and lets you move through all results.
Open several PDFs and place up to four panes side by side.
Each pane keeps its own view state. The focused pane is editable; reference panes show their saved document state.
Set open and permissions passwords or create a PickPDF-locked wrapper.
Standard protection uses AES-256 PDF encryption and separate open and owner permissions. Lock to PickPDF encrypts the real document inside a wrapper PDF for controlled opening in PickPDF.
Summarize, explain, rewrite, translate, and ask questions about document text.
The built-in model downloads once and runs through Transformers.js on the device. You can also choose Ollama, LM Studio, or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint, which receives the text context you send.
Browse folders, restore tabs, and write back to source files when the platform allows it.
PickPDF uses browser file handles or the desktop filesystem for folder access and save-in-place. Other browser flows download a new copy.