About Don’s Free PDF
Free PDF tools for everyday work, without giving up your privacy.
Don’s Free PDF exists so that anyone can merge, shrink, organize, sign and protect PDF files without buying Adobe Acrobat, creating an account, putting up with watermarks, or running into a daily limit after a few tasks.
Private by designYour PDF is opened and changed inside your own web browser. It is not sent to us or anyone else.
No account neededNo sign-up, email address, trial period or artificial daily limit.
Clean resultsYour files come back without our logo or a watermark.
How your documents are handled
When you choose a file, your browser reads it into its own memory on your device. All the work—merging, compressing, encrypting, redacting—happens there using code that runs in the page. When you download the result, it is saved straight to your device. When you close or reload the page, the file is gone from memory. We never receive your documents, passwords, signatures or the text inside your files.
What it costs
The tools are free to use with no account or daily limits. To keep the site running in the future, we may show clearly labeled advertising. If that happens, this site and its Privacy Policy will be updated first, and ads will never be placed where they could be clicked by accident or slow down your work.
All 14 tools
- Merge PDFs – combine files in any order.
- Organize pages – large previews to reorder, rotate and delete pages.
- Extract & split pages – keep chosen pages or split every page into its own file.
- Rotate PDF – turn all pages or just some.
- Compress PDF – shrink files for email, with a target size and before/after sizes.
- Images to PDF – turn JPG and PNG photos into a PDF.
- PDF to JPG/PNG – export pages as images, up to print resolution.
- Annotate PDF – text, highlights, pen, lines and boxes.
- Fill & Sign PDF – fill form fields and add a visual signature.
- Add page numbers – six positions and four styles.
- Watermark PDF – text or logo, centered or repeated.
- Crop PDF – trim margins without losing quality.
- Protect PDF – AES-256 password encryption.
- Redact PDF – permanently remove sensitive content, with an automatic check.
Who makes it
Don’s Free PDF is an independent project by Don. Questions and suggestions are welcome at support@donfreepdf.com.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about using the tools, privacy, and what each tool can and can’t do.
Using the tools
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
No. Everything works in a current web browser such as Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. There is no account, sign-up or email address.
Is there a limit on how many files I can process?
No daily limit. The only limit is your device: very large files (over about 100 MB or several hundred pages) can be slow, especially on phones.
Which browsers work best?
The latest Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on computers, and current Chrome or Safari on phones. Very old browsers may not support some features.
How do I reorder or delete pages?
Open Organize pages. Each page is shown with a large preview and its original page number. Drag pages, or use the arrow buttons, to reorder them; use the bin button to delete. If a preview can’t be drawn, you can still move or delete that page.
What does compression change?
Smallest, Balanced and Clearer rebuild each page as an image. That gives the biggest savings, but text can no longer be selected or searched and links and form fields stop working. Choose Keep text to shrink the file without flattening it; the saving is smaller. You always see the size before and after.
Can I compress a PDF to a specific size for email?
Yes. In Compress PDF, pick a target such as “Under 10 MB”. The tool steps down the quality until the file fits, and tells you if it can’t get there.
Are annotations saved inside the PDF?
Yes. Text, highlights, lines, boxes and pen strokes are written into the downloaded PDF, so they show in any PDF reader.
Privacy and cost
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Your files are processed inside your browser on your own device. They are not sent to our server or any other service. You can check this yourself: open a tool and let it finish loading, then turn off your internet connection. The tool keeps working, because nothing needs to be sent anywhere.
Do you use cookies, analytics or ads?
Not at the moment. There are no ads, no analytics and no tracking cookies. If this changes, the Privacy Policy will be updated first.
Is it really free?
Yes. All tools are free to use, with no watermark and no daily limit.
Security, redaction and signatures
How strong is Protect PDF?
It uses AES-256, the strongest encryption in the PDF standard. Anyone opening the file needs the password. Choose a long password—encryption can’t protect a short or guessable one—and keep it safe, because a forgotten password can’t be recovered.
Is redaction permanent?
Yes, in the downloaded file. Pages you mark are rebuilt as images with the black boxes burned in, so the hidden text and images are deleted rather than covered. Document properties and bookmarks are removed too. If you used search, the tool checks the new file to confirm the text is gone. Always open the result and check each page before sharing.
Why can’t I select text on redacted or compressed pages?
Those pages are rebuilt as images; that is what makes redaction permanent and compression strong. Pages you didn’t redact keep their normal, selectable text.
Is Fill & Sign a legal electronic signature?
It adds a visual signature—a picture of your signature, like signing on paper. It is not a certificate-based digital signature, so it does not prove who signed or detect later changes. Whether a visual signature is acceptable depends on the document and where you are; check with the person or organization asking for it.
Does cropping remove the trimmed content?
No. Cropping hides the margins but the content is still in the file. To permanently remove something, use Redact PDF.
Troubleshooting
A tool says my PDF is password-protected.
Open the PDF in a reader with its password, save a copy without the password (or “Print to PDF”), then use that copy here.
Something isn’t working. What should I try?
Reload the page. If that doesn’t help, do a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) to clear old files from the cache, and make sure your browser is up to date. Very large files may need a computer rather than a phone.
My download didn’t start.
Press the Download button again and accept your browser’s download prompt. Some browsers block downloads that don’t come straight from a click.
Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 23, 2026
The short version
Your documents stay on your device. We don’t collect them, read them, or store them.
Your documents
Every tool processes files inside your web browser. The contents of your PDFs and images, the text in them, page previews, passwords you type, and signatures you draw are never sent to us or to any third party. They are held in your browser’s memory only while you use the page and are cleared when you close or reload it. We do not save your files in your browser’s storage.
Technical information
Like any website, the service that hosts these pages may record basic technical information when your browser requests them, such as your IP address, browser type and the time of the request. This is used to deliver the site and keep it secure. These records never include the contents of your files.
Cookies, analytics and advertising
This site does not currently use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, and it loads no third-party fonts or scripts. We may add advertising in the future to keep the tools free. Before that happens, this policy will be updated to explain what is collected and why, and you will be given any choices required by law.
Third-party services and links
Pages may link to other websites. Their privacy practices are their own.
Security
Because your files never leave your device, they can’t be exposed by a breach of our systems. You remain responsible for keeping your device and the files you download secure.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from them.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new date.
Contact
Email support@donfreepdf.com, or see the Contact page.
Terms of Use
Last updated: October 23, 2026
Using the tools
You may use Don’s Free PDF for any lawful purpose. Don’t use it to process documents you don’t have the right to use, or to break the law or anyone else’s rights.
Your documents and results
You keep all rights to your documents. Because processing happens on your device, you are responsible for checking that each result is correct before relying on it or sharing it, and for keeping copies of your originals.
Passwords and redaction
Protect PDF uses AES-256 encryption, but its strength depends on your password. Forgotten passwords can’t be recovered. Redact PDF removes the content you mark on the pages you mark; content you don’t mark is left as it was. Always review redacted files before sharing them.
Signatures
Fill & Sign places a visual image of a signature. It is not a certificate-based digital signature and does not verify identity or detect later changes. You are responsible for deciding whether it is suitable for your document.
Availability
The tools are provided free of charge and may change, be interrupted or be discontinued at any time.
Disclaimer and limitation of liability
The service is provided “as is”, without warranties of any kind. To the fullest extent allowed by law, Don’s Free PDF is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of the tools, including lost data or errors in output files.
Changes to these terms
These terms may be updated. Continued use after an update means you accept the new terms.
Contact
Email support@donfreepdf.com, or see the Contact page.
Contact
Questions, bug reports and tool ideas are welcome.