Guides
Step-by-step guides for common PDF tasks, with what to watch out for.
- How to redact a PDF without Adobe, and check the text is really gone: A black box drawn over text does not remove it. Here is how to redact names, numbers and signatures so nothing can be selected, searched or copied, and how to check the result before you send it.
- Make a scanned PDF searchable, without uploading it: A scanned PDF is a picture of text, so you cannot search or copy it. Text recognition (OCR) adds an invisible text layer and keeps the scan looking the same. Steps and tips for good results.
- Compress a PDF to fit an email or upload size limit: When a PDF is too big to email or upload, shrink the photos and scans inside it and keep text sharp. How to choose Balanced, Lossless or Strong, and what to do if it still does not fit.
- Remove hidden author information from a PDF before you send it: PDFs carry the author's name, the software and dates, often from a Word account. How to strip them before sending a file to a client or the public, and what this does not remove.
- Rename invoice PDFs by date, vendor and amount, with a CSV index: Turn invoice-4821.pdf and scan0001.pdf into 20260913_Northwind Traders Inc._1250.pdf. kami reads date, vendor and total, lets you fix them in a table, and adds a CSV index.
- Merge PDFs without uploading them: tax papers, contracts and records: Most online PDF mergers upload your files. How to combine tax documents, contracts or medical paperwork into one PDF inside your browser, keep bookmarks and leave out pages.