PDF Editor

PDF Editor changes PDFs in your browser. A PDF you open is read from your device, or from Secure Files, Mail, Invoicing, Expenses or Client Portal, and processed in the browser tab. It is not uploaded to Magpie unless you save the result to Secure Files or send it for signature. The file you open is never changed; every tool makes a new PDF.

/pdf lists the tools. Choose Open PDF, or drop files on the page: one PDF opens in the editor, several PDFs open in Merge PDFs, and images open in Images to PDF. To change the pages and content of one PDF, see Edit a PDF.

Quick tools

Each quick tool takes files, makes a result and lists it with Download, Save to Secure Files, Open in editor and Send for signature. When a tool makes several files, Download all as ZIP downloads them together and Save all to Secure Files saves every one of them.

Files you choose or drop on a tool are listed straight away, and each PDF shows Reading… until it has been read. Merge PDFs, PDF to images, Images to PDF, Compare PDFs, Letterhead and overlay, Bates numbering and Change several PDFs take more than one file: choose them together, and Add PDFs (in Images to PDF, Add images) above the list adds more. The other tools work on one PDF at a time and have Choose another PDF instead; if several PDFs are dropped on one of them, it uses the first and names the others. A file that cannot be added, such as one that is not a PDF, is named under the list with the reason.

• Merge PDFs combines PDFs in the order shown. Drag a file or use Move up and Move down to change the order. To use only some pages of a file, list them under Pages, such as 1-3, 5. Add again adds the same file a second time, so pages from it can go in two places, such as pages 1 to 3 of one file, then page 2 of another, then page 4 of the first.
• Split PDF makes one file for each page, files of a set number of pages, one file for each range you list, or a new file after each page you list.
• Extract pages makes one PDF from the pages you list, in that order.
• Compress PDF re-encodes photos and scans as JPEG and reduces images that have more pixels than the page needs. Smaller file uses 96 DPI, Balanced 150 DPI and Higher quality 220 DPI; Advanced sets the resolution and JPEG quality directly and can remove document properties. Text, drawings and fonts are not changed, and an image is replaced only when the new version is smaller. The result shows the original and new sizes. If the PDF cannot be made smaller, no file is produced.
• Images to PDF makes one page from each image. Choose images from your device or Choose from Your images. Set the page size, orientation, whether the image fits inside the page or fills it, and the margin. Photos are turned upright using the orientation the camera saved; Turn rotates an image by 90 degrees. JPEG, PNG, WebP and GIF work in all supported browsers. HEIC photos work only in browsers that can read them, such as Safari; elsewhere, convert them to JPEG first.
• PDF to images saves the pages of one or more PDFs as PNG, JPEG or WebP images at 72, 150, 300 or 600 DPI. Convert to images converts every PDF in the list. Leave Pages empty to convert every page, or list pages, such as 1-3, to convert those pages of each PDF. With several PDFs, each PDF's images are listed under its name, and Download all as ZIP puts them in a folder for each PDF. Very large pages are drawn at a lower resolution where the browser limits image size.
• Protect with a password encrypts a PDF with AES-256. Anyone with the password can open it. You can also ask PDF readers not to allow printing, copying, or changes; some readers ignore these requests. Magpie cannot recover a forgotten password.
• Remove a password makes a copy that opens without a password. You must enter the PDF's current password. PDF Editor does not try to find or bypass passwords.
• Recognise text (OCR) makes scanned pages searchable and copyable; see Recognise text in a scanned PDF.
• Compare PDFs compares two PDFs page by page: page 1 with page 1, and so on. For each page that differs it lists the words removed and added, and shows both pages with an image that marks in red what looks different. Compare makes no file. It compares text and the look of each page, not bookmarks, form values or annotations.
• Letterhead and overlay puts the pages of a second PDF, such as a letterhead, on the pages of the first: its first page on every page, page by page, or its pages in turn. Choose whether it goes over or under the page content. Each overlay page is scaled to fit the page.
• Bates numbering numbers every page of one or more PDFs with a prefix, a number with a set number of digits and a suffix, such as ABC000001. Numbers continue from one file to the next in the order shown. Each file is saved with its first and last numbers as its name.
• Change several PDFs makes the same change to many files: compress, add a watermark, add page numbers, rotate every page, remove document properties, or protect with a password. Each file gets its own result; a file that cannot be changed is named in the summary.

Quick tools keep bookmarks, page labels and attached files, the same way the editor does. Quick tool files and results are not kept after you leave the page.

Send for signature is shown when you can edit the selected team. It creates a signature request in that team's E-Signatures; see Send documents for signature.

Open PDFs from other places

• In Secure Files, a PDF's More menu has Open in PDF Editor. The file is decrypted in your browser and opened in the editor.
• In Mail, a PDF attachment has an Open in PDF Editor link.
• In Invoicing, an invoice's More menu has Open in PDF Editor.
• In Expenses, a PDF receipt has an Open in PDF Editor link.
• In Client Portal, each shared file has Download, and a shared PDF has Open in PDF Editor.
• E-Signatures links to PDF Editor from the upload page, so you can prepare a PDF before sending it.
• In Your images (/images), select images on the page and choose Create PDF to open them in Images to PDF.

Recent in this browser

A PDF opened in the editor is kept in this browser with your changes, and is listed on /pdf under Recent in this browser. It is deleted 24 hours after the last change, or when you choose Remove. It is not stored on Magpie and is not available on other devices.

Limits

• Files up to 200 MB each, up to 50 PDFs at a time in Merge PDFs, PDF to images, Bates numbering and Change several PDFs, up to 100 images in Images to PDF, and up to 2,000 pages in the editor. Large files use a lot of the browser's memory; on a phone, smaller files work more reliably.
• PDF to images makes up to 500 MB of images at a time. When it reaches that, it lists the images it made and names the pages it did not convert. JPEG or a lower resolution makes smaller images.
• PDF Editor does not run scripts inside PDFs, and links in the page view do not open.

In the Magpie app

PDF Editor in the Magpie app for iPhone, iPad and Android works on files on your device. PDFs, images and passwords are not uploaded to Magpie. Open it from More, or choose + Create to scan a document.

• Scan a document: scan pages with the camera. The scanner finds each page's edges and straightens it. If the scanner is not available on your device, photograph the pages instead; they are saved as photographed. You can retake, rotate, reorder or remove pages before you make the PDF.
• Images to PDF: choose photos from your library. Each image becomes one page, in the order shown.
• Merge PDFs: choose PDFs, put them in order and, for any file, enter the pages to include, such as 1-3, 5, 9-. An open range such as 9- runs to the last page.
• Organize pages: open one PDF to reorder, rotate or delete pages and save the result as a new PDF, extract selected pages to a new PDF, or split it into several files. Split by a number of pages per file, by custom ranges with one file for each range (such as 1-3, 4-8, 9-12), or after the pages you list (such as 3, 8). Page numbers for splitting count the pages in the order shown.
• Protect with a password: save a copy that needs a password to open. It is encrypted with AES-256. Magpie does not keep the password.
• Remove a password: open a protected PDF with its password and save a copy that opens without one. Restrictions on printing, copying or editing are removed too.

Scan a document and Images to PDF have a page size of Same as image, A4 or Letter. When a PDF you open is protected, the app asks for its password. The password is used only while the file is open in the tool.

To reorder pages or files, touch and hold one, then drag it to its new place. You can also select Move up or Move down, which also work with VoiceOver and TalkBack.

Each result shows its file name, number of pages and size. Select Share to send it or open it in another app. On iPhone and iPad, choose Save to Files in the share sheet to keep a copy. On Android, select Save to device and choose a folder.

The original files are not changed. Pages are listed by number and paper size, without previews. In the app, a file can be up to 100 MB. You can merge up to 50 PDFs, make a PDF from up to 100 images or scanned pages, and work with up to 2,000 pages. The app does not have the editor, annotations, forms, redaction or OCR.

For help with PDF Editor, Contact support.