Whether you are a fledgling entrepreneur, a business leader, a full-time student or a volunteer worker, using PDFs will probably form part of your daily duties.
Just because you frequently encounter and harness this file type does not mean that you are squeezing the most out of what it has to offer.
To help you get more out of PDFs this year, here are a few handy hacks that might transform your interactions with them going forward.
Conversion is convenient
You might think that once you save a document as a PDF, you are stuck with it. But luckily there are free online PDF converters that are ideal for students who want to turn this type of file into a Word document, or for enterprise users who have important documents that they want to share and edit outside of the Adobe software ecosystem.
The added advantage of opting for a browser-based conversion tool is that you do not need to download or install software on your device, which avoids desktop clutter and also overcomes any OS compatibility issues.
Create, Edit & Convert PDFs with PDF Extra for Windows PC.
Merging multiple PDFs is a breeze
Combining several files together under the banner of a single PDF is straightforward, thanks to the capabilities of Acrobat itself.
All you need to do to achieve this is open the File menu, choose the Create sub-section and select Combine Files into a Single PDF, a self-explanatory option that means you do not need to manually copy over content in a time-consuming way.
Page extraction takes seconds
As well as merging files together, individual pages from a larger PDF can be saved separately so that you can use and share them in isolation.
To make this a reality, simply open the PDF to the page you want to extract, open the Tools drop down menu, then go through Pages and finally Extract to get to the menu you require.
Advanced Search lets you pinpoint information faster
Trawling through a PDF, trying to find that one tidbit of data that you need for your report, is another common practice which also monopolizes a lot of time and brain-power.
This is where the Advanced Search function comes into play, found within the Edit drop down menu. Here you can enter a number of unique parameters to get to the bottom of a more complex query as quickly as possible. You can even browse by subject, bringing up a broader array of results for more general document browsing.
Access protection can be implemented
Data security and privacy are growing concerns, so protecting PDFs from unwanted third-party access is a good idea for many users.
You can save a PDF with password protection, for example, and also encrypt it to make sure that even if it does fall into the wrong hands, the chances of it being cracked and compromised are minimal.
Suggested Reading: Saving passwords on your device? 5 ways to secure them in 2021
Making the effort to improve your PDF knowledge this year is a good idea, as it could boost your productivity as well as preventing digital document-related stress.
