PDF

Filename extension: .pdf
Developed by: Adobe
Filetype: 
Find converters

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a widely-used file format developed by Adobe Systems in 1993. It was created to enable document exchange independent of software, hardware, or operating systems. PDFs can encapsulate text, fonts, images, and even interactive elements such as hyperlinks, which makes them a versatile and secure medium for exchanging documents.

Understanding the PDF Filetype

At its core, a PDF file is a representation of a printed document in a digital form. It preserves the formatting, so it appears the same on any device. This is achieved through an internal structure that includes a fixed layout, vector graphics, and raster images. These files can be encrypted for security and can include digital rights management (DRM) restrictions to prevent unauthorized copying or editing.

Evolution of PDF Software

Initially exclusive to Adobe Acrobat software, PDF creation and viewing capabilities have expanded over the years to a wide range of applications. Today, many operating systems come with integrated PDF readers, and free or open-source software like Foxit Reader and PDFCreator are easily accessible for most users. Professional environments often utilize feature-rich tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro for advanced editing, interactive forms, and batch processing.

Alternatives to PDF

Although PDF is the de facto standard for document exchange, there are alternatives. Formats such as XPS, developed by Microsoft, and the open-source DjVu aim to provide similar functionality. For digital publishing, formats like EPUB and MOBI offer reflowable content, better suited for e-books on various screens and devices.

In Summary

PDF remains a cornerstone of digital document sharing, ensuring that users across different platforms can view and exchange documents with consistent formatting. With the advent of more interactive and web-based document formats, PDF continues to evolve, integrating new interactive features and adapting to the needs of an increasingly connected world.

Supported converters for PDF files

mconverter logo
Mconverter
In the fast-paced world of business, efficiency and productivity are paramount. Enter MConverter, the versatile file conversion solution tailored for...
Investintech logo
Investintech
View, edit or convert PDF files Looking for a PDF converter, viewer or editor? Take a look at the Investintech's...
Cloudconvert logo
CloudConvert
Lite video converter CloudConvert is an online converter that converts your files in the cloud. Currently it supports over 200...
Freemake video converter logo
Freemake Video Converter
Freemake is an easy to use video converter Freemake Video Converter offers a video conversion software for Windows.  The developers...
AVS Document converter logo
AVS Document Converter
No more unreadable documents AVS Document Converter software is part of the AVS company. This software company creates a wide...
Free PDF Convert logo
FreePDFconvert
Surprisingly exhaustive FreePDFconvert is an online PDF converter. Their service has been around since 2005 and has helped people convert...
XNView fixpicture logo
fixpicture
Created for digital camera owners FixPicture is a converter website that has been created specifically for digital camera owners. It...
Convertdaily logo
ConvertDaily
On the ConvertDaily website you will find a dozen useful tools that come in handy when you need to convert...
convertio logo
ConvertIO
Back in 2014, a group of tech enthusiasts set out to create a file conversion website that actually made sense....
freeconvert logo
FreeConvert
The story of Freeconvert unveiled Most likely, you've come across the renowned image platform, ImageResizer.com, and the insights gained from...
file-converter logo
File-converter
File Converter is a user-friendly and free tool that simplifies the conversion and compression of single or multiple files through...
AVS Image converter logo
AVS Image Converter
AVS Image converter: convert all your images AVS Image Converter is a software package that is part of the AVS...
Universal Document Converter logo
Universal Document Converter
Save time with Universal Document Converter Universal Document Converter is an online document converter that converts documents or image formats...
Convert Files logo
Files-conversion
Convert every file type On the website of Files-conversion, you can convert a large variety of formats as part of...
Xodo pdf converter logo
PDF Online
Convert anything to PDF As the name implies, PDF Online provides a simple tool that converts your files to PDF....
zamzar logo
Zamzar
One of well known online converters out there Zamzar is a widely recognized, online conversion platform that is dedicated to...
pdfpro logo
Pdfjpg.pro
The name says it all. PDFJPG is a website where you can convert PDF to JPG. It's free, direct and...
Docupub logo
Docupub
Docupub is a simple, yet effective PDF converter Docupub, also known as Neevia Document Converter, makes it possible for anyone...
Freefileconvert logo
Freefileconvert
Quality online media converter Using FreeFileConvert, you can easily convert your media files from one format to another. The website...
Docspal logo
Docspal
Docspal is an online document converter DocsPal is a free online file converter that offer conversion for all kind of...
Filewiggler logo
Filewiggler
One of the most popular media converter FileWiggler is a diverse and high-quality online media converter, which makes it one...
Cometdocs logo
Cometdocs
Quality online document converter Cometdocs is a highly-regarded online document converter that has served over 3 million customers. All the...
Coolutils file converter logo
Coolutils Converter
Free online image converter Coolutils is an online image or document converter, as well as a supplier of desktop software...
Convertfiles
Convert your media files with Convertfiles.com Convertfiles let's you use a simple online file converter for various filetypes like PDF,...
Online convert logo
Online-Convert
A well renowned online converter Online-Convert.com is an online file converter that supports a decent amount of file types like...
Sorry, there are currently no converters for this file format