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User Guide

Everything PDFWise can do, and how to use it — scan, organize, sign, convert, and protect your documents, all processed on your own device.

Quick start

Three steps from a paper document (or an existing file) to a finished PDF.

  1. Add a document. Tap the Scan button on Home to capture a paper document with your camera, or the + button to import a PDF, Word, Excel, text, or image file — non-PDF files convert to PDF automatically. You can also share a file to PDFWise from any other app, or choose "Open with PDFWise" on a file already on your device.
  2. Open the Toolkit and pick a tool — merge, split, compress, watermark, protect, e-sign, convert, or edit. Every tool works on documents already in your PDFWise library.
  3. Land back on Home with the result highlighted. Finishing a tool returns you to your library with the new or edited file highlighted, ready to open, share, or save straight to your Downloads folder.
PDFWise Home screen listing your PDF library — your library, streak, and the + button to import

The Toolkit

Every tool runs entirely on your device — nothing is uploaded to process it.

Merge

Combine two or more PDFs into one file, in the order you choose.

Split

Break a PDF apart by page ranges (e.g. "1-3, 5") or into one file per page.

Compress

Shrink file size with an adjustable quality slider that re-encodes embedded images.

Image to PDF

Turn one or more photos into a single PDF, one page per image.

Watermark

Stamp a diagonal text watermark across every page.

Protect

Lock a PDF with a real AES-256 password so only people you share it with can open it.

Remove Password

Take the password off a PDF you can already unlock, once you no longer need it protected.

e-Sign

Draw, upload, type, or reuse a saved signature — drag to reposition and resize it before applying, with a quick Undo right after signing.

Word to PDF

Convert a .docx file's text and basic formatting (bold, italic, headings) to PDF, on-device.

Excel to PDF

Convert an .xlsx workbook's cell values into a paginated PDF grid, one section per sheet.

Edit PDF

Fill in a PDF's real form fields when it has them, or freehand draw and add typed text anywhere on the page when it doesn't.

A note on conversions: Word-to-PDF and Excel-to-PDF are built to work fully offline, without a third-party conversion service. They convert text, basic formatting, and cell values accurately, but complex layouts, tables, embedded images, charts, and cell formatting from the original file aren't reproduced.

The Toolkit grid with all 11 tools Merge screen with two PDFs selected Split screen with a page range field Compress screen with a quality slider Watermark screen with a CONFIDENTIAL text field Protect screen with a new password field Remove Password screen e-Sign screen placing a signature on a document page Word to PDF screen with a Choose .docx file button

Viewer & sharing

Tap any document in your library to open it.

  • Share — send the PDF through any app on your device via the system share sheet.
  • Save to Downloads — copy the file into your device's public Downloads folder.
  • Unlock — if a document is password-protected, the viewer prompts for the password before rendering the pages.

On Home, each document's icons let you Share, Rename, or Delete it — or press and hold any document to select several at once for a bulk delete.

Backup & Restore

Connect your own Google Drive to keep a copy of your library off-device.

  • Files are backed up to a private "PDFWise Backups" folder that only PDFWise can see in your Drive — the app never sees the rest of your Drive.
  • Turn on Auto backup daily to back up new or changed PDFs automatically.
  • Wi-Fi only keeps auto-backup from using mobile data.
  • Restore pulls your backed-up documents back down onto a new or reset device.

Personalize

Found under Settings.

  • Appearance — choose Light (default), Dark, or Accent, a bolder brand-forward color scheme.
  • Language — PDFWise's interface is available in 20 languages, with English as the default; change it any time from Settings.
  • Smart reminders — an optional daily nudge if you haven't opened PDFWise yet that day.
  • Biometric app lock — require your fingerprint or face to open PDFWise, on devices that support it.
Language picker listing English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese Settings screen fully translated into Hindi

Streaks, badges & unlocks

The Insights tab tracks your real usage — nothing here is cosmetic.

  • Daily streak — tracked from your device clock; use any tool once a day to keep it alive.
  • Badges — a 15-badge catalog for first-time use, usage milestones, streaks, and storage saved.
  • Levels — an XP system with named levels based on how much you've used the app.
  • Weekly report — a Monday-to-Sunday chart of your activity, with a week-over-week comparison.
  • Wrapped & badge cards — once you've used the app long enough, a yearly Wrapped recap and shareable badge cards become available from Insights too.

Every tool on the Toolkit grid is available from the start — no unlocking required.

Insights screen showing streak, level, impact stats, and a weekly chart Insights screen mirrored right-to-left in Arabic

Privacy, built in

  • PDFWise is offline-first: scanning, merging, splitting, compressing, watermarking, password-protecting, e-signing, converting, and editing all happen on your device — your files aren't uploaded anywhere to be processed.
  • No account or sign-in is required to use the app.
  • Google Drive backup is entirely opt-in, and scoped so PDFWise can only see the one backup folder it creates — never the rest of your Drive.
  • Read the full Privacy Policy for details.