Docs & files
How to edit and share a PDF (without paying for anything)
Sign a quote, fill in a form, shrink a file that is too big to email, or merge a few pages into one. All free, on a phone or a computer.
A PDF is the file every supplier, council and accountant sends you, and the one they all want back. The trouble is they look locked - like you can read them but not touch them. You can. You do not need Adobe, you do not need a subscription, and most of it you can do on your phone in the ute.
Here is the short version of the jobs that come up most.
Sign a PDF (a quote, a contract, a form)
You do not need to print it, sign it, and scan it back. Both a phone and a computer can drop your signature straight onto the page.
On an iPhone or iPad:
- Open the PDF (in Mail, Files, or wherever it landed) and tap it.
- Tap the markup icon - the pen tip in a circle, top right.
- Tap the + , then Signature. Sign once with your finger; it remembers it after that.
- Drag the signature where it goes, resize it, and tap Done.
On an Android phone: open the PDF in the Google Drive app, or install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app - tap the pen icon, then Fill & Sign, and draw your signature.
On a Windows or Mac computer: open the PDF in your browser (drag it onto an open Chrome or Edge window) or in Preview on a Mac. Both let you add text and a signature with the markup tools, then save.
Fill in a PDF form
If the form has proper fields, you can click straight into them and type. Open it in your browser or in Preview and have a go - if the boxes go blue or show a cursor when you click, just type.
If it is a flat scan with no real fields (lines someone drew, not boxes), use the same markup / Fill & Sign tools above to drop text on top. Tap where the answer goes and type. It looks the same to whoever receives it.
Shrink a PDF that is too big to email
Most email cuts you off around 20-25 MB. A few photos in a PDF blow past that fast. To shrink it:
- Quickest: search “compress PDF” and use a free site like Smallpdf or iLovePDF. Drag the file in, download the smaller one. Fine for everyday quotes and forms.
- Private stuff (anything with bank details, contracts, ID): do it on your own machine instead of uploading it. On a Mac, open in Preview → File → Export → Quartz Filter → Reduce File Size. On Windows, open in the browser and Print → Save as PDF, which often shrinks it on the way through.
A good rule: if you would not pin it to the noticeboard at the pub, do not upload it to a random free website. Use the on-your-own-computer method for anything private.
Merge a few PDFs into one
Council wants one file, not seven. Same free sites (iLovePDF, Smallpdf) have a “merge PDF” tool - drag in all the files in the order you want, download the single combined PDF. On a Mac you can also do it in Preview: open one PDF, show the page thumbnails sidebar, and drag the other PDFs into it.
Turn a photo into a proper PDF
A photo of a docket is fine for you, but a PDF looks professional and is easier for the other end to file.
- iPhone: open the Notes app, tap the camera icon, choose Scan Documents, point it at the page. It straightens and crops automatically. Tap Save, then share it as a PDF.
- Android: open the Google Drive app, tap +, then Scan. Same idea.
That scanner in your pocket is better than the flatbed scanner gathering dust in the office.
The one habit worth keeping
Name the file so future-you can find it. Quote - Smith bathroom - 12 June.pdf
beats scan_0042.pdf every single time you go looking for it six weeks later.
That is the lot. None of it costs anything, and most of it lives on the phone already in your pocket.