Do I need an account?

No. Most tools (compress, merge, split, rotate, convert, etc.) work straight away in your browser. You'll see ads on the result screen as a Free user.

An account adds: processing history on your dashboard, locally saved passwords for the Unlock and Protect tools, the daily 10 Pro-feature uses, and shareable file links.

File size limits

• Free — 25 MB per file
• Pro — 50 MB per file
• Business — 200 MB per file

For larger jobs, set up a Workflow — workflows accept up to 150 files / 1500 MB per run on Pro, and 300 / 3000 MB on Business.

Supported formats

PDFs are the primary input and output. Conversion tools accept and produce:

• PDF ↔ Word (DOC, DOCX)
• PDF ↔ Images (PNG, JPG, WEBP)
• PDF → Excel (XLSX) and PDF → PowerPoint (PPTX)
• Image → PDF and Word/Excel/PowerPoint → PDF

The daily Pro-feature quota (Free)

A few features are gated as "Pro": custom target size in Compress, 5x quality in Flatten, and a few others. Free users get 10 uses per day across all of them. The quota resets at 00:00 UTC daily — there's a live countdown on the dashboard usage card.

What to try first

1. Compress a PDF with the Recommended preset to see processing speed.
2. Drop two PDFs into the page on Merge PDF to combine them.
3. Sign up for an account to enable the dashboard and saved passwords.

Where it works

Batch mode is available on Compress, Unlock, Flatten, and Protect for Pro and Business users. Capacity:

• Pro — up to 50 files per batch
• Business — up to 100 files per batch
• Free — single-file mode only (the rest of the page still works as normal)

How to start a batch

Three equally good ways:

1. Click the upload button and select multiple files in the picker.
2. Drag & drop multiple PDFs anywhere on the page — a fullscreen drop overlay catches them.
3. Open a tool with a multi-file handoff from another tool (e.g. Unlock → Compress).

If a file is password-protected

Compress, Flatten, and Protect can't operate on encrypted PDFs. If any file in your batch is locked, the tool surfaces a modal listing the protected files and offers a one-click handoff to Unlock PDF. Once unlocked, those files come right back to the original tool to finish your task.

Step 2: configure once, apply to all

Whatever you set in step 2 (compression preset, flatten quality, protect password) is applied to every file in the batch. The "queued" pill in step 2 lets you review the file list and remove individual entries before processing.

Upload and processing

Files upload in parallel. The ring on the upload modal shows the combined byte progress; once uploads finish, the ring morphs into the loading screen where the per-file processing status updates as each result comes back.

The result screen

Each output appears as a card with a small thumbnail, file name (renameable from the more menu), and an individual download button. The primary "Download All" button packages everything into a single ZIP file — compressed_files.zip, flattened_files.zip, etc.

Failed files (rare) are summarized in a small amber strip at the bottom of the grid; the rest of the batch downloads normally.

Limits to remember

• Per-file size still applies (25 / 50 / 100 MB by tier).
• You can't mix locked and unlocked PDFs in one batch — the tool will route the locked subset to Unlock first.
• For batches larger than the per-tool cap, build a Workflow instead.

What is a workflow?

A workflow is a saved sequence of tools. Drop your files once and they pass through each step in order — for example: unlock → flatten → compress → protect. No re-uploading between steps.

Plan limits

• Pro — 3 active workflows · up to 150 files / 1500 MB per run
• Business — 5 active workflows · up to 300 files / 3000 MB per run

Setting one up

1. From the dashboard or settings, open Workflows and click New workflow.
2. Pick the steps in the order you want them to run. Each step has its own settings (compression preset, flatten quality, protect password, etc.).
3. Save and name the workflow. It now appears as a tile on your dashboard with a drop area.
4. Drop files on the tile to run it. The dashboard shows live progress and any per-file errors.

Output files and retention

Workflow output files appear under Recent Files on the dashboard. They're retained for the period shown next to the section header. After that they're auto-purged. You can also delete them earlier via the file's more menu.

Sharing a workflow's output (Pro/Business)

From the more menu on any output file, choose Share link. The link is valid for 24 hours and gives the recipient view + download access — no Blackpdf account required.

Common patterns

• "Send to client" — flatten → compress → protect (with team-shared password).
• "Archive scanned bundles" — OCR → compress → add watermark.
• "Re-protect from a vendor" — unlock → flatten → protect.

Where they're used

Unlock and Protect both have a "Save password" prompt. Saved passwords appear as small chips above the password input on the next visit, sorted by most recently used. Click a chip to fill the input.

Local-only by default

Saved passwords are encrypted with AES-256-GCM and stored in your browser only. The encryption key is per-device, generated locally — Blackpdf never sees it. Clearing your browser data removes them.

Cloud sync (Pro and Business)

Toggle "Sync passwords across my devices" in Settings → Account. Your password set is encrypted client-side and uploaded as ciphertext. We hold the ciphertext only; without your account password we can't read it.

• Sync runs whenever you save, edit, or delete a password.
• Last-write-wins; conflicts are resolved by re-merging when you reopen the bottom sheet.
• Passwords are also indexed by SHA-256 hash for "last used" sorting — the hash is opaque, never sent.

Team sharing (Business admins)

If you're an admin in a Business team, the password bottom-sheet shows a Share button. Toggling it on pushes your encrypted personal passwords to every team member's Team tab in Unlock and Protect.

Members see them as read-only entries labelled "Shared by <Team Name>" and can pick them just like personal ones. Toggling Share off revokes them — members lose access on their next sync.

Reviewing or deleting

The bottom sheet has Show All / Hide All for masked passwords, and a Delete All button (with confirmation). Each row also has a per-item delete and a reveal toggle.

Creating a team

Business owners get one team automatically when they subscribe. Open Settings → Teams to invite members by email. Invites stay active for 14 days and can be revoked at any time.

Members don't need their own Business subscription — they get all Business features while they're part of your team.

Roles

• Admin — manage members, invite or remove others, share/revoke team resources, change team name.
• Member — use Business features, view shared resources read-only.

The team owner is always an admin and can't be removed from the team. Any admin can promote other members to admin from the member list.

Shared resources

Admins can share these from each tool's settings or bottom sheet:

• Saved passwords (Unlock and Protect, separately)
• Signature and stamp groups (Sign tool)
• Watermark image presets (Watermark tool)
• Workflows (the workflow appears on every member's dashboard)
• Files via shared link (24h)

Activity feed

Settings → Teams shows a live feed of who did what — joined the team, ran a workflow, shared a file, updated a watermark. It's read-only and there's no way to opt-out individual entries.

Leaving or removing

A member can leave any time from Settings → Teams. An admin can remove members from the same screen. When someone leaves: any locally synced data they have stays on their device, and shared resources stop syncing for them at the next refresh.

Plan comparison

• Free — All basic tools · 10 Pro-feature uses per day · 25 MB max file · ad-supported
• Pro ($7/mo · $67/yr) — Unlimited Pro features · 50 MB files · Batch up to 50 · 3 workflows · Cloud-synced passwords + signatures · 24h shared file links · No ads · Email support
• Business (per-seat, see /pricing) — Everything in Pro, plus 200 MB files · Batch up to 100 · 5 workflows · 1 team with seat-based membership (2–100 seats) · Shared team resources · Team activity feed · Dedicated support

Annual billing saves 20% on both paid plans. Switch between monthly and annual any time from Settings → Plan.

The Pro-feature daily quota (Free)

A few specific features are gated as "Pro": custom target size in Compress, 5x quality in Flatten, and others. Free users can use them up to 10 times per day combined. The dashboard shows a live gauge and countdown to reset.

The reset happens at 00:00 UTC daily. Pro and Business have these features unlimited.

Free trial

Pro starts with a 7-day free trial. A payment method is required to start the trial, but you can cancel anytime during those 7 days and you won't be charged. After the trial ends, the card is charged for your first billing cycle. You can only use the trial once per account.

Upgrade flow

Settings → Plan → Upgrade, or visit /pricing. Checkout is handled by Paddle (our Merchant of Record). Paddle accepts major credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay, and handles VAT / sales tax compliance. Blackpdf never sees your card details.

Cancellation

Settings → Plan → Cancel. You keep paid features until the end of your current billing period; after that the account reverts to Free. Cancellation can be undone any time before the period ends.

Downgrades

Downgrades take effect at the period end. When they hit:

• Workflows over the new plan's limit are deactivated (not deleted) — re-upgrade to reactivate.
• Cloud sync stops; previously synced data is retained for 30 days then purged.
• If you had a Business team, members lose Business features. Team data is retained for 30 days.

Try before you buy

Rather than processing refunds, we let you evaluate Pro risk-free with a 7-day free trial. A payment method is required when you start the trial, but you can cancel anytime within those 7 days and you won't be charged. Once the trial ends and the first charge goes through, charges aren't refunded — but you can cancel anytime and access stays active until the end of the current billing period.

Files in transit and at rest

All connections use TLS 1.3. Files processed on our servers live on disk only as long as the operation takes — typically seconds — and are deleted immediately after the response is delivered. We never read, index, or share file content.

What we retain

• Plain processed files — deleted right after the response completes.
• Workflow output files — kept until the tier-specific retention window passes (visible on the dashboard).
• Shared file links — 24 hours, then auto-purged. Revoke any time from the more menu.
• Activity history — name, type, timestamp, and tool used; never file content. You can clear it from Settings → Account.

Saved passwords

Encrypted with AES-256-GCM. Cloud-synced passwords (Pro+) are encrypted client-side before they leave your device — we hold ciphertext only. The encryption key is derived per-account and never sent in plaintext.

Third-party services

We use these to operate the product. None have access to your file content.

• Paddle — payment processing and tax compliance.
• Google — OAuth sign-in and Analytics (anonymous usage). You can opt out from cookie settings.
• Resend — transactional email (welcome, receipts, password reset).
• Cloudflare — CDN and DDoS protection.

Full list and legal bases: Privacy Policy.

Cookies

Strictly-necessary cookies (auth, session) are always on. Analytics and advertising cookies are off by default and only run when you accept the cookie banner. Manage preferences any time at /cookies.

Data rights

Email support@blackpdf.com to request a copy of your data, correct an entry, or delete your account. We respond within 30 days as required by GDPR / CCPA.

Email support

Reach us at support@blackpdf.com. We reply within 24 hours on weekdays.

Include in your first message:

• The email on your Blackpdf account (if you have one).
• The tool you were using and the action you took.
• Approximate file size and page count (if a specific file is misbehaving).
• Browser + OS — Chrome 132 on macOS 14, etc.
• The exact error message or a screenshot.

Feature requests & feedback

Use the Send feedback button on the Help Center page to share a bug report, feature idea, or any other comment. We can't promise an ETA on requests, but every one gets read and tagged in our backlog.

Billing

For invoice copies or VAT/tax questions, reply to your purchase receipt or email support@blackpdf.com with your order ID. Cancellation and the 7-day free trial are covered in the Plans & Billing guide.

Reporting a security issue

If you've found a vulnerability, please email security@blackpdf.com directly with details and reproduction steps. Don't post it publicly — we'll respond within 48 hours and credit you in the fix announcement if you'd like.