Frequently Asked Questions

DocFuse is a free collection of PDF editing tools, document converters, and developer utilities built for everyday workflows. You can merge, split, rotate, and reorder PDF pages, convert Office documents to PDF, sign documents, run OCR on scans, and use a full set of developer tools including JSON formatting, Base64 encoding, JWT decoding, and more. Most tools run entirely in your browser - your files stay on your device and are never uploaded to a server.

For the majority of tools, no. PDF merge, split, rotate, reorder, image-to-PDF, and the PDF visual diff all run client-side in your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Your files are processed in memory and never leave your machine. The developer utilities - JSON formatter, Base64 encoder/decoder, URL encoder/decoder, hash generator, regex tester, JWT decoder, cron builder, and diff tool - are also fully local. A small number of tools like Office-to-PDF conversion (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) require server-side processing with LibreOffice to accurately preserve formatting, fonts, and page layout. In those cases, the file is processed and immediately discarded - nothing is stored after your download completes.

No. DocFuse does not add watermarks to your output files, does not require you to create an account for the free tools, and does not redirect your download button to a paywall. There are no pop-ups asking you to upgrade before you can save your file. If a tool is listed as free, it works completely - no degraded output, no page limits, no "premium unlock" prompts. The site earns revenue through optional paid tiers for power users, not by trapping people into signing up.

DocFuse is built for people who need to get a document task done quickly without installing software. Students merge assignment pages into a single PDF for submission. Freelancers and small business owners sign contracts and invoices without printing, scanning, or mailing. Developers use the JSON formatter to debug API responses, the JWT decoder to inspect authentication tokens, the regex tester to validate patterns, and the cron builder to set up scheduled jobs. Accountants and analysts extract tables from PDF reports into CSV for spreadsheet work. If you have ever searched "merge PDF free no signup" and landed on a site full of ads and fake download buttons, DocFuse is the alternative.

The PDF Composer is an all-in-one workspace for common PDF editing tasks. You can merge multiple PDFs into a single document, split a PDF into individual pages or custom page ranges, rotate pages that are sideways or upside-down, and drag pages into a new order. Typical use cases include combining scanned documents into one file, extracting just the signature page from a contract, reordering slides exported from a presentation, and fixing pages that were scanned in the wrong orientation. Everything runs in your browser - no upload, no file size limits from a server, and the original files are not modified.

The PDF visual diff tool lets you upload two PDF files and highlights the differences between them page by page. It renders each page as an image and compares them pixel by pixel, marking additions, deletions, and changes with color overlays. This is useful for comparing contract revisions before signing, verifying that a regenerated report matches a previous version, checking design proofs against an earlier draft, and spotting subtle differences between invoice versions. Unlike text-based diff tools, a visual diff catches layout shifts, font changes, image swaps, and formatting differences that plain text comparison would miss.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) reads text from scanned documents and images so you can search, copy, and select the content. The most common workflow is turning a scanned PDF into a searchable PDF - the pages look the same, but now you can use Ctrl+F to find text, copy paragraphs, and select content for pasting. This is essential for digitizing paper documents, making old scans accessible, pulling text from photographs of whiteboards or receipts, and converting faxed documents into editable text. DocFuse uses Tesseract.js for browser-based OCR, supporting multiple languages.

Yes. The PDF signing tool lets you add a signature to any PDF document without printing, signing by hand, and scanning it back in. You can draw your signature with a mouse or touchscreen, type your name and choose a signature style, or upload an image of your existing signature. Position the signature anywhere on the page, resize it, and download the signed PDF. The entire process happens in your browser - the document is not uploaded to any server. This works for contracts, tax forms, permission slips, rental agreements, and any document that needs a signature before sending.

DocFuse includes a full suite of browser-based developer utilities: JSON Formatter for pretty-printing, minifying, and validating JSON data. Base64 Encoder/Decoder for converting text and files to and from Base64. URL Encoder/Decoder for encoding query parameters and decoding percent-encoded strings. Hash Generator supporting MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 checksums for text and files. Regex Tester with real-time matching, capture group highlighting, and match explanations. Diff/Compare tool for comparing text, code, or configuration files side by side. Cron Expression Builder for creating and validating cron schedules with plain-English translations. JWT Decoder for inspecting token headers, payloads, and expiration times. Color Converter for switching between HEX, RGB, HSL, and other color formats. Mermaid Diagram Editor for creating flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and other diagrams with live preview and SVG export. XLSX to CSV/JSON converter and a multi-language Code Linter.

The JSON Formatter takes messy, minified, or single-line JSON and formats it with proper indentation so you can actually read it. You can also minify formatted JSON for production use, validate JSON structure before sending it to an API, and catch syntax errors like missing commas, extra trailing commas, mismatched brackets, and unquoted keys. It handles large payloads without lag and works entirely in your browser. Developers use it daily for debugging API responses, inspecting webhook payloads, cleaning up configuration files, and preparing test fixtures.

The JWT Decoder on DocFuse runs entirely in your browser with no network requests. When you paste a token, it is decoded locally - the token is never sent to any server. This matters when you are inspecting JWTs that contain real user data, production credentials, session information, or personally identifiable information. Using a third-party hosted decoder means your token data passes through their servers. The decoder shows the header algorithm, all payload claims, issued-at and expiration timestamps in human-readable format, and flags expired tokens.

The Cron Builder helps you create, edit, and understand cron schedule expressions without memorizing the syntax. Select the schedule you want from a visual interface - every 5 minutes, hourly at a specific minute, daily at a set time, weekly on certain days, or monthly on a date - and it generates the correct cron expression. It also works in reverse: paste an existing cron expression and see a plain-English translation of when it runs, plus the next several execution times. This is useful for setting up scheduled tasks in Linux, CI/CD pipelines, cloud functions, and job schedulers.

Yes. The Image to PDF tool accepts JPG, PNG, WebP, BMP, GIF, and other common image formats. Drag in your images, rearrange them in the order you want, and download a single PDF with each image on its own page. This runs entirely in your browser with no file size limits from the server. Common uses include converting phone photos of documents into a proper PDF, combining product images into a catalog, creating a PDF portfolio from screenshots, and packaging scanned receipts for expense reports.

Word documents (.doc, .docx), Excel spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx), and PowerPoint presentations (.ppt, .pptx) are uploaded to the server and converted using LibreOffice, the same engine used by many enterprise document management systems. This server-side approach preserves complex formatting, embedded fonts, tables, charts, headers/footers, and page breaks that browser-based converters typically break. The converted PDF is returned to you immediately and the original file is deleted from the server - nothing is stored or logged after the download.

The Table Extractor scans PDF pages for tabular data and lets you export it as CSV or copy it directly to your clipboard for pasting into Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application. It works well for financial reports, invoices with line items, data sheets, grade reports, and any PDF where structured data is trapped in a format you cannot easily copy. You can select specific tables on a page if there are multiple, and preview the extracted data before exporting. This saves hours compared to manually retyping data from PDF reports.

The Archive Extractor opens ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, 7Z, and RAR files directly in your browser. You can browse the contents, preview files, and download individual items or extract everything at once. The Archive Builder lets you create ZIP archives from files and folders. Both tools run client-side, so your files are not uploaded anywhere.

Send an email to support@docfuse.net with a description of the issue or the tool you would like to see added. Bug reports with browser and OS details are especially helpful.