Free PDF Tools for Students
Compress assignments for portal uploads, merge papers into a single submission, and convert documents to PDF. Completely free, with no sign-up required.
Compress PDF for SubmissionFree • No sign-up • No limits
Challenges Every Student Faces
Submission Portal Size Limits
Turnitin, Canvas, Blackboard, and university-specific portals enforce file size limits. A scan-heavy assignment can easily exceed 10MB and get rejected at submission time.
Combining Multi-Part Assignments
Professors want a single PDF containing your essay, appendix, bibliography, and cover page. Manually combining these is tedious and error-prone.
Tight Budgets
Adobe Acrobat costs $20+/month. SmallPDF charges $12/month. Even "free" tools limit you to 2 files per day. Students should not have to pay to submit homework.
No Software Access
Not every student has a laptop with Adobe installed. Many work from Chromebooks, library computers, or phones. Browser-based tools work everywhere.
Essential PDF Tools for Students
Every tool is free and works directly in your browser. No downloads, no accounts, no limits.
Compress PDF
Portal upload limits
University submission portals often cap files at 2-10MB. Compress image-heavy assignments, scanned worksheets, and project reports to fit within limits.
Merge PDF
Assignment + bibliography
Combine your essay, appendices, bibliography, and cover page into a single PDF. Drag and drop files to set the correct page order before merging.
Convert to PDF
Word & PPT to PDF
Convert Word documents and PowerPoint presentations to PDF format for submission. Preserves formatting so your work looks exactly as intended.
Edit PDF
Annotate readings
Add highlights, notes, and annotations to lecture slides, textbook chapters, and research papers. Perfect for active reading and study prep.
Split PDF
Extract chapters
Pull out specific chapters from textbooks, extract relevant sections from long research papers, or separate a multi-part assignment into individual files.
OCR PDF
Digitize handwritten notes
Scan handwritten notes and make them searchable. Convert photographed whiteboard diagrams and printed handouts into text-searchable PDFs.
Common Student Workflows
Thesis & Dissertation Submission
Write your thesis in Word or LaTeX and export to PDF
Merge the title page, abstract, chapters, and bibliography into one file
Compress the final PDF to meet your university portal size limit
Upload the single, combined, compressed file
Group Project Compilation
Each team member exports their section as a PDF
Merge all sections in the correct order using drag-and-drop
Add the cover page and table of contents at the beginning
Compress and submit the combined project file
Research & Study Preparation
Download research papers and lecture PDFs
Split out the specific chapters or sections you need
Use OCR on any scanned materials to make them searchable
Annotate and highlight key passages for exam review
Completely Free. No Student Discount Needed.
Other PDF tools charge $6-30 per month or limit free users to just 2 files per day. PDF Smaller is different:
- Unlimited files — Process as many PDFs as you need, every day
- No account required — No email sign-up, no password to remember
- Works on any device — Phone, tablet, Chromebook, laptop, or library computer
- No hidden upsells — Every feature is available to every user, always
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PDF Smaller really free for students?
Yes, completely free. There is no student discount because there is nothing to pay for. All tools are free for everyone with no usage limits, no sign-ups, and no hidden costs. You can compress, merge, split, and convert as many PDFs as you need.
Will compressing my PDF reduce the quality of my assignment?
Text, charts, and diagrams stay sharp at all compression levels. Only embedded images are affected, and even at high compression, images remain clear enough for academic submissions. You can preview the compressed result before downloading.
Can I merge a Word document and a PDF together?
Not directly in one step. First, convert your Word document to PDF using our converter, then merge the resulting PDF with your other files. Both steps are free and take just seconds.
What file size do university portals typically accept?
Most university submission portals (like Turnitin, Canvas, and Blackboard) accept files up to 20-40MB. However, some specific assignment uploads may have lower limits of 2-10MB. Our compressor can reduce most PDFs by 80-95%, making it easy to fit within any limit.
Can I use this on my phone or tablet?
Yes. PDF Smaller works on any device with a web browser, including iPhones, iPads, Android phones, Chromebooks, and laptops. No app installation is required. This is especially useful for students who do not have access to a desktop computer.
Do I need to create an account?
No. There is no account creation, no email verification, and no login. Just open the tool, drop your file in, and download the result. Your files are processed locally in your browser and are never uploaded anywhere.
Stop Paying for PDF Tools
Every tool you need for school, completely free. Compress, merge, convert, and edit PDFs without spending a cent.
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