Blog
Guides on file formats, conversion workflows, and privacy — for people who move files around all day.
- 4 min read
XLS to XLSX: why your old Excel files break in modern tools (and how to fix them)
You inherit a shared drive full of .xls files from 2008. Half of them refuse to open in Excel 365 or Google Sheets. Here's what changed, and how to convert them without losing formulas.
- 4 min read
How to convert PNG to PDF (single-page, batch, or multi-page)
Converting one PNG is trivial. Combining 40 PNGs into a single ordered PDF for a submission or a photo album is where most tools fall over. Here's what actually works.
- 5 min read
CSV to JSON: nested arrays, typed fields, and mapping real-world data
Converting a flat CSV to a flat JSON array is trivial. Doing it so an API actually accepts the result — with typed numbers, nested objects, and normalized keys — takes a bit more thought.
- 4 min read
How to cut an MP3 (for ringtones, podcast clips, and sample cuts)
Trimming an MP3 to a specific range should take 10 seconds. It usually doesn't because most tools re-encode and add fade artifacts. Here's how to cut cleanly.
- 4 min read
How to extract text from a PDF (for analysis, search, or feeding to an AI)
Copy-pasting from a PDF gives you broken columns and mangled formatting. Here's how to pull clean text from any PDF — and what to do when the PDF is really just images.
- 4 min read
TIFF to PDF: how to convert scans, faxes, and legal documents the right way
TIFF is the format lawyers, hospitals, and government agencies still use. Converting to PDF is easy — doing it without losing multi-page structure, resolution, or metadata is what trips people up.
- 5 min read
How to convert HTML to PDF that actually looks right (2026 guide)
'Save as PDF' from a browser is fine for receipts. For anything else — invoices, reports, tickets — you need to know why the layout breaks. A practical guide based on what users on Reddit and Stack Overflow actually run into.
- 4 min read
GIF vs MP4 vs WebM: which format for looping video on the web?
GIFs are 25 years old, everyone knows what they are, and they're objectively the worst option for looping video on the web today. Here's why, and what to use instead.
- 5 min read
How to upscale a low-resolution image (and when not to bother)
Modern upscalers can double an image's resolution without turning it into pixel soup. But no upscaler can invent detail that was never captured. Here's what actually works.
- 5 min read
CSV vs JSON vs Excel: which data format should you use when?
Three formats, three use cases, endless confusion. A practical guide to picking the right one for spreadsheets, APIs, and everything in between.
- 4 min read
How to convert SVG to PNG or JPG (for platforms that don't accept SVG)
SVGs stay sharp at any size and weigh almost nothing — perfect for the web. Terrible for Instagram, PowerPoint, and most office software. Here's how to convert without losing quality.
- 4 min read
How to crop, resize, and rotate an image in your browser (no upload, no install)
The three most common image edits happen 90% of the time. You don't need Photoshop or a signup — a modern browser handles all three losslessly in about ten seconds.
- 3 min read
How to rotate a PDF permanently (not just in your PDF viewer)
Adobe Reader lets you rotate the view. Save the file, close it, reopen it — and the pages are sideways again. Here's how to actually rotate the file itself.
- 5 min read
How to add a watermark to a PDF or image (that people can't just crop off)
A visible watermark is a deterrent, not a lock. Here's how to add one that survives cropping, screenshotting, and casual editing — and when a watermark isn't the right tool at all.
- 4 min read
How to add page numbers to a PDF (position, style, and where people get it wrong)
Adding page numbers to a PDF should be trivial. It usually isn't — the source formatting fights back. Here's a workflow that always works.
- 5 min read
How to remove EXIF data from photos (and why you should)
Every photo you take stores your GPS coordinates, phone model, and exact timestamp inside the file. Here's what's in there, why it leaks, and how to strip it.
- 5 min read
How to reduce image size for email without it looking bad
Gmail rejects your 40 MB attachment. You resize the photo, it looks terrible. Here's how to hit any file size limit while keeping the image sharp.
- 4 min read
How to convert Excel to PDF the right way (no cut-off columns)
Excel to PDF sounds simple until you get a PDF where a wide table's last three columns landed on their own separate page. Here's how to actually control the layout.
- 4 min read
How to make a favicon from any image (the right sizes, the right formats)
Favicons look like a solved problem but every operating system and browser wants a different size. Here's the minimum viable set that works everywhere.
- 4 min read
How to convert MP4 to MP3 (extract audio from any video)
Podcasts you recorded to video, YouTube-style tutorials you want to listen to on a walk, interview footage you need transcribed — extracting audio is a five-second job in the browser.
- 4 min read
How to remove a password from a PDF you own
Legitimate reason: your bank statements arrive password-protected and you're tired of typing the password every time. Here's the safe way to unlock them.
- 4 min read
How to convert Word to PDF (and actually keep the formatting)
Word-to-PDF is one of those things that 'just works' 90% of the time and creates disasters the other 10%. Here's what breaks and how to avoid it.
- 5 min read
WebP vs JPG vs PNG: which image format should you use in 2026?
The three-format debate has a clearer answer than it did five years ago. WebP won most rounds — but there are still two situations where JPG and PNG beat it.
- 4 min read
How to split a PDF into separate pages (or any custom range)
Extract one page, split into halves, or explode a 200-page PDF into 200 files — three different needs, three different tools. Here's how to pick.
- 5 min read
How to compress a PDF without losing quality
'Compress' and 'without losing quality' are in tension — but not as much as you might think. A guide to shrinking PDFs sensibly, from 100 MB monsters to email-ready.
- 4 min read
PDF to JPG vs PDF to PNG: which should you pick?
Both turn a PDF into images. One gives you tiny files that look fine. The other gives you pixel-perfect quality at 3x the size. Here's when to use each.
- 4 min read
How to convert Markdown to PDF (with syntax highlighting and tables that don't break)
Markdown to PDF sounds trivial and mostly is — until you hit code blocks, tables wider than the page, and images that misalign. What actually works, based on what developers repeatedly ask about on Reddit.
- 6 min read
How to compress video for email, web, and social — without losing quality
Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB. Discord at 25 MB. WhatsApp at 16 MB. Here's how to get any video under those limits while keeping it watchable.
- 5 min read
How to trim, split, and merge video without re-encoding (the fast way)
Every video edit doesn't need Adobe Premiere. Trimming a clip, splitting a long recording, and joining two files can all happen in seconds — without quality loss.
- 4 min read
How to merge PDFs without uploading them anywhere
Most 'free' PDF mergers upload your files to a server. Here's why that matters, and how to combine PDFs entirely in your browser instead.
- 5 min read
HEIC vs JPG: which format should you actually use?
HEIC files are half the size of JPGs at the same quality — so why does everyone still ask you to send JPGs? A practical breakdown for anyone with an iPhone.