Overview: which tool for which task
- Read and annotate PDFs: the PaperOffice PDF Reader, free without signing in.
- Convert, merge, split or protect PDFs in the app: PDF Studio.
- Share a document without personal data: AI redaction.
- Collect signatures: PaperOffice Sign.
- Speech, translation, images and audiobooks: Media AI.
The free web tools on paperoffice.ai, for example merge, split, redact or sign PDFs, are something else: they need no account, work in the browser and file nothing in a workspace.
PaperOffice PDF Reader
The PDF Reader opens PDFs at pdf.paperoffice.ai or as a Windows app. Your files stay on your device. Reading and the basic features work without signing in; more tools and the AI features need a PaperOffice account and are paid.
- Open pdf.paperoffice.ai and click Open PDF.
- Click Tools. Tools marked as requiring sign-in need an account.
- Click Account and sign in with your PaperOffice account.
- The AI tools tab offers, for example, summarizing, text recognition, extracting invoice data and filing in PaperOffice.
- Without sign-in: read, sign, add text, highlight, comment, draw, print, read aloud and view e-invoices.
- With sign-in: organize pages, append a PDF, crop, add page numbers or a watermark, compress, redact, add or remove a password, edit metadata, insert an image and compare.
- A document is only sent once you start an AI feature and confirm it.
- The Windows app runs on Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) and Windows 11 with Microsoft Edge and needs no admin rights. On iPhone and iPad, add the page to the home screen from Safari.
PDF Studio in the app
PDF Studio converts files, merges PDFs, splits and rotates pages and protects PDFs with a password. In the app it is called PDF AI Playground.
- Open Document AI → PDF AI Playground.
- Drag your files into the upload area, or enter the address of a web page.
- Under Tools, pick a group: Convert, Pages, File or Protection, and start the tool.
- Click Download file.
- Convert: PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint; Office files, images, e-books and e-mails to PDF.
- Pages: merge PDFs in the order of the list, split and rotate. File: compress, PDF/A, PDF to JPG or WebP, metadata.
- Protection: a password with at least 8 characters, remove a password you know, remove restrictions.
- Each file can be up to 100 MB. The result is downloaded, not filed in the workspace automatically. Every job is paid.
- You only see the menu item if your group has the PDF Studio permission.
AI redaction: share documents without personal data
Redaction lets you share documents safely with external parties, for example with an authority, a lawyer, a business partner or an AI assistant. PaperOffice keeps the original; only a copy is redacted.
- Select the document and choose Actions → Share & export → Redact and create download link.
- Choose a scenario. It determines what is redacted and what remains visible.
- The AI finds and redacts the relevant passages. Check the preview: each redaction shows its category and reason.
- You receive a short download link to the redacted copy.
There are thirteen scenarios, for example medical records (including health data under Article 9 GDPR), a GDPR access request, external sharing, personnel files, financial data, court proceedings and a custom selection. The download link is valid for ten minutes and for at most five downloads, and the redacted file is not stored in the workspace. For many documents at once, create a Redact Agent under Document AI; it creates redacted copies as new documents. Redaction is paid.
PaperOffice Sign: collect signatures
PaperOffice Sign collects signatures for a document in your workspace. It is a simple electronic signature under eIDAS, not an advanced or qualified one. Recipients confirm with an SMS code before signing; when signing in person on a smartphone, opening the link sent by SMS serves as confirmation. The final PDF includes a certificate.
- Open Documents, select exactly one document and choose Actions → Signature → Send for signature.
- Enter name, email and mobile number for each recipient.
- Pick the delivery (email, SMS or link) and whether people sign in parallel or one after another. Set reminders if you want them.
- Click Send signature request. Follow the progress under Actions → Signature → View status.
Each request covers exactly one document. SMS delivery is paid, and link delivery has no automatic reminders. To sign in person, choose signing on a smartphone; the person gets a link by SMS and signs without an app. The free “Sign PDF” tool on paperoffice.ai only places an image of your signature and creates no certificate.
Media AI: speech, translation, images and audiobooks
- Voice Studio: text to speech and speech to text. Voice cloning and further audio formats are available from the Premium model; only Ultra separates several speakers in transcripts.
- Translate Studio: translates text, Excel/CSV and JSON, but not PDF documents.
- Image Studio: generate images, analyze images and remove backgrounds. Images can be filed with Save to Document AI.
- A document as an audiobook: select the document, choose Actions → Agents & workflows → Summarize document and pick a PDF summary, a podcast audiobook or both. The result is saved as a new document; the document needs recognized text.
All Media AI features are paid. Generated audio can only be downloaded for a limited time.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the PDF Reader free? Reading and the basic features are free without signing in. More tools and AI need an account and are paid.
- Is my original changed by redaction? No. Only a copy is redacted.
- Is PaperOffice Sign a qualified signature? No. It is a simple electronic signature under eIDAS with confirmation by SMS and a certificate.
- Can Translate Studio translate PDFs? No. It translates text, Excel/CSV and JSON.
- Are results from PDF Studio filed automatically? No. You download them.