AntiPDF help

This page explains each part of AntiPDF: what it is for, where to find it, the main steps, and an example. Menu names and shortcuts are the ones the program shows. On a Mac, Ctrl means Cmd.

Free covers reading, markup, editing pages, organising, printing, export, hand-drawn signatures and signature checks. Pro covers protection, certificate signing, watermarks, removing sensitive details and hidden data, and sharing. Each chapter says which plan a feature needs.

Before you send a file from which sensitive details were removed, check the redactions in the saved copy.

In the program, F1 opens this page. A ? button beside a panel's close box opens the chapter about that panel.

Getting started

Open documents, work with tabs and windows, and find this help.

Plan. Free. AntiPDF works without an account.

Where. File › Open… (Ctrl+O). You can also drop a PDF on the AntiPDF window, or pick a recent document from the Home screen or from the File menu.

Steps.

• Open a file with File › Open… (Ctrl+O).
• Open a file in a new tab with File › Open in a new tab… (Ctrl+Shift+O), or in a new window with File › Open in a new window… (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+O).
• Switch between tabs with Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab.
• Close the document with File › Close document (Ctrl+W). Reopen the last one you closed with File › Reopen closed document (Ctrl+Shift+T).
• Open an empty window with File › New window (Ctrl+Shift+N).
• Help › AntiPDF help (F1) opens this page. Help › Keyboard shortcuts lists the shortcuts. Help › About AntiPDF shows the version.

Example. A school sends a form and a letter about it. Open the form with File › Open…, then open the letter with Open in a new tab. Switch between the two with Ctrl+Tab.

Reading and moving around

Zoom, turn pages and find your way around a long document.

Plan. Free.

Where. View menu and Go menu.

Steps.

• Zoom with View › Zoom in (Ctrl+=) and View › Zoom out (Ctrl+-).
• Choose a fit: Actual size (Ctrl+1), Fit page (Ctrl+0), Fit width (Ctrl+2 or F), or Two pages (Ctrl+3).
• Go › Go to page… (G) jumps to a page number. Go › First page (Home) and Last page (End) jump to the ends.
• Go › Back (Alt+Left) and Forward (Alt+Right) return to the places you have been.
• View › Sidebar (B) shows or hides the side panel.
• View › Reading view (F9) and View › Full screen (F11) change how the window is laid out.
• View › Zen mode (Z) shows the page alone. Press Z or Esc to return.
• View › Light or dark (L) switches the theme.
• Go › Next change (F8) and Go › Previous change (Shift+F8) move between changes. In a comparison they step through the differences.

Example. A lawyer reads a 200-page contract. She chooses Fit width, uses G to go to the clause pages, and Alt+Left to return to the index.

Finding text

Find words in the open document, in other open documents, or in recent documents. Replace changes the text that is found.

Plan. Free.

Where. Edit › Find… (Ctrl+F). Edit › Replace… (Ctrl+H).

Steps.

• Press Ctrl+F and type the words. Matches are listed as they are found. You can keep reading while the search runs.
• Find next (F3 or Ctrl+G) and Find previous (Shift+F3 or Ctrl+Shift+G) move between matches.
• The RESULTS list has a switch: This file, Open files, or Recent files.
• The page filter in the sidebar shows which pages have matches and how many.
• Click the chevron at the left of the search field to open the Replace row. Replace changes the match shown. Replace all changes every match. An empty Replace field deletes the matches.
• Each replace can be undone with Ctrl+Z. Save with Ctrl+S to keep the changes.
• On a scanned page, the new words are written over the picture. They may not match the original lettering. Check the page.

Example. A manual uses the old revision code "Rev B" in forty places. Search for "Rev B", check the matches, then choose Replace all with "Rev C" and save.

Highlights, drawings, notes and comments

Mark up a document as you would on paper: highlight text, draw, add arrows and rings, and leave notes.

Plan. Free.

Where. Tools menu: Select (V), Highlighter (H), Pen (P), Arrow (A), Ring (E), Text box (T), Note (N).

Steps.

• Choose a tool from the Tools menu, or press its key when no text box is in use.
• Click or drag on the page to make the mark. Select (V) chooses a mark so you can move or delete it.
• Copy a drawing or note with Ctrl+C and paste it with Ctrl+V.
• Undo with Ctrl+Z.
• Save with Ctrl+S. The markup is written into the file as PDF annotations, so other readers show it.
• Preferences › Markup sets the colours and the default look of new marks.

Example. A teacher marks an essay. She highlights the thesis sentence, draws a ring around a spelling error, and adds a note at the end.

Editing text and pictures on a page

Change a line of text or a picture on a page. Each change is kept until you save.

Plan. Free.

Where. Tools › Edit page content (C).

Steps.

• Click a line of text and type to change it in place.
• Click a picture to select it. Drag it to move it, or drag a corner to resize it. Replace or delete it from the picture's options.
• Undo with Ctrl+Z. Redo with Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z. Each change can be undone.
• Select all text with Ctrl+A. Cut, copy and paste with Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
• Save with Ctrl+S. The file is written with a backup of the original.

Check each changed page before you send the file. Text set in a font that the file does not contain may look different from the text around it.

Example. A clinic's appointment letter has an old phone number. Edit the number on the page, check the letter, and save.

Organising pages

Put pages in order, rotate them, remove them, add blank pages, bring in pages from other PDFs, and take a selection out to a new file.

Plan. Free.

Where. Tools › Organize pages (O).

Steps.

• The pages appear as a grid across the window.
• Drag pages to put them in order. Rotate, delete or duplicate the selected pages.
• Insert blank pages, or merge pages from another PDF.
• Extract a selection of pages to a new file.
• Nothing on disk changes until you save. Each step can be undone.

Example. A scan run has two pages in reverse order and one blank page. Open Organize pages, drag the pages into order, delete the blank page, and save.

Page numbers and Bates numbers

Put a running number on every page, such as ACME-000123. Legal teams use these numbers to refer to documents in a production.

Plan. Free.

Where. Tools › Number pages…

Steps.

• Set the prefix, the first number, the number of digits and the suffix.
• Set where the number goes on the page, its distance from the edges, its font, weight, size and colour.
• Look at the preview of the first and the last page.
• Number pages makes a numbered copy as a new file. The original is not changed.
• After a save, the next number starts after the last one used, so the next document goes on from there.
• Number several files… opens the Batch window with this step. Put the files in order with the arrows, then Start. The run writes a list of which file got which numbers.
• Number after Remove sensitive details, never before it. Redaction could paint over the numbers.

The numbers are text, so they can be searched.

Example. A case's documents go to the other side numbered from NORTHWIND-000001. Set the prefix and the first number, check the preview, and number each document in turn. Keep the list of numbers with the production.

Forms

Fill in form fields, fill them from another document, make a flat copy that cannot be changed, and export the values.

Plan. Free.

Where. Select tool (V), then click a field. Tools › Fill from a source…, Tools › Reset the form, Tools › Save a flattened copy…, Tools › Export form data…

Steps.

• Click a field and type. Tab and Shift+Tab move to the next and the previous field. Enter ends a line field. Esc drops the change.
• Check boxes and radio buttons change with a click. A combo box opens its list. A list box takes the row you click.
• Fields that can be filled are tinted.
• Save with Ctrl+S. Signatures already in the file stay valid.
• Fill from a source… opens a second document beside the form, such as an ID or an earlier form, and its words fill the fields. Check every field it fills.
• Save a flattened copy… makes the filled fields part of the page. The copy cannot be filled in again.
• Export form data… writes the values of the open form to a file.

Example. A school sends a form for a school trip. Fill it in with the Select tool, moving with Tab, then save it and send the saved file back.

Signing

Put your hand-drawn signature on a page. A hand-drawn signature shows that you meant to sign. For a signature that proves who signed and that the file has not changed, use a certificate (Security › Sign, Pro).

Plan. Free.

Where. Tools › Place your signature (S).

Steps.

• Draw your signature once on the signature pad. It is kept on this computer.
• Press S, then click on the page to place it. Drag to set its width.
• Move or delete it like other markup.
• Save with Ctrl+S. The signature is written into the file as an ink annotation that any reader shows.
• To check the signatures in a file, use Security › Signatures. Checking is free.

Example. A landlord sends a lease. The tenant places a hand-drawn signature on the last page and saves a copy to return.

Passwords, protection and certificates

Check and change how a file is protected: a password, permissions, hidden data, certificate signatures and watermarks.

Plan. Overview and Signatures are free. Sign, Protect, Sanitize, Redact and Watermark are Pro. A line on the panel says what comes with Pro.

Where. Tools › Security…

The tabs.

• Overview (free) shows whether the file is encrypted and what signatures it has.
• Signatures (free) checks each signature in the file.
• Sign (Pro) signs the file with a certificate. Choose a .p12 or .pfx file, or a .pem file, unlock it with its password, place the signature or sign invisibly, and save a signed copy. The certificate's password is kept only for this session.
• Protect (Pro) sets a password and permissions, with AES-256 encryption. Keep the password safe. A file with a password cannot be opened without it.
• Sanitize (Pro) removes hidden data: properties and metadata, scripts and actions, attached files, page thumbnails, comments and markup, and earlier versions kept inside the file. Check the copy before you share it.
• Redact (Pro) removes sensitive details. See the next chapter.
• Watermark (Pro) puts text across the pages. The text can include {name}, {date}, {page} and {pages}, which are filled in for each page.

Example. A lawyer sends a contract that must be opened with a password. She opens Security › Protect, sets a password, then opens Sanitize, removes the author name and the earlier versions, and saves a copy.

Removing sensitive details

Remove card numbers, bank accounts, identity numbers, contact details and names from a copy. Pages with a match become pictures with the details painted over, so the text cannot be selected or searched.

Plan. Pro.

Where. Tools › Security…, then the Redact tab. The batch steps are in Batch jobs.

Steps.

• Choose the kinds to find. Card numbers, IBANs, e-mail and web addresses, dates of birth and passport lines are found everywhere. ID and tax numbers, phone numbers, addresses and names are found for the countries you choose under Countries. Until you choose, the country of the computer's region settings is used.
• Add your own lists under MY LISTS: names, projects, clients or account numbers. Each hit can be deleted, replaced by a label such as [NAME], or replaced by a numbered token such as PERSON-1.
• Click Review to see the redacted copy beside the original, with every find listed by its page.
• Save the copy. Before it is written, the copy is opened again and searched with the same kinds and lists. If anything is still found, nothing is saved and the message says where.
• Scanned pages are read by OCR first. A page whose text could not be read is named in the result.

Always check the redactions in the saved copy. Open the copy and look at every page that was made a picture. Look at the text around each painted area, the bookmarks and the document properties. Redaction finds what the rules and your lists describe. It does not know what else is sensitive in your document.

Example. A clinic sends patient letters to an insurer. It adds the patient names as a custom list, chooses Anonymise with [PATIENT], runs Review, opens the saved copy, and checks every page before it is sent.

Scanning and recognising text

Turn paper, a phone photograph or a webcam picture into a PDF that can be searched.

Plan. Free.

Where. File › Scan… (scanner, phone or webcam). File › Make searchable… for a PDF that was made from scans.

Steps.

• Choose the source: a scanner, a phone or the webcam. You can also drop pictures on the Scan window.
• AntiPDF finds each page in its photograph, straightens it, evens out the light and reads the text.
• Add the pages to the open document, or save them as a searchable PDF. The file name is read from the pages.
• File › Make searchable… adds recognised text to the scanned pages of a PDF.
• Tools › Check recognised text shows the recognised text beside the page so you can check it.
• Preferences › Reading scans sets how scanned pages are read and shown.

Example. A tenant photographs three receipts on a phone. She chooses Scan › Phone, the pages are straightened, and she saves them as one searchable PDF.

Printing

Print the open document on paper, with the layout you choose. The preview shows the printed pages exactly.

Plan. Free.

Where. File › Print… (Ctrl+P).

Steps.

• Choose the printer and the pages.
• Choose the layout: one page per sheet or several, a booklet, trimmed margins, notes in the margin, and footers.
• Privacy filters hide the chosen kinds of sensitive text on the printout. The preview shows what is hidden.
• Print. The document's own colours are printed.

Example. A club secretary prints the minutes as a booklet, two pages to a sheet. A privacy filter hides the members' phone numbers.

Preflight

Check a file against a standard before it goes to a printer or an archive, and fix the problems that can be fixed.

Plan. Free.

Where. Tools › Preflight…

Steps.

• Choose the profile: PDF/A at a level (ISO 19005-1, -2 or -3), Will open anywhere, Print shop, PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-4, or a profile of your own made from these.
• The findings are listed by page. Click a finding to go to its page.
• Tick the findings to fix and choose Fix the selected. Not every finding can be fixed. Where a fix exists, the check offers it.
• Save the file to keep the fixes. Run the check again to see what is left.
• A PDF/A profile only checks the file. To make a PDF/A copy, use File › Save as PDF/A….

Example. A print shop asks for a PDF/X-4 file. Run Preflight with the PDF/X-4 profile, fix the findings that can be fixed, look at the rest by hand, and save.

Accessibility

Check and repair the tags that let screen readers read a document, against PDF/UA-1 or PDF/UA-2.

Plan. Free.

Where. Tools › Accessibility… (this opens the Accessibility tab of Inspect).

Steps.

• Check the file. The result says whether it passes, lists the first failures, and says how many items a person should look at.
• The Tags panel shows the tag tree, each tag's role and text, its alternate text, language, place in the reading order and table headers.
• Tag makes a first draft of the tags from the page layout: headings, paragraphs, lists, tables and pictures. Tags already in the file are replaced.
• Fix automatically sets the tab order, shows the title, and describes links.
• Add alternate text to each picture by hand. The check lists the pictures that have none.
• Save a copy to keep the changes.

Check the reading order and every picture's alternate text yourself before you publish a file as accessible.

Example. A council must publish a report that screen reader users can read. Tag the draft, add alternate text to the three charts, check the reading order, and save.

Comparing versions

See what changed between two versions of a document.

Plan. Free.

Where. File › Compare with… (Ctrl+Shift+C). View › Compare in two windows.

Steps.

• Choose the other version. The open document, the newer, is shown in the first pane. The older version is shown in the second.
• Linked scrolling keeps the two on matching pages.
• Go › Next change (F8) and Go › Previous change (Shift+F8) step through the differences.
• View › Compare in two windows puts the older version in a window of its own.
• The same two-pane view is used by Tools › Reference beside… (a second document kept beside the first) and by Tools › Fill from a source….

Example. A client returns a contract with changes. Compare the returned file with the version that was sent, and step through each change.

Saving copies and exporting

Save a copy of the document, export it to another format, or make a smaller or archival PDF.

Plan. Free.

Where. File › Export as… (Ctrl+Shift+E). File › Save a copy… (Ctrl+Shift+S). File › Compress PDF…, File › Save as PDF/A….

Steps.

• Export as… writes a Word document (.docx), an OpenDocument text (.odt), a Rich Text file (.rtf), a Markdown file (.md), a plain text file (.txt), or each page as a picture (.png).
• For a document made of scans, choose whether the recognised text goes over the scanned picture or stands alone.
• After the export, a message says what could not be kept as it was: fonts that are not installed, and drawings that became pictures.
• Save a copy… writes the document to a new file and leaves the open file as it is.
• Compress PDF… makes a smaller copy. Save as PDF/A… makes an archival copy.

Example. A colleague needs to edit a quote that was sent as a PDF. Export as… a Word document, then open the Word file and check the tables and fonts.

Batch jobs

Run the same steps on many files at once. Every result is a new file. The originals are not changed.

Plan. Free for most steps. Pro for Remove sensitive details, Watermark, Remove hidden data and Sign with certificate.

Where. File › Batch… (Ctrl+Shift+B).

Steps.

• Add files or a folder, or drop them on the window.
• Build a recipe from the steps. The steps run from top to bottom. Save a recipe to use it again.
• Choose where the results go: beside each original, or in a folder you choose.
• Choose Try it to see what would be written and what would be skipped, and why. Nothing is written.
• Start runs the recipe. Stop ends the run after the steps in progress.
• The log lists each file as Done, Skipped or Failed, with the reason.

The steps, recipes and terminal options are on the batch page. Scripts can send jobs to AntiPDF through the automation port, which is described on the automation page.

Always check the redactions. If a recipe removes sensitive details, open each copy and check every page that was made a picture before you send it.

Example. Scanned invoices arrive from the office copier every month. A recipe with Make searchable and Compress PDF turns a month of scans into searchable files that are smaller. Drop the month's folder on the Batch window, choose a results folder, try it, and start.

Sharing and sending a copy

Send a copy of a document to someone, or share a document with people who have an account.

Plan. The Copy tab is free. Removing sensitive details and adding a password to a copy are Pro. The People tab needs Pro or the cloud add-on.

Where. File › Share or send a copy… The people symbol in the top bar also opens it.

The Copy tab.

• Choose the pages: all of them, this page, or some pages.
• Choose whether the copy keeps your markup. Markup is drawn into the pages.
• Choose whether the copy keeps its metadata, scripts and attachments.
• Remove sensitive details (Pro) makes the matching pages into pictures with the details painted over.
• Send the copy by e-mail or with the Windows share sheet.

The People tab (Pro or the cloud add-on).

• Invite a person with an account by their address, and give them a role.
• Compare the safety code with the person before you share. The code shows that you have the right key for them.
• Create a link with a role, an expiry and an optional passcode, for someone without an account.

Always check the redactions. If a copy had sensitive details removed, open it and check each redacted page before you send it.

Example. A consultant sends the final report to a client without the author's name. She chooses Copy, all pages, no metadata, and sends the copy by e-mail.

Contacts and dates in a document

This chapter covers two things: the contact details and dates found inside one document, and the people you share documents with on AntiPDF.

Plan. The document finder is free. The Contacts panel is part of sharing, which needs Pro or the cloud add-on.

Where. Edit › Contacts and dates… finds the details in the open document. File › Contacts… opens the Contacts panel. The people symbol in the top bar also opens it.

The document finder.

• It lists the phone numbers, e-mail addresses, postal addresses, dates, IBANs and web links in the document. Each one is listed once, with the pages it is on.
• Click a row to copy it, go to its page, add a date to the calendar, write an e-mail, or open a link. A link asks first.
• Export the whole list as a spreadsheet (CSV), the dates as one calendar file (.ics), or the contact details as a vCard.
• Nothing leaves the computer.

The Contacts panel.

• It lists the people who shared a document with you, the people you shared with, and the requests waiting for you. You can accept, decline or block a request.
• It reads nothing from your address book or your mail program.

Example. A club secretary has a 40-page handbook. Contacts and dates lists the phone numbers and the dates. She exports the dates as a calendar file for the committee and the numbers as a spreadsheet.

Inspecting a file

See and change what a file holds beyond its pages: its properties, attached files, scripts, structure and tables.

Plan. Free, except the clean-up of hidden data on the Document tab, which is Pro.

Where. Tools › Inspect… (Ctrl+Shift+I). The window has five tabs.

• Document. Read and change the properties and the XMP metadata. Save, open or remove attached files. Remove scripts and actions. See what the file reveals before you share it. Clean up hidden data (Pro).
• Structure. For experienced users: the objects, the cross-reference table, the page tree, fonts, pictures, form fields, layers, and a repair.
• Extract. Tables, found from the layout and corrected before export; pages by content; pictures, fonts and attached files.
• Bookmarks. The bookmarks of the document.
• Accessibility. The same as Tools › Accessibility (see the chapter above).

Example. Before a tender goes to a public office, open Inspect, check the title and author on the Document tab, remove the author, and check the list of attached files.

Preferences and themes

Change how AntiPDF looks and behaves: its theme, its fonts, how documents are read, the automation port, and your account.

Plan. Free. The Account tab shows your plan and how to get Pro.

Where. Edit › Preferences… (Ctrl+,). View › Themes… and View › Custom theme…. View › Light or dark (L) switches between the light and the dark theme.

The tabs.

• Appearance: the theme, the interface size, and the community themes.
• Fonts: the font packs and the fonts that are used.
• Reading: how documents are shown when they open.
• Search: how search works.
• Reading scans: how scanned pages are read.
• Markup: the default look of new marks.
• Sidebar: what the side panel shows, and the tool palette.
• Privacy & Security: the privacy settings.
• Performance: how the program uses the computer.
• Automation: lets scripts send jobs to AntiPDF. It is off until you turn it on. The token, the port and the folders that jobs may use are set here.
• Account: your plan and your sign-in.
• Shortcuts: change the keyboard shortcuts.
• About: the version and the notes of the release.

Example. A reader with weak eyesight chooses a larger interface size under Appearance and the dark theme with View › Light or dark.

Keyboard shortcuts

Keys for the commands you use most. Each command's shortcut is shown in its menu.

Plan. Free.

Where. Help › Keyboard shortcuts. Preferences › Shortcuts changes them.

To change a shortcut. Choose the command in Preferences › Shortcuts and press the new keys. If another command had the same keys, it loses them.

The single-letter keys work when no text box is in use.

The File menu

What each item in the File menu does, and its shortcut.

Plan. As each item's chapter says.

The Help menu has three items: AntiPDF help (F1), Keyboard shortcuts, and About AntiPDF.