LocalUtils field note · Merge, split, rotate, and clean PDF metadata
Merge, split, rotate, and clean PDF metadata
The PDF toolbox is intended for document preparation rather than page-level editing. It can arrange several PDFs into one file, rotate every page in a selected document, divide one document into complete page ranges, and clear common document-information fields.
Start with a copy of the source. PDF structures vary widely, and an encrypted, malformed, form-heavy, or digitally signed document may not behave like a simple scanned handout. The downloaded result is a newly produced file and should be reviewed independently.
Quick start
- Add one PDF to inspect its page count and metadata. Use the single-file controls for rotation, metadata cleanup, or splitting.
- For a split, enter ranges that account for every page exactly once. The tool rejects missing, duplicated, reversed, or out-of-range pages and packages valid parts in a ZIP archive.
- Add two or more PDFs to enter merge mode. Arrange the queue in the intended reading order before creating the combined file.
- Download the result, open it in a second PDF viewer, and only then clear the queue. The queue is stored in this browser's IndexedDB until it is cleared.
device → browser engine → result
What the browser does
PDF.js reads the selected document for previews and metadata in the browser. PDF-lib creates the changed output by copying or rebuilding pages. The selected PDFs are not posted to a LocalUtils document-processing API.
Metadata cleanup clears the title, author, subject, keywords, producer, and creator fields exposed by PDF-lib. It does not remove words printed on a page, annotations that contain identifying information, embedded attachments, or every possible private object in a complex PDF.
Inputs and outputs
- Input: one or more PDF files that PDF.js and PDF-lib can open.
- Merge output: one PDF containing copied pages in queue order.
- Split output: a ZIP archive containing one PDF for each complete page range.
- Rotate or metadata output: one rebuilt PDF downloaded by the browser.
Limits to know before you start
- Password-protected or damaged PDFs may fail to open.
- Rotation applies 90 degrees clockwise to every page, not a hand-picked subset.
- Splitting requires all pages to be assigned; it is not a page-deletion shortcut.
- Rebuilding a signed PDF invalidates the original signature relationship, and interactive features should be retested.
Troubleshooting
- If a preview is blank, try opening the source in a desktop viewer and saving a clean copy before retrying.
- If merge order is wrong, reorder the queue before processing; changing filenames does not change queue order.
- If the result is unexpectedly large, inspect whether the source contains high-resolution scans or embedded resources.
Verification checklist
- Compare the page count and page order with the intended plan.
- Check a selection of pages at high zoom for clipping, rotation, form, and annotation problems.
- Open document properties in another viewer to confirm the targeted metadata fields are empty.
Questions people ask
Does metadata cleanup remove visible names?
No. It changes document-information fields; it does not redact page content or remove identifying text printed inside an image.
Can I merge encrypted PDFs?
Only if the browser libraries can open them without unsupported encryption. Remove protection in an authorized PDF application first when appropriate.
Why must a split include every page?
Complete ranges make accidental page loss visible. If pages should be omitted, create ranges deliberately and review the generated parts before sharing.