MaxyTools practical guides
Clear explanations with verifiable numbers to help you use the tools well: compress a PDF without ruining it, pick an image format, protect a document, understand a hash or a loan. Each guide links to the matching free tools, which run in your browser without uploading your files.
How to compress a PDF without ruining it
Why PDFs get heavy, which compression level to pick, how to get under 1 MB for an online form, and what you really give up along the way.
5 min readHow to merge PDFs in the right order, with no loss
Join several PDFs into one: page order, picking pages, fronts and backs scanned separately, bookmarks, the size of the result and the traps to avoid.
3 min readSplit a PDF, extract pages or delete pages
Cut a PDF by ranges, one page per file or by maximum size; keep or remove pages; and stay within an email attachment limit.
4 min readProtect a PDF with a password, or unlock it
AES-256 encryption for a PDF, the difference between an open password and restrictions, choosing a good password, and legitimately unlocking a file whose key you know.
4 min readTurn photos and scans into a single PDF
Turn JPG and PNG images into a PDF, scan a sheet with your camera, choose A4 or Letter, keep the file light and avoid crooked pages.
3 min readConvert a PDF to JPG or PNG images, or extract its photos
Export PDF pages as JPG or PNG, choose the resolution (72 to 300 dpi), transparent background, and extract embedded photos without loss.
4 min readShrink an image's file size with no visible loss
JPG, PNG or WebP: which compression method for which image, which quality to choose, how to hit an exact size in KB and what to do for a batch of photos.
4 min readResize and crop an image for the web, Instagram or YouTube
Pixels, proportions, cropping and the exact formats of Instagram (1080 px) and YouTube (1280 × 720): how to adapt an image without distorting or blurring it.
4 min readJPG, PNG, WebP, SVG: which image format to choose and how to convert
Differences between JPG, PNG, WebP and SVG, transparency, weight, compatibility, and conversions without nasty surprises: white backgrounds, quality loss.
2 min readExtract text from an image or scanned PDF (OCR): a practical guide
How text recognition works, how to photograph a document for good results, how to make a scanned PDF searchable, and the real limits of OCR.
4 min readJSON: format, validate, minify and convert to CSV without errors
JSON's syntax rules, the errors that keep coming back (extra comma, single quotes), how to read an error message, minify and convert to CSV without rounding big numbers.
3 min readBase64, URL encoding and JWT tokens: understand and decode
What Base64 and percent-encoding are for, why Base64 adds 33%, what a JWT shows and why decoding is not verifying.
3 min readMD5, SHA-256 and bcrypt hashes: verifying a file, storing a password
What a fingerprint is, how to check a download's integrity, why MD5 is outdated, and why bcrypt (not SHA-256) protects passwords.
4 min readStrong passwords: entropy, passphrases and data breaches
Calculate a password's strength in bits, choose between a random password and a passphrase, check a breach without revealing the password and organise with a manager.
4 min readQR codes: create one that scans, share Wi-Fi, read safely
QR code capacity, error-correction levels, print size, Wi-Fi codes, contrast and colours, and precautions for scanning a code without being tricked.
4 min readMortgages and compound interest: understanding the calculations
How a monthly payment is calculated, why the term changes the total cost, how compound interest works, with worked examples you can redo.
4 min readPercentages, VAT and discounts: the calculations everyone gets wrong
Calculate a percentage, a change, VAT in both directions and stacked discounts without mistakes: formulas, worked examples and rounding traps.
4 min readWhy process your files locally, and how to check it
What happens when a site asks you to upload a document, how a browser can do everything without a server, how to check that no file leaves, and what the limits are.
4 min readText tools: count, change case, remove duplicates, compare and make slugs
Count words and estimate reading time, change case correctly (Turkish, German), remove duplicate lines, compare two texts and generate clean URL slugs.
4 min read