---
title: "Use PDFBetter without an account"
description: "Try every tool as a guest. Browser tools download free; guest drafts are kept for 1 hour, and downloading edited documents needs a free account."
url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/use-pdfbetter-without-account/
collection: "Getting started"
section: "Your account"
updated: 2026-10-18
publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)"
---

# Use PDFBetter without an account

> You can open every tool without signing up. Browser tools (merge, split, rotate, images to PDF and more) download free. Edits you make in the editor are a guest draft kept for 1 hour; downloading, sharing or sending them needs a free account.

Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/

PDFBetter doesn't put a sign-up wall in front of the tools. Open any tool, upload a file and start working. The banner at the top of the dashboard reads **You’re working as a guest** so you always know where you stand.

## What guests can and can't do

| Task | Without an account |
| --- | --- |
| Browser tools: merge, split, rotate, organize, images ↔ PDF, protect, unlock and more | Download free, no account |
| Edit, fill, annotate and sign in the editor | Yes, as a guest draft |
| Download, print or share an edited document | Needs a free account |
| Prepare a signature request | Yes; sending it needs a free account |
| Build a fillable form | Yes; publishing it as a link needs a free account |
| Office conversions, OCR and AI | A few tries: 2 conversions, 5 OCR pages, 5 AI credits |
| Largest file | 25 MB and 200 pages (50 MB on Free) |

Every tool page states its own rule under the upload area, for example **Free, no account needed — download as soon as it’s done** or **Start without an account. Create a free account to download or share.**

## How long guest drafts last

Documents you create as a guest are [deleted 1 hour after you create them](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/how-long-files-are-kept/). The editor shows how much time is left: **Draft kept for 1 more hour — create a free account to keep it.** After that, opening it shows **This guest draft has expired** with an **Upload again** button.

Guest drafts belong to this browser. Opening the link in another browser or device, or clearing this site's cookies, shows **We can’t find this document**.

> **Tip:** Click **Keep my drafts** in the guest banner (or **Create free account** in the account menu) at any time. Everything you've made so far moves into the account and stops expiring.

### Do browser tools add a watermark for guests?

No. Browser tool downloads have no watermark, and neither do Free plan downloads.

### I closed the tab. Is my guest draft gone?

No, not until its hour is up. Open the dashboard in the same browser and it's under **Recent**.

### Can I sign a document someone sent me without an account?

Yes. Signing links in emails work without an account.

## Related articles

- [Create an account and keep your guest drafts](https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/create-account-keep-drafts.md): Click Create free account (or Keep my drafts in the guest banner) and sign up with email, Google or Apple. Your guest drafts, saved signatures, AI chats and usage move into the account on this device, and they stop expiring.
- [Which tools run in your browser and which use our servers](https://help.pdfbetter.com/convert-organize/browser-vs-server-tools.md): Merge, split, rotate, organize, images ↔ PDF, protect, unlock, sanitize and compare run in your browser: nothing is uploaded and they download free without an account. Office conversions, compression beyond Light, OCR and PDF/A run on our servers and count toward a monthly allowance.
- [How long PDFBetter keeps your files](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/how-long-files-are-kept.md): Guest drafts are deleted 1 hour after they're created. Files uploaded only to run a tool are deleted after 24 hours. Documents in your account stay until you delete them, then they're erased 30 days later.
- [“Create a free account” or “Limit reached” when you download](https://help.pdfbetter.com/troubleshooting/download-limit-reached.md): Guests need a free account to download edited documents; your work moves into it and the download continues. Free includes 3 edited-document downloads a month. When they run out, Limit reached offers Pro, Business or a Day Pass, or wait for the reset.
- [Quick start: fill and sign your first PDF in 5 minutes](https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/quick-start-fill-and-sign-pdf.md): Open the PDF, click each field and type (Tab moves to the next), click Sign → Add signature, place it, then Done → Download. Without an account you can do everything except the download, which asks you to create a free account first.

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Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/use-pdfbetter-without-account/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com