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.
Updated 2 min read
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. 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.
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.
Tools in this article
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- Create an account and keep your guest draftsClick 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 serversMerge, 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 filesGuest 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 downloadGuests 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.