--- title: "What PDFBetter is and the fastest way to start" description: "PDFBetter edits, fills, signs, converts and organizes PDFs in your browser. Drop a file, open a tool, or start from a template or a blank page." url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/what-is-pdfbetter/ collection: "Getting started" section: "Start here" updated: 2026-10-18 publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)" --- # What PDFBetter is and the fastest way to start > PDFBetter is a PDF editor in your browser: edit text, fill forms, sign, request signatures, convert, organize pages and ask AI questions with page citations. The fastest start is to drop a PDF on the home page or the dashboard; it opens in the editor. Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/ PDFBetter does the everyday PDF jobs in one place: change the text already on a page, fill any form, sign it yourself or send it to others to sign, turn Word, Excel, PowerPoint and images into PDFs (and back), merge, split and reorder pages, run OCR on scans, and ask AI about a document with answers that point to the page they came from. You can try every tool without an account. Many page tools (merge, split, rotate, images to PDF and more) [run entirely in your browser](https://help.pdfbetter.com/convert-organize/browser-vs-server-tools/), so the file is never uploaded. Tool pages tell you which is which: **Runs in your browser — your files aren’t uploaded** or **Runs on PDFBetter’s servers**. ## Three ways to start 1. **Drop a file**: On the [home page](https://pdfbetter.com/), click **Upload a PDF** or drop the file anywhere on the page; it opens straight in the editor. In the dashboard, drop files anywhere or use the **Upload or drop** card. PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and images all work, several at once. 2. **Open a tool**: Pick a job from **Start something** on the dashboard (**Rearrange**, **Merge**, **Fill link**, **Sign yourself**, **Request signatures**, **Split**, **Compress**) or click **All tools** to see every tool by category. You can also start from any page under [Tools](https://pdfbetter.com/tools/). 3. **Start from scratch**: Click **New** in the sidebar and choose **Blank document** or **From a template**. Or click **Create with AI**, describe the document, and [get an editable draft](https://help.pdfbetter.com/ai/create-document-with-ai/) to review. ## What happens to your file Uploading never changes your original. Everything you add is saved as a new version of the document, and **Download** renders your edits into a fresh PDF. Office files are converted to PDF on our servers first; images are turned into a PDF in your browser. - Without an account, your drafts are kept for 1 hour and browser tools download free. - With a free account, documents are kept, and you get 3 edited-document downloads and 3 signature requests a month, with no card and no watermark. - Paid plans raise the limits; see [Pricing](https://pdfbetter.com/pricing/). > **Note:** PDFBetter runs in a current version of Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox. There are also apps for Mac, Windows and iPhone; see [Download](https://pdfbetter.com/download/). ### Do I have to install anything? No. Everything works in the browser. The desktop and iPhone apps are optional. ### Which file types can I open? PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and images (PNG, JPG and more). Non-PDF files are converted to PDF when you upload them. ### Is my original file changed? No. Your edits are stored separately and drawn into a new PDF when you download. ## Related articles - [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. - [Use PDFBetter without an account](https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/use-pdfbetter-without-account.md): 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. - [A tour of the dashboard](https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/dashboard-tour.md): The dashboard at /app/ is home base. The sidebar holds New, Create with AI and your lists; the top bar has search (⌘K), the AI menu, notifications and help. The home page shows what needs your attention, quick tools and your recent documents. - [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. - [Compare the Free, Pro and Business plans](https://help.pdfbetter.com/account-billing/compare-plans.md): Free costs nothing and has no end date. Pro is $15 a month for one person, with unlimited downloads and signature requests. Business is $24 per seat a month and adds teams, branding, bulk send, the API and the largest spreadsheet-fill allowance. --- Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/what-is-pdfbetter/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com