PDF Inspector — Document Analysis
Upload a PDF to inspect its properties — page count, version, encryption, metadata, form fields, and more.
Drop your PDF file hereTap to select a file
Supports PDF, up to 200MB
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pdfAbout PDF Inspector
PDF Inspector is a free, in-browser PDF tool. Upload a PDF to inspect its properties — page count, version, encryption, metadata, form fields, and more. The page exposes a small surface — input, controls, output — so a first-time visitor can complete the job without reading documentation.
Common audiences for PDF Inspector include freelancers sharing scanned receipts and small-business owners sending invoices, but plenty of people land on the page through a one-off search and never come back — that is also fine. The tool is built to be useful even when you only ever need it once.
PDF Inspector is shaped for the gap between "I'll do it by hand" and "I'll script it." When the job is small enough that automating it would take longer than doing it, but annoying enough to want a focused tool — that is the situation this page is built for.
The engine behind the page is standard browser APIs. It reads your file in-memory and writes the result back into the browser. Supported inputs include PDF. For 200 MB and below the work usually completes in seconds; larger files mostly depend on how much spare RAM your device has.
The browser sandbox isolates the page's JavaScript from the rest of the system, the same way it isolates every other tab you have open. PDF Inspector works inside that sandbox: it reads the file you give it, processes it with standard browser APIs, and writes the result back. Nothing leaves the page's memory unless you choose to download or copy it.
PDF Inspector sits in a small group of related tools. Useful neighbours include Link Inspector, PDF Page Dimensions, PDF Metadata Viewer, and Flatten PDF. They are designed to compose: the output of one is a sensible input to the next, so a multi-step task is usually a sequence of single-click operations.
The architecture imposes only the limits the browser itself imposes. The published 200 MB ceiling is conservative; most modern devices comfortably handle inputs up to that size, and the cap exists so the tool degrades gracefully on phones and budget laptops rather than running out of memory.
PDF Inspector is honest about scope: it handles a single, well-defined PDF document workflow step. Specialist edge-case work — uncommon formats, very large inputs, or pipelines that need scripting — is what dedicated desktop apps are for. This page handles the common case quickly.
When the job finishes, PDF Inspector hands you the result as `{name}-inspection.txt`. Filenames are derived from your input where possible, so a quick batch of jobs leaves you with a tidy folder rather than a pile of generic "output (3)" files. Nothing is auto-saved on Favtoo's side because nothing was ever sent there.
PDF Inspector is one example of a broader pattern: utility software increasingly works as single-page, client-side experiences. Every page in the catalog is shaped that way, which keeps each tool fast to load and easy to recommend in a single link.
PDF Inspector runs as a regular web page, so there is no install step or permission grant before the first run. The page can be audited by viewing the source or by watching the developer-tools Network tab while a job runs.
A few practical tips that experienced users of PDF Inspector pick up over time. First, keep your default browser updated — the engine relies on standard web APIs and newer browser versions are noticeably faster than ones from a few years ago. Second, close other heavy tabs before processing a large input; the engine shares CPU and memory with whatever else is open. Third, if you re-run the same kind of job often, your last-used settings are remembered for the rest of the tab session, so subsequent runs are essentially one click.
If PDF Inspector appears to hang, the engine is almost certainly still working — large inputs simply take longer to process inside a browser than they would on a server with multi-core scheduling. For inputs near the 200 MB cap, give it up to a minute on a typical laptop before assuming something is stuck.
If PDF Inspector solved your problem, sharing the page link with someone who has the same problem is the most useful thing you can do. The catalog grows mostly through word of mouth; visitors arriving through a recommendation tend to be the ones the tool serves best.
How it works
- 1Land on the PDF Inspector page. The tool is ready to use the moment the page renders.
- 2Select the PDF file you want to process — drag-and-drop and the file picker both work.
- 3Adjust the options to match what you need. Sensible defaults cover the most common case, so you can usually skip this step.
- 4Click to start the job. The engine (standard browser APIs) processes the input in the page; you can watch the progress indicator until it completes.
- 5Download the result as `{name}-inspection.txt`. The file is generated in your browser and saved through your normal download flow.
- 6Re-run with different settings as often as you want. Each run produces a fresh output and the original file on disk is never modified.
Common use cases
- Split a 200-page exhibit bundle into one PDF per exhibit using PDF Inspector.
- Reorder pages of a multi-chapter scan into the correct reading order.
- Convert a bundle of invoices into a single archival PDF.
- Rotate scanned pages that came in upside-down from the office scanner.
- Lock a confidential document with a password before sharing externally.
- Strip blank or test pages from a scanned document.
- Prepare a packet of receipts for an expense report submission.
- Shrink a scanned report so it fits past an email gateway.
- Compress a marketing deck so the email send-out finishes in seconds.
- Combine a CV into a single application packet.
FAQ
What is analyzed?
File size, page count, PDF version, encryption status, metadata fields, form fields, page sizes, and linearization.
What flags are shown?
Encrypted documents, old PDF versions, large page counts, very large files, linearization, and form field presence.
Do I need to paste anything?
No — just upload your PDF file and the tool reads all properties directly.
Private?
Yes — your PDF is analyzed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Detailed structure?
For internal PDF structure (objects, streams), use a dedicated PDF debugging tool.
PDF/A compliance?
This tool checks basic properties; for full PDF/A validation, use a dedicated validator.
Why does PDF Inspector feel slow on large inputs?
Most jobs finish in seconds. Speed scales with input size and with how many CPU cycles your browser tab has available — the engine runs in your browser, so it shares resources with whatever else you have open. For inputs near the 200 MB ceiling, expect anywhere from a few seconds to roughly a minute on a typical laptop. Closing other heavy tabs noticeably speeds things up.
Are there any usage limits on PDF Inspector?
Inputs are capped at 200 MB per file, which keeps memory usage stable across phones, tablets and older laptops. You can run PDF Inspector as often as you need; every run produces a full-quality result.
Can PDF Inspector run inside a corporate firewall?
PDF Inspector is a static page running an open-source engine in your browser, so a typical corporate firewall does not get in the way as long as it allows JavaScript to load from Favtoo. For teams that need to host it themselves on an internal network, the underlying engine (standard browser APIs) is open-source and can be packaged into a private build with the same behaviour. Reach out via the Contact page if that is something you are exploring.
Is there a desktop version of PDF Inspector?
No installation is needed. PDF Inspector runs as a normal web page, with no browser extension, no native helper, and no separate desktop client to download. That is partly a privacy choice — extensions can request broad permissions, while a regular page is sandboxed by default — and partly a convenience one: you can use PDF Inspector on any computer you have temporary access to without leaving anything installed on it.
Does PDF Inspector support batch processing?
PDF Inspector processes one input at a time by design — it keeps memory usage predictable on lower-end devices and makes results easier to verify. To handle a folder, run the tool once per file; the page stays loaded between runs and remembers your last-used settings, so the second run is essentially instant.
Does PDF Inspector ask for any browser permissions?
PDF Inspector only needs the standard web platform — file picker access for the inputs you choose to load, and optionally clipboard access if you copy the result rather than downloading it. There is no microphone, camera, geolocation or background-permission request, because none of those are needed for the work the tool does.
Are there any hidden fees with PDF Inspector?
PDF Inspector is free to use. The processing runs in your browser, which keeps the per-user cost low enough that the tool can be offered openly. The download is the same file the engine produced — you can use it for as many runs as you need.
Where does my file actually go when I use PDF Inspector?
Your file is processed inside your browser by standard browser APIs. The engine reads the file's bytes from your tab's memory, computes the result, and writes the result back into the tab. You can confirm what the page does by opening developer tools and watching the Network tab during a run — the requests you see are for the tool's static assets only.
Is there a programmatic version of PDF Inspector?
PDF Inspector is a browser-only tool by design and does not expose a hosted API. The reason is the same as the privacy story: there is no Favtoo backend doing the work, so there is no service to call. If you need to script the same transformation, the underlying engine (standard browser APIs) is open-source and can be used directly from your own code.