Getting Started

Open a PDF, pick a tool, save the result: this guide covers the first steps in HtkPDF, from the home screen to the modified file on disk.

Main interface

On launch, HtkPDF displays the home page: your recent documents, three counters (documents processed, time saved, last action) and four quick actions — Merge, Split, Convert, Compress — that open the matching tool directly. Once a document is open, the Dashboard lists every tool by category; its first section, Favorites, gathers the ones you pin there with a right-click — ideal if you always use the same operations.

Opening a PDF file

Three methods:

Drag and drop — Drag a PDF file from the Finder directly into the HtkPDF window
Open button — Click the tool of your choice, then select your file in the macOS picker
From the Finder — Select a PDF, then File ▸ Open With ▸ HtkPDF. You can also drop the file onto the HtkPDF icon in the Dock. The document is analysed and the app opens straight onto the Dashboard.

Preview remains the default application for PDFs: HtkPDF adds itself to the Open With menu without taking its place. To change that, use Get Info in the Finder.

Using a tool

Every tool follows the same flow:

Select the tool from the home page
Load your PDF file
Configure the options if needed
Run the operation
Choose where to save the resulting file

Batch processing

The Batch Processing entry in the sidebar applies the same operation — compression, watermark, image conversion, text extraction, metadata, protection, rotation, merge, sanitize or split — to a whole stack of PDFs without opening any of them: drop the files, choose an output folder, start. A verdict is shown for each file. The module is described in Batch processing.

Favorites

To pin a tool:

Hover over the tool on the home page
Click the pin icon that appears
The tool is added to your Favorites section at the top of the screen

Screenshots

5 screenshots — click to enlarge