Free how-to guides for PDFs, Publisher files and images
Step-by-step answers to everyday file questions: turning a PDF into Word, opening old Publisher (.pub) files now Publisher is retired, resizing photos and signing documents without printing, plus fair comparisons with Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Lens and other big-name tools.
Every guide here is free and written to give the answer first, then the steps. Browse by what you need: converting and editing PDFs, opening Publisher (.pub) files, working with images, free templates, UK tax and Making Tax Digital, and short reference pages such as password, invoice and colour-code guides. Each guide links to the matching Altto tool, which runs on your own device so your files are not uploaded.
UK tax guides: Self Assessment and Making Tax Digital →
A free Adobe Acrobat alternative with no sign-in
Altto vs Acrobat online and Acrobat Pro: limits, sign-in, privacy, and when each is the better pick.
AlternativesA free Microsoft Lens alternative: scan to PDF with no app
Microsoft Lens has been retired. Your options, and a free scan-to-PDF page that runs in your phone browser.
Guide · 7 min readWhy can’t I edit my PDF?
Six reasons a PDF won’t let you change it, from scans to permissions passwords, and the free fix for each.
Guide · 6 min readHow to sign a PDF without printing it
Free ways to sign on any computer or phone, and whether electronic signatures are valid in the UK.
Guide · 5 min readWhich online IQ tests are actually free?
What 12 popular IQ test sites charge, how “£1 trials” turn into subscriptions, and what to do if you’ve been charged.
Guide · 3 min readWhat is the average typing speed?
About 52 WPM on a keyboard and 36 on a phone, where the numbers come from, and what counts as fast.
Guide · 4 min readWhat is the average IQ?
Why it is 100, the percentile chart, what age changes, and how 2,120 Altto test takers compare with the textbook curve.
ReferenceWhich app opens which file?
What opens PDF, DOCX, HEIC, WebP, AVIF and CSV on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, and how to convert what won’t open.
Guide · 6 min readConvert a bank statement PDF to Excel
Get a PDF statement into a spreadsheet with every amount in the right column, without uploading it.
Template · 2 min readFree invitation template
An A5 invitation you edit in your browser and save as a PDF or image.
Template · 2 min readFree business card template
An 85 x 55 mm business card you edit in your browser and save as a PDF.
Template · 2 min readFree greeting card template
An A5 greeting card, front and inside, you edit in your browser and save as a PDF.
Template · 2 min readFree menu template
An A4 menu with starters, mains and desserts you edit in your browser and save as a PDF.
Template · 2 min readFree newsletter template
A two-page A4 newsletter you edit in your browser and save as a PDF.
Template · 2 min readFree event flyer template
An A4 event flyer you edit in your browser and save as a print-ready PDF.
Template · 2 min readFree 2027 calendar template
A one-page A4 year calendar you edit in your browser and save as a PDF.
Template · 2 min readFree certificate template
An A4 certificate you edit in your browser and save as a print-ready PDF.
GuideMicrosoft Publisher is retired: open your .pub files
What changed, how to export while you can, and free ways to open .pub files without Publisher.
Guide · 5 min readMTD quarterly update due 7 November 2026
What the update covers, what you need to send it, and what happens if you are late.
Guide · 5 min readMaking Tax Digital for landlords
Thresholds, joint ownership, records and update dates for rental income.
Guide · 4 min readSelf Assessment deadline: 31 January 2027
Every date for the 2025 to 2026 return, payments on account and penalties, checked against GOV.UK.
Guide · 3 min readDo I need to file a Self Assessment return?
The common reasons people have to file, what to confirm on GOV.UK, and what to do next.
Calculator · 3 minPayments on account calculator
See your 31 January and 31 July 2027 Self Assessment payments, with the GOV.UK rules for who is exempt.
Guide · 5 min readMTD penalties: late updates and payments
Penalty points, the £200 threshold and late payment rates, checked against GOV.UK.
Guide · 4 min readWhat is bridging software for MTD?
How it sends spreadsheet totals to HMRC, and what to look for.
Guide · 4 min readUK e-invoicing from April 2029
What has been confirmed, why a PDF may not count, and what to do now.
Comparison · 7 min readMicrosoft Publisher alternatives
Word, Canva, Scribus and LibreOffice compared for newsletters, flyers and leaflets.
Guide · 3 min readOpen a .pub file on iPhone, iPad or Android
No Publisher app exists for phones. How to read or convert a .pub file in your browser.
Guide · 4 min readOpen a .pub file on Windows 11
No Publisher? Four free ways to open or convert a .pub file, one with nothing to install.
Guide · 4 min readOpen a .pub file on a Mac
Publisher was never made for Mac. Three free ways to read a .pub file, one with nothing to install.
ToolConvert a .pub file to Word
Get an editable Word document from a Publisher file, free, with nothing uploaded.
ToolConvert a .pub file to JPG or PNG
Each page of a Publisher file as a picture, free, with nothing uploaded.
ToolOpen a Publisher .pub file
Microsoft retired Publisher. Get the text and pictures out of your .pub files free, with nothing uploaded.
Open testPDF to Word accuracy benchmark
How accurate is Altto’s PDF to Word converter? 200 public PDFs, 15 converters, full method and data.
Guide · 6 min readHow to resize an image
Pixels, file size and print size explained, with step-by-step methods for Windows, Mac, phones and your browser.
Guide · 6 min readHow to create a strong password
What makes a password hard to crack, the NCSC's “three random words” advice, and why a password manager beats your memory.
Guide · 8 min readHow to write an invoice (UK)
What a UK invoice must include for sole traders, limited companies and VAT-registered businesses, plus numbering and payment terms.
Guide · 7 min readWhat size should a favicon be? The full icon size guide
Every favicon and app-icon size a modern site needs — browser tabs, Apple touch icon, Android/PWA icons and the manifest file that ties them together.
Guide · 6 min readText case styles explained: UPPERCASE, Title Case, camelCase & more
Sentence case, Title Case, camelCase, snake_case and more — what each one means, where it's used, and how to convert between them.
Guide · 7 min readHow to take a UK passport photo at home (that gets accepted)
The wall, the light, the phone settings and the pose for a digital passport photo that meets the GOV.UK rules, plus how to check it before you apply.
Guide · 6 min readHow to remove the background from a photo (free, no upload)
The fastest way to cut a subject out cleanly, what a transparent PNG actually is, and how to get a tidy edge around hair and fine detail.
Guide · 6 min readWhat is Lorem Ipsum? History, meaning & when to use it
Where the scrambled Latin actually comes from, why designers still use it, and the cases where you should use real text instead.
Guide · 6 min readHow to make a meme (free, no upload, no watermark)
The classic top-and-bottom format explained, how to make one in seconds, and tips for picking text that actually lands.
Guide · 7 min readBarcode types explained: which one should you use?
Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, Code 39 and more — what each format actually encodes, when to use it, and how to generate one free.
Guide · 8 min readHow to find the hex code of any colour
The fastest way to get an exact hex code from a photo, a screenshot or anything on your screen — plus HEX, RGB and HSL explained.
Guide · 7 min readJPG vs PNG: which should you use?
Compression, quality, transparency and file size compared — plus free tools to convert or compress either format.
Guide · 7 min readThe full BMI chart, explained
Every BMI category from underweight to Obese Class III, how to calculate BMI by hand, and healthy weight ranges by height.
Guide · 7 min readPractical ways to use a QR code
Wi-Fi sharing, digital business cards, menus and more — the exact format each one needs, plus a free generator to make one instantly.
Guide · 6 min readHow many words is a page?
A practical word count guide — how many words fit on a page, and how long an essay, cover letter or blog post should actually be.
Guide · 6 min readHow to convert a PDF to Word without losing formatting
Why formatting breaks during conversion, and the practical steps — before and after — that keep the result usable.
Guide · 5 min readPDF vs. Word: which format should you use?
Two formats built for opposite goals — a practical comparison and how to decide which one a document needs.
Guide · 6 min readHow to convert a password-protected PDF to Word
What PDF passwords actually do, and how to convert a locked PDF without sending it or its password anywhere.
Guide · 6 min readHow to convert a PDF to Word on iPhone or Android
No app, no subscription, no sign-up — how to do the whole job from your phone's own browser.
Guide · 6 min readHow to turn a PDF into a Word document
The quickest way to get from a PDF you can't edit to a Word file you can — plus what actually happens to your formatting along the way.