FAQ
Questions, answered.
Something else? Write to hello@paperwingapp.com.
Is Paperwing really free?
Yes. Every feature is free, with no trial, no account and no paid tier. Paperwing is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence, and the code is on GitHub.
Is Paperwing the same as PaperWingPDF?
No. Paperwing is a desktop app for Windows and macOS, open source on GitHub, made by Rohan Vijaykumar. PaperWingPDF (paperwingpdf.com) is a separate set of browser-based PDF tools by a different developer, and the two projects aren’t connected.
Where can I download Paperwing safely?
Only from paperwingapp.com or the Releases page of github.com/rohanvijaykumar/paperwing. Both link to the same files, published by the project, with SHA-256 checksums you can check.
Which file should I download?
On Windows, the installer is the one most people want: it adds a Start-menu entry, can open your PDFs and updates itself. The portable zip runs without installing, from any folder or a USB stick. On a Mac, pick Apple Silicon for M1, M2, M3 or M4 Macs and Intel for older ones. The download button picks for you.
Why does Windows or macOS warn me when I open it?
Paperwing isn’t code-signed yet, and both systems warn about any unsigned app. On Windows, click More info, then Run anyway. On a Mac, right-click Paperwing in Applications and choose Open. You only do this once. The full source is public, and you can build it yourself.
Does it work offline?
Yes. The exceptions are one-time downloads: the Office conversion engine, and OCR in languages other than English. Everything else, including the PDF engines, comes with the app.
Does redaction actually remove the content?
Yes. When you apply a redaction, the text and graphics under the marked area are deleted from the page itself, not just covered. To strip metadata such as the author and title too, use the Sanitize tool.
Do I need LibreOffice for Word, Excel and PowerPoint?
No. The first time you convert an Office file, Paperwing downloads the engine once (about 75 MB) from the project’s GitHub Releases and verifies it against a SHA-256 hash. You don’t install anything yourself.
How do updates work?
Paperwing checks GitHub Releases every time it starts and every two hours while it’s open, and tells you when there’s a new version. Nothing downloads until you choose Update. You can turn the check off in Preferences.
Is there a Linux version?
Not as a download yet. Paperwing is built with Electron, so it can be built for Linux from source. If you’d like a packaged Linux build, say so on GitHub.
Is Paperwing affiliated with Adobe?
No. Paperwing is an independent project, built on the open-source BentoPDF. It mirrors Acrobat’s layout and shortcuts so it feels familiar, and isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe.
What can Paperwing do?
It edits the text and images in PDFs, signs them (including digital signatures with certificates), fills and creates forms, converts to and from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images and 30+ other formats, merges, splits, compresses, runs OCR, redacts, compares and password-protects. More than 100 tools in all.
Does Paperwing collect any data?
No. There are no accounts, analytics or telemetry. It only goes online to check for updates (you can turn that off) and for a few one-time engine downloads.
Can I use Paperwing at work?
Yes. It’s free for any use, including commercial use, under the AGPL-3.0 licence. The portable version runs without admin rights on Windows.
How do I report a bug or ask for a feature?
Open an issue on GitHub, or write to hello@paperwingapp.com.
More technical answers are in the project’s README and install guide.
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