Help

How to use ManaPDF GUI and CLI (both from Microsoft Store). Step-by-step guides: Tips. Background essays: Stories.

Introduction

ManaPDF includes a GUI (ManaPDF.exe) and a CLI (manapdf.exe). Both come from Microsoft Store and share the same PDF processing core.

Edition	Best for
GUI	Day-to-day tasks from a desktop app
CLI	Scripts, batch jobs, terminal workflows

See Terms of Use and License for usage rules.

Using the GUI

Install ManaPDF from Microsoft Store, then pick a screen from the left navigation. No separate .NET Desktop Runtime install is required (the runtime is bundled). Button labels follow your Windows display language; screen titles such as Compare stay in English.

Password-protected PDFs: When a PDF requires a password to open, Inspect, Metadata, Text, Report, and Compare show a password dialog. Encrypted PDFs that still open without a user password (owner/permissions-only protection) are loaded and edited without prompting. Within the same session, a correct password is reused for other encrypted PDFs when possible. Passwords are never written to logs or output.

Home

Overview of the app. Use it as a starting point to other screens.

Compare

When: You want to see whether two PDFs match or what changed.

Steps: Set Old and New PDF paths (Browse...) → optional checks such as Include text diff → Compare. Encrypted PDFs show a password dialog.

Save Markdown, copy JSON, or copy an equivalent CLI command from the result area.

Text

When: You need to extract, find, list text frames, or replace embedded text in a PDF.

Steps: Set the PDF path at the top (shared across tabs) → pick a tab:

Extract — Extract. Leave page number empty for all pages. Save text, copy to clipboard, or copy JSON / CLI.
Find — enter search text → Find. Shows matching page numbers.
Frames — list annotations, form fields, and body-text blocks as rectangles (no page preview). Filter with Contains, then Remove matching frames to a new PDF (default output *-frames.pdf). Removal blanks show-text operators (not white boxes). A matching text block is dropped as a whole. Leftover extractable text is not redaction, even if it no longer looks visible. Success counts frames and operators separately; an amber warning means matching text is still extractable. Form fields can be listed; deleting the form definition itself is not implemented. Copy CLI uses text regions / text regions remove. Contains is required to remove. Default kind is text block.
Replace — set find/replace text and output PDF → Replace (best-effort; not guaranteed redaction).

Scanned PDFs may yield no text (ManaPDF does not include OCR). Owner/permissions-only PDFs (no user password to open) are replaced or have frames removed as an unrestricted copy, same as Unlock / Metadata.

Metadata

When: You want to view or edit title, author, and other document properties.

Steps: Set input and output PDF paths → Load → edit fields → Save.

Creation and modification dates can be left blank (they are not written into the PDF). Optional ManaPDF creator settings and PDF conversion (Producer) are also available.

When you edit other fields only, ManaPDF tries to keep the existing Producer in both the PDF Info dictionary and XMP when possible. Very long Producer strings may be truncated by PDF structure limits. If you still see a value such as PDFsharp … after save, set PDF conversion explicitly and save again.

For password-protected PDFs, use the Unlock screen to save an unprotected copy (the input file is not modified).

Batch mode: Check Batch mode (folder) to apply the values in the metadata fields with Save (blank fields are left unchanged). Remove metadata runs the same cleanup as single-file mode. Set input and output folders and optionally include subfolders. Use Cancel to stop a long run. Encrypted PDFs use the same password prompts as Unlock batch.

More: Tips — batch metadata (GUI steps, metadata batch / metadata set loop examples).

Unlock

When: You know the password and want an unprotected copy of a password-protected PDF.

Steps: Set input and output PDF paths → Save unprotected copy. A password dialog appears for encrypted PDFs.

Batch mode: Check Batch mode (folder) to process PDFs in a folder. Set input and output folders and optionally include subfolders. Use Cancel to stop a long run.

ManaPDF does not recover, crack, brute-force, or bypass PDF passwords.

More: Tips — single unlock · Tips — batch unlock (CSV, line-by-line password files, filename patterns).

Image to PDF

When: You want to build a PDF from images.

Steps: Add images or Add folder (one mode at a time) → check Output PDF → optional metadata → Create PDF.

Choosing images or a folder fills Creation date with the current time and turns on matching Modification date to Creation. You can still clear the date fields if you want them omitted from the PDF.

With multiple image files, use Move up / Move down. For a folder or ZIP, pick a Sort order.

More: Tips — images to PDF (natural vs lexical sort, CLI --sort).

Inspect

When: You want structure details, embedded images, or a file hash for one PDF.

Steps: Set the target file at the top → pick a tab (all tabs share the same file):

Info — Load. Page count, sizes, hash, PDF version, XMP, PDF/A/PDF/X-like identifiers, signatures, timestamps, attachments (not a conformance validator). Similar to CLI info.
Images — set output folder → List → Extract when ready. Same color-space notes as before for CMYK-like images.
Hash — Calculate SHA-256 for any file → Copy hash if needed.

CLI inspect (review checklist for links, JavaScript, etc.) is not in the GUI. Use manapdf inspect in a terminal.

Report

When: You want a read-only inventory of structure, metadata, encryption status, and PDF profile hints for one PDF or a folder.

Steps: Set a PDF file or folder → optional Include subfolders → Run report.

Results include columns for PDF version, PDF/A/PDF/X-like identifiers, signatures, timestamps, and attachments (not a conformance validator). Export JSON or CSV, or copy JSON to the clipboard. Uses the same Core as CLI manapdf report.

About

Read-only tabs for app info (About), policy notes (Policy), usage terms (Usage), and dependency licenses (Licenses). CLI equivalents: manapdf license, policy, licenses.

CLI setup

The CLI (manapdf.exe) is bundled with the Microsoft Store GUI (App Execution Alias). A standalone CLI ZIP is not offered as a public channel at this time.

Install ManaPDF from Microsoft Store.
Open a new PowerShell or cmd window and run manapdf version.
If it is not found, check that manapdf.exe is enabled under Windows App execution aliases.

Verify

manapdf version
manapdf --help

Language

CLI messages default to English. For Japanese:

manapdf --lang ja version
$env:MANAPDF_LANG = "ja"
manapdf version

Garbled Japanese in cmd.exe

Run chcp 65001 before manapdf, or use PowerShell 7 / Windows Terminal.

Command reference

Command	Description
`diff`	Compare two PDFs
`text find`	Search extractable body text
`text regions`	List annotation, form-field, and body-text rectangles (optional `--contains` / `--kind`)
`text regions remove`	Remove matching frames to a new PDF (blanks show-text operators; not white boxes; `--contains` required; default `--kind` is `text-block`; success reports frame count and operator count; leftover extractable text is not redaction)
`text replace`	Replace body text and save to a new file (best-effort)
`text`	Extract embedded text
`metadata show`	Show document metadata
`metadata set`	Edit metadata and save to a new file
`metadata replace`	Replace text in Document Info fields
`metadata batch`	Remove metadata from PDFs in a folder, or set selected fields with `--title` / `--author` / …
`metadata clean`	Remove metadata
`image`	Create PDF from images
`images`	List embedded images
`images extract`	Extract embedded images to files
`info`	Structure info (pages, sizes, encryption, PDF version, XMP, PDF/A/PDF/X-like identifiers, signatures, attachments; not a conformance validator)
`report`	Read-only inventory of structure + metadata for a file or folder (includes encryption, PDF version, PDF/A/PDF/X-like identifiers, signatures, attachments; not a conformance validator)
`inspect`	List items to review and detected PDF profile hints (not a safety or conformance verdict)
`unlock batch`	Batch-save unprotected copies of password-protected PDFs in a folder
`unlock`	Save a new unprotected copy of a password-protected PDF
`hash`	SHA-256 of any file
`version`	Show version
`license`	Usage terms summary
`policy`	Safety policy
`licenses`	Third-party licenses

info is structural data and PDF profile hints (version, PDF/A/PDF/X-like identifiers, signatures, attachments, etc.); metadata show is the Info dictionary; report is a read-only bulk inventory (includes PDF conversion / Producer and profile columns); inspect lists items to review and profile hints for a single PDF; hash works on any file type. None of these perform conformance validation or safety verdicts.

Metadata edit/save (metadata set / GUI Metadata) can set Producer via --producer or the PDF conversion field. Leave it empty to remove Producer on save. When you edit other fields only, ManaPDF tries to keep the existing Producer when possible. metadata replace does a partial string replace in Document Info fields. metadata batch removes metadata like metadata clean when no field flags are passed, or updates only the given fields like metadata set when you pass --title / --author / …. Copies are written to the output folder.

Common flags include --json, --quiet, --verbose, and --force. info, metadata show, report, inspect, text, images, and diff also accept --password for password-protected PDFs (the password is never logged or written to output). report --contains filters by metadata text; report --contains-body filters by extractable body text. Use text find for a single file. Run manapdf COMMAND --help for details.

Examples

manapdf diff old.pdf new.pdf --text
manapdf text document.pdf --json
manapdf text regions document.pdf --json
manapdf text regions remove input.pdf -o output-frames.pdf --contains "search text"
manapdf metadata show input.pdf
manapdf image .\photos -o output.pdf
manapdf images extract input.pdf -o .\out

manapdf info sample.pdf

manapdf report .\pdfs --recursive --json
manapdf report .\pdfs -o inventory.csv --lang ja

# Save an unprotected copy of a password-protected PDF
manapdf inspect sample.pdf --json
manapdf unlock protected.pdf -o unprotected.pdf --password "your-password"
manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --password "your-password" --recursive
manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --password-csv passwords.csv --recursive
manapdf unlock batch .\pdfs --output-dir .\out --ask-password --recursive

`unlock batch` options

--output-dir — output folder (required)
--recursive — include subfolders
--password / --password-csv / --ask-password — password source (mutually exclusive)
--password-csv — path,password CSV (UTF-8 BOM OK). The path column may be a filename only, a path relative to the input folder, or a full path
--ask-password — interactive entry with session reuse; on wrong password choose Retry / Skip / Skip all / Cancel
--strict — non-zero exit if any file fails
--dry-run — list targets and processing order (natural sort) without writing files

Step-by-step examples (CSV from a line-by-line password file, parsing passwords from filenames, etc.): Tips — batch unlock.

`diff` options

--text — include per-page text diff
--password — password for encrypted PDFs (applied to both files)
--report path — write Markdown report
--ignore-dates / --ignore-metadata — exclude from comparison

`image` input and sort

Use multiple image files, one folder, or one ZIP (do not mix modes).
Folders scan top level only. Use a ZIP or explicit file list for nested files.
--sort natural|name|modified|created — folder input defaults to natural order (page2 before page10). created is not supported for ZIP.
--title / --author / --subject / --keywords / --creator / --producer — set PDF metadata on the output.

Sort-order comparison and common pitfalls: Tips — images to PDF.

Tips (step-by-step)

Short GUI and CLI walkthroughs for themes from Stories. This Help page is the full manual; Tips focus on common workflows.

Batch metadata edits — folder metadata removal, Title from filename, metadata batch / metadata set
Images to PDF — natural vs name sort, GUI reorder, CLI --sort
Unlock one PDF
Batch unlock a folder — GUI batch mode, unlock batch, CSV, password list files
PDF tools and security — local-first design
Removing PDF metadata — without sketchy upload sites
Images to one PDF — locally, without detours
Stop re-entering passwords — when you already know them

Hub: Tips index.

FAQ

Does ManaPDF upload my PDFs?

PDF processing stays on your device. Normal use does not upload documents to external services. See GUI About → Policy or manapdf policy.

Can I use ManaPDF at work?

ManaPDF is currently free for all users, including business and organizational use.

However, company security policies may make free software or indie-distributed software hard to approve.

Microsoft Store distribution is intended to ease adoption. Paid organizational licenses may be offered in the future; if introduced, scope, price, and terms will be announced in advance. See License.

Where do I get ManaPDF?

The official channel is Microsoft Store only (product page). It includes the GUI and the CLI (manapdf alias).

Does the GUI run the CLI in the background?

No. The GUI calls ManaPDF Core directly and does not spawn manapdf.exe for normal operations.

Can I use the CLI after installing from the Store?

Yes. The bundled CLI is available as manapdf via App Execution Alias. Open a new PowerShell or cmd window and run manapdf version. If it is not found, check Windows App execution aliases.

Extracted CMYK colors look wrong

CMYK-like images use a simple conversion for on-screen viewing, not print-accurate color. If conversion fails, ManaPDF still writes the file; it may look inverted or odd. For accurate color, re-export as RGB from the authoring app or adjust the file in an image editor.

Are there different features for free vs paid?

No feature gating. ManaPDF is currently free. No license keys or online activation.

Can ManaPDF recover a forgotten PDF password?

No. Unlock and Metadata Save unprotected copy save a new file when you already know the correct password. ManaPDF does not crack or recover passwords.

Does `inspect` judge whether a PDF is safe?

No. It lists items to review (external links, attachments, JavaScript, etc.). It is not a safety verdict. CLI only; there is no GUI screen.

Can ManaPDF validate PDF/A or PDF/X conformance?

No. ManaPDF detects and displays PDF/A/PDF/X-like identifiers from XMP and related metadata only. It does not perform conformance validation or legal-compliance checks. The same applies to Info, Report, info, report, and inspect.