Guides
Guides: fixing everyday file problems
Short, practical answers for files that are too large, won't open or reveal more than they should.
Video too large for WhatsApp, Discord or email? What actually helpsWhy a video exceeds chat and email limits, how size, bitrate and length relate, and how to shrink a clip without uploading it anywhere.Read guide →PDF too large to email? Why compressing sometimes does nothingWhat makes a PDF heavy, why some files barely shrink, which compression method fits which document, and what to do when email still refuses it.Read guide →HEIC photos from an iPhone won't open? How to make them work everywhereWhy iPhone photos arrive as HEIC, where the format causes trouble, how to convert them to JPG and how to stop the problem at the source.Read guide →What a photo reveals about you, and how to remove itWhich hidden information photos contain, such as GPS position, device and time, when it is shared, and how to strip it before sending an image.Read guide →How to redact a PDF properly, and why a black box is not enoughWhy covering text with a black rectangle leaves it readable, what real redaction removes, and how to check a redacted PDF before sending it.Read guide →Create subtitles for a video without uploading itHow automatic speech recognition runs in the browser, which subtitle format to choose, how to get better results and when to burn subtitles into the video.Read guide →CSV shows broken characters such as ü or ? instead of ü: cause and fixWhy accented letters turn into gibberish when a CSV file moves between Excel and other programs, and how to open or convert the file correctly.Read guide →A file won't open: the most common reasons and how to fix themWrong extensions, incomplete downloads, unsupported video codecs, HEIC photos and password protection: how to find out why a file does not open.Read guide →