Skip to content

PyPDF

Data & AnalyticsData SciencePython
Official docs ↗GitHub ↗

What it is

PyPDF is a pure Python library for working with PDF documents. It allows you to read, write, merge, split, and manipulate PDF files programmatically.

PyPDF allows you to read text from PDFs, merge multiple PDFs into one, split PDFs into pages, rotate pages, encrypt/decrypt PDFs, and extract metadata. It integrates easily into Python scripts for automating document handling.

Installation

pip install pypdf

Getting started

The smallest useful thing you can do with it, and what each part means.

Reading a PDF
from pypdf import PdfReader
reader = PdfReader('document.pdf')
for page in reader.pages:
    print(page.extract_text())
Opens a PDF and extracts text from each page.
Merging PDFs
from pypdf import PdfMerger
merger = PdfMerger()
merger.append('file1.pdf')
merger.append('file2.pdf')
merger.write('merged.pdf')
merger.close()
Combines multiple PDFs into a single merged PDF.

Advanced usage

Where the library earns its place over a simpler alternative.

Splitting a PDF
from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter
reader = PdfReader('document.pdf')
writer = PdfWriter()
writer.add_page(reader.pages[0])
writer.write('page1.pdf')
Extracts the first page of a PDF and saves it as a new PDF.
Rotating pages
from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter
reader = PdfReader('document.pdf')
writer = PdfWriter()
page = reader.pages[0]
page.rotate(90)
writer.add_page(page)
writer.write('rotated.pdf')
Rotates the first page of a PDF by 90 degrees and saves it.
Adding metadata
from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter
reader = PdfReader('document.pdf')
writer = PdfWriter()
writer.append_pages_from_reader(reader)
writer.add_metadata({'/Author': 'John Doe', '/Title': 'Sample PDF'})
writer.write('document_with_metadata.pdf')
Copies pages from an existing PDF and adds author and title metadata.
Encrypting a PDF
from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter
reader = PdfReader('document.pdf')
writer = PdfWriter()
writer.append_pages_from_reader(reader)
writer.encrypt('password')
writer.write('encrypted.pdf')
Encrypts a PDF file with a password.

Errors and fixes

The failures you are most likely to hit, and what actually resolves them.

FileNotFoundError
Ensure the PDF file path is correct.
PdfReadError
The PDF may be corrupted or encrypted. Check the file integrity.
PermissionError
Ensure you have write permissions when creating or modifying PDFs.

Best practices

  • Always close files or use context managers to avoid resource leaks.
  • Validate PDF input files before processing.
  • Use `PdfWriter` to create or modify PDFs instead of modifying `PdfReader` objects directly.
  • Keep backups when manipulating important PDFs.
  • Use metadata to improve document organization and searchability.

Background

Why it exists, and what it was reacting to.

PyPDF was originally created to provide an easy-to-use library for PDF manipulation in Python without relying on external tools. It has evolved over time to support modern PDF features and remains widely used for automating PDF-related workflows.

Related libraries

Others in Data & Analytics for Python.

← All Python librariesPython guide