New: skip auto-tagging and edit the tags your PDF already has
If your PDF was already tagged, for example in Acrobat or Word, you can now keep that work. On the upload page, tick “My PDF is already tagged — skip auto-tagging and edit its existing tags.” Grackle PDF reads the tags already in the file instead of running auto-tagging. The editor opens in a few seconds, and nothing is overwritten.
What comes into the editor
- Headings, paragraphs, lists and tables, including table cells, in the file’s reading order.
- Figures with their alt text, and captions.
- Document details: author, subject, keywords and language.
Downloading
- If you don’t change anything, Download returns your original PDF with its tags exactly as they were.
- If you edit, Download rebuilds the tags from what you see in the editor. Alt text and the main tag types (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, figures, captions) on regions you didn’t touch stay as they were.
If your PDF has no tags
The editor opens empty with a notice. You can tag the document yourself or choose Run auto-tagging instead. You can also choose that option at any time from the banner above the editor, after a confirmation. It replaces the imported tags.
What an edited download does not keep
When an import contains any of the items below, a banner above the editor lists which ones apply to your file.
- Grouping sections (Sect/Div).
- Alt-text overrides on text (ActualText).
- Language changes on single passages.
- Links and other annotations.
- Form, formula and note tags, which are saved as paragraphs.
