Support
We answer every email within two business days.
Email us
For anything not covered below: [email protected]
Please include your macOS version and the PDF Pilot Pro version (Settings → About) when reporting an issue.
Frequently asked questions
Where do compressed PDFs end up?
Right next to the original. PDF Pilot Pro writes a new file with -compressed.pdf or -ocr.pdf appended — your original is never touched. If a file with that name already exists, a numeric suffix is added.
Does PDF Pilot Pro upload my PDFs anywhere?
No. Never. PDF Pilot Pro is fully on-device and uses Apple's PDFKit and Vision frameworks for compression and OCR. It has no network code at all — the App Sandbox configuration even denies it network access. See our privacy page for the full story.
How do I make a PDF searchable?
Drop the PDF onto PDF Pilot Pro. If the file has no text layer, PDF Pilot Pro runs OCR automatically and the output PDF is searchable in Preview, Spotlight, and any other PDF reader. OCR is free and unlimited, in every supported language.
Why isn't compression making my PDF smaller?
If a PDF is already heavily optimized or is mostly vector text, there's not much to compress. In that case PDF Pilot Pro quietly falls back to a copy of the original — you'll never end up with a file bigger than what you started with.
What's the difference between Low, Medium, and High?
They control the DPI we render pages at, and the JPEG quality of the embedded images. Low = smallest files but visibly soft; Medium = balanced; High = visually near-identical to the source. You can re-process per file from the card — just pick a different setting.
What is "Squeeze More"?
An action on each card that re-runs compression at the next-more-aggressive level. Useful when you want the absolute smallest file and don't mind visible quality loss. Re-running it on a file you've already squeezed doesn't count against your weekly squeezes.
How do I right-click → "Compress with PDF Pilot Pro" in Finder?
That's automatic once PDF Pilot Pro has launched at least once. If you don't see it, open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Services and make sure "Compress with PDF Pilot Pro" and "Make Searchable with PDF Pilot Pro" are checked under Files & Folders.
What's a "squeeze," and what's the free limit?
A squeeze is one PDF compression. Every feature in PDF Pilot Pro is free; the only limit on the free tier is 10 squeezes per week, and the count resets every Monday. It's counted once per file — re-tuning the quality, using Squeeze More, or adding OCR to a file you've already squeezed doesn't cost another. Premium removes the weekly limit entirely.
I bought Premium on another Mac — how do I unlock it here?
Open the paywall (the upgrade pill in the toolbar, or Settings → Upgrade) and click "Restore Purchases". As long as you're signed into the same Apple ID, Premium will activate.
How do I cancel my subscription?
System Settings → [your name] → Media & Purchases → Subscriptions → PDF Pilot Pro → Cancel. Apple handles all subscription management; PDF Pilot Pro has no server to talk to.
Does the lifetime purchase include future updates?
Yes. One payment, all updates to the v1.x line and beyond.
Can I use PDF Pilot Pro from Shortcuts?
Yes — open Shortcuts.app and look for the PDF Pilot Pro actions: "Compress PDF" and "Make PDF Searchable". You can chain them with file pickers, watch folders (via the Folder action), or anywhere else Shortcuts runs.
What languages does OCR support?
Auto-detect, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Chinese (Simplified) — all free, on every tier.