QPDF is a software library and a free command-line program that can convert one PDF file to another equivalent PDF file. It is capable of performing transformations such as linearization (also known as web optimization or fast web viewing), encryption, and decryption of PDF files. It also has options for inspecting or checking PDF files, some of which are useful primarily to PDF developers. QPDF includes support for rotating, merging and splitting PDFs through the ability to copy objects from one PDF file into another and to manipulate the list of pages in a PDF file. QPDF is not capable of converting PDF into other formats.
The QPDF library also makes it possible to create PDF files from scratch. In this mode, the user is responsible for supplying all the contents of the file, while the QPDF library takes care of the syntactical representation of the objects, creation of cross references tables and, optionally, object streams, encryption, linearization, and other syntactic details.
What is QPDF?
QPDF by QPDF is open-source Windows software in the terminals & cli tools category. It ranks 4th by popularity among terminals & cli tools in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 2005. It is written in C++. Besides Windows, it is available for Linux.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (NSIS) installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 12.4.2, released on September 27, 2026. The version history goes back to October 15, 2023: 11 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 3.7 releases a year.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 2,128,652 times. The source code on GitHub (qpdf/qpdf) has 5,510 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 6 of our languages. Similar programs include PowerShell, cURL and Oh My Posh.
Project description on GitHub: “qpdf: A content-preserving PDF document transformer”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Updated in the last two months
- Also runs on Linux
- Large user base
- Mature project (since 2005)
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: QPDF is an open-source terminals & cli tool tool for 64-bit PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is QPDF safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
30EB98817A18AE80ECEC4A9E6382BDB87012A6C0C9DE24139AA9E20A8F0FCC6E· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the qpdf/qpdf repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No dangerous workflows10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Fuzzing10
- Licence declared10
- Signed releases6
- Code review0
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 11 versions ›11 versions over 3 years · about 3.7 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.4.2Latest | September 27, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 12.4.1 | August 27, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 12.4.0 | August 9, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 12.3.2 | January 24, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 12.2.0 | May 4, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 12.1.0 | April 6, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 12.0.0 | March 9, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 11.10.1 | February 15, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id QPDF.QPDF -echoco install qpdf -yscoop install main/qpdfqpdf-12.4.2-msvc64.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install qpdfInformation
- Publisher
- QPDF
- Category
- Terminals & CLI tools
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/qpdf/qpdf
- Written in
- C++
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Other platforms
- Linux
- Version
- 12.4.2
- Released
- September 27, 2026
- First release
- 2005
- Added to the catalogue
- October 18, 2023
- Versions listed
- 11
- Updates / year
- 3.7
- Chocolatey downloads
- 2,128,652
- GitHub stars
- 5,510
- GitHub forks
- 409
- Website
- qpdf.sourceforge.io
- winget ID
- QPDF.QPDF
- Chocolatey package
- qpdf
- Scoop package
- main/qpdf
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is QPDF free?
Yes. QPDF is open-source software under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Is QPDF safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install QPDF with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can QPDF be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does QPDF run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of QPDF?
The versions page lists all 11 versions with links to their official installer files, back to October 15, 2023.
What are alternatives to QPDF?
PowerShell, cURL, Oh My Posh, Cygwin and PuTTY. The alternatives page compares them.
