Convert files and batch jobs

Tools in the sidebar holds Convert files, Combine into one PDF and Batch jobs, after the PDF and picture tools. This page covers these three. You can also find them in the command palette (Ctrl+K). Both run on your computer, and neither changes your original files.

How Convert files works

Sidebar › Tools › Convert files

Drop files onto the page, or press Choose files… (once some are listed, Add files adds more). Then choose one of the two jobs, shown as two large choices:

• Change each file to another type (with one file, Change it to another type) makes one new file for each, in the type you choose. See Change files to another type.
• Combine them into one PDF puts all the files into one PDF, in the order you set. It needs two files or more. See Combine files into one PDF.

The main button is at the foot of the page and says what it will do, for example Convert 3 files to PDF or Combine 3 files into one PDF. The line beside it says where the results go, or what is still needed. Nothing is uploaded. You can also open Convert files from the Sopycat icon's jump list in the Windows taskbar.

Change files to another type

Sidebar › Tools › Convert files › Change each file to another type

1. Press Add files or drop files onto the page. You can add many at once.
2. Choose Change each file to another type (with one file it says Change it to another type).
3. Under Turn them into (or Turn it into), choose a type. Only types that suit all the files are listed. If the files have nothing in common, convert them in two goes.
4. For pictures, set the Quality (40 to 100). When a PDF becomes pictures, choose the Sharpness for pages: Screen (96 dpi), Good (150 dpi) or Print (300 dpi).
5. Under Where the results go, choose Beside the originals or A folder…. Tick Add the results to my library too if you want them there as well.
6. Press the button at the foot of the page. It says how many files and what they become, for example Convert 3 files to PDF.

Convert files never overwrites anything. If a file with the same name is already there, it adds "(2)" to the new one.

What can I convert to what?

Combine files into one PDF

Sidebar › Tools › Combine into one PDF

Put PDFs, pictures, Word, Excel or PowerPoint files together into one PDF. Combine into one PDF in the sidebar, or Combine files into one PDF in the command palette (Ctrl+K), opens Convert files ready for this. With files already in Convert files, choose Combine them into one PDF.

1. Press Add files, or drop files onto the page. Add two or more.
2. Choose Combine them into one PDF.
3. The list shows each file's place in the order. Drag a row to move it, or use the up and down arrows on the row. The trash button takes a file off the list.
4. A PDF with more than one page has a box on its row where you can name just the pages you want, for example "1-3, 5". Leave it empty for all of them.
5. Change the Name of the PDF if you like.
6. If there are pictures, choose the Page for pictures (Letter, A4, Legal or Size of the picture), which way to Turn them (To suit each picture, Always upright or Always sideways) and the Margin (None, Small, Normal or Wide).
7. Under Where the PDF goes, choose Put it in my library, where the PDF opens once it is made, or Save it as a file….
8. Press the button at the foot of the page, for example Combine 3 files into one PDF.

What the labels on each row mean

When you combine, each row says how its file goes into the PDF:

A PDF with a password can't go into the combined PDF, and its row says so. Open it in Sopycat, remove the password first, then add it again. See removing a password.

Run one job across a whole folder

Sidebar › Tools › Batch jobs

Batch jobs work through every suitable file in a folder. Your files are never changed; the results go to a folder of their own, with the same file names.

1. Choose the job.
2. Under Folder to work through, press Choose… and pick the folder. Tick Include subfolders to go into folders inside it too, up to six levels deep.
3. Under Put the results in, keep the suggested Sopycat output folder, or press Choose… to pick another.
4. Press Start. The button shows how many files will be worked on.

Each file's result appears as it finishes. Stop after this file ends the job once the current file is done. When it's finished, Open the output folder takes you to the results.

Why were some files skipped?

• Password-protected files are skipped.
• Excel and PowerPoint files are skipped if the Office pack isn't added. Word files convert approximately without it.
• If the folder has nothing the job can work on, Sopycat says "Nothing in that folder this job can work on."

Only one batch job runs at a time.

The Office pack

Settings › Office File Conversion

Sopycat uses LibreOffice, a free office suite, to convert Excel, PowerPoint, older Word and OpenDocument files. You can add it in one of three ways:

• Press Download the Office pack (about 350 MB). It doesn't need installing or administrator rights.
• If LibreOffice is already installed on the computer, Sopycat finds it. Press Look again if you've just installed it.
• Press Choose soffice.exe… to point Sopycat at a copy of LibreOffice somewhere else. Forget that path undoes this.

Remove the pack deletes the downloaded pack if you no longer need it.

What needs the Office pack?

• Adding older Office files to your library: .doc, .odt, .rtf, .xls, .xlsb, .ods, .ppt and .odp. (.docx, .xlsx, .csv and .pptx files need nothing extra.)
• Drawing the slides of a PowerPoint deck.
• Make a PDF copy of a spreadsheet, deck or older Word file.
• Converting those files to anything.
• Converting a PDF to Word, OpenDocument, rich text or a web page.
• Converting anything to OpenDocument or rich text, and text or web pages to Word.

You don't need it for Word (.docx) to PDF, text and web pages to PDF, pictures, or PDFs to pictures or text.

Each conversion has up to four minutes. A very large file that takes longer stops with an error. For more help, see setting up the Office pack.