Downloading

doc.download() returns the complete PDF as bytes — including any annotation or metadata edits that have landed on the document.

download(opts?: { mode?: PdfSaveMode }): AbortablePromise<Uint8Array>;

Downloading bytes#

const bytes = await doc.download();
 
// Browser: trigger a save dialog
const blob = new Blob([bytes], { type: 'application/pdf' });
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
const a = document.createElement('a');
a.href = url;
a.download = 'document.pdf';
a.click();
URL.revokeObjectURL(url);

// Node: write to disk
import { writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
await writeFile('document.pdf', await doc.download());

Save modes#

mode controls how the PDF is serialized:

Mode	Behavior
`'incremental'` (default)	Appends changes as an incremental update, preserving the original bytes and the document’s revision history. Faster; smaller diffs.
`'rewrite'`	Rewrites the whole file from scratch. Produces a clean, compact PDF without the incremental-update trail.

const compact = await doc.download({ mode: 'rewrite' });

‘incremental’ is the default because it’s cheaper and keeps the original file intact. Reach for ‘rewrite’ when you want the smallest possible output or a file without prior revisions.

Downloading after redaction#

After applying redactions, explicitly select mode: ‘rewrite’ for the PDF you share. This also applies to downloadToFile() and cloud layer downloads. Incremental downloads preserve the original content in earlier revisions, even when the current page looks redacted and text search finds no matches.

Your application is responsible for choosing a full rewrite after redaction. Applying redactions does not change the default save mode. An incremental download is unsuitable for sharing a permanently redacted PDF.

A full rewrite removes prior revisions from the exported file. It does not erase the immutable source document or other stored layer versions. Handle any signature restrictions explicitly: retaining signed prior revisions also retains their original content.

Cancellation and errors#

Like every engine call, download() is an AbortablePromise and rejects with a typed EngineError:

const pending = doc.download({ mode: 'rewrite' });
// pending.abort() to cancel
 
try {
  const bytes = await pending;
} catch (err) {
  if (EngineError.is(err, EngineErrorCode.Forbidden)) {
    // caller's scope doesn't permit download
  }
}

Downloading the original bytes is gated by the caller’s scope on the cloud. If the token doesn’t grant it, download() rejects with Forbidden — check doc.security.effectiveScope before showing a download button.

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