Version 6.18.0, 2026-09-07

What's new

Please note that this release requires users which previously overwrote the default limits to migrate to the new approach: Docs

In short:

• Use apply_configuration as a context manager to temporarily overwrite configuration values.
• Use overwrite_configuration to change the configuration values for the whole session.

The old overwrites should continue to work in most cases. If you have migrated successfully and do not need the legacy handling anymore (which can cause some overhead), consider using the temporary disable_legacy_handling setting:

from pypdf import overwrite_configuration

overwrite_configuration(disable_legacy_handling=True)

In case you are experiencing some unexpected issues after the migration, consider opening a new issue (or commenting on an existing one) with the necessary details to reproduce it.

Security (SEC)

• Limit allowed length of indirect object tokens (#4055) by @stefan6419846

Deprecations (DEP)

• Rework configuration value handling (#4044) by @stefan6419846

New Features (ENH)

• Draw borders and backgrounds for appearance streams and annotations (#4033) by @PJBrs

Full Changelog