Edit PDF lets you change the text already in a PDF, add new text, white out or highlight parts of a page, draw shapes and freehand lines, and place pictures. When you are done, the edited copy is saved as a new PDF. Everything runs in your browser, so your file is never uploaded.
How to edit a PDF
- Click Choose a PDF or drop a PDF on the page. If it is protected, type its password and click Open.
- Pick a tool from the toolbar, such as Edit text, Add text or Highlight, and click or drag on the page.
- Drag any item to move it, and drag its corner to resize it. Use Undo to step back or Delete to remove the selected item.
- Click Save edited PDF. The file is saved as name-edited.pdf, next to your original, which stays unchanged.
Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Select | Pick, move and resize items you have added |
| Edit text | Click existing text to retype it in a matching style |
| Add text | Type new text, several lines if you like, 8–48 pt, Helvetica, Times or Courier, bold and any colour |
| White-out | Draw a box filled with the page’s own background colour to hide content |
| Highlight | Mark text with a see-through colour, yellow by default |
| Rectangle and Ellipse | Draw outlined shapes to frame or circle something |
| Line | Draw straight lines, for example to underline or strike through |
| Draw | Freehand ink with the mouse, a finger or a pen |
| Image | Place a PNG, JPG or WebP picture, such as a logo or a stamp |
Change existing text
Choose Edit text and click a word or line. The tool samples the colour of the page around it and covers the original with a box in that colour, so it blends in even on tinted or cream pages. The text is then retyped in an editable box with the same size, a matching font family (sans-serif, serif or monospace), bold or italic, and the same colour. Fix a typo, update a date or a price, or change a name, then click outside the box.
This works on horizontal text in PDFs made by software, such as exported Word documents, invoices and reports. Things to know:
- No reflow. The new text replaces that piece of the line only. If your text is much longer, it will run past the original; shorten it or edit the following line as well.
- Font matching. The original font is matched by family and style, not copied exactly, so a close look may show a small difference on unusual fonts.
- Rotated or vertical text cannot be picked with Edit text. Use White-out and Add text instead.
Edit a scanned PDF
A scanned page is a picture, so there is no text to click. You can still change it in two steps:
- Choose White-out and draw a box over the words to change. The box takes the page’s background colour, so it matches off-white paper better than plain white.
- Choose Add text, click in the cleared space and type the new words. Pick a size and font close to the original.
To make a scan searchable first, run it through OCR PDF. See also Whiteout PDF.
Highlight, draw and add pictures
- Highlight blends its colour with the page, like a real highlighter, so the text underneath stays readable. Yellow is the default; pick another colour for a second meaning. See Highlight PDF.
- Rectangle, Ellipse and Line are useful for review notes: box a figure, circle an error, strike out a line.
- Draw adds freehand ink, handy for quick marks on a touch screen.
- Image places a PNG, JPG or WebP file. Drag the corner to resize it. PNG and WebP pictures keep their transparent areas.
What the saved PDF contains
- Your original pages, with your edits added on top.
- Added text in Latin script is real text in a standard font, so it can be selected, copied and searched.
- Text in other scripts is placed as an image of the text: it prints and displays correctly, but cannot be selected.
- The white-out and edit-text boxes cover what is beneath them on the page. They hide it from view, but they are not a redaction: the original text can still be in the file. To remove sensitive text for good, use Redact PDF.
Which tool to use
- Sign or fill in a form? Sign PDF has signatures, initials, dates and check marks. To only type on a form, see Add text to PDF.
- Rewrite whole paragraphs? Convert with PDF to Word, edit there, and save back with Word to PDF.
- Reorder or remove pages? Use Split PDF and Merge PDF. Turn pages with Rotate PDF.
- Mark every page? Watermark PDF and Add Page Numbers do it in one step.
Tips
- On small print, click in the middle of the word you want to change, so the right line is picked.
- Keep edited text about as long as the original to avoid overlap.
- Make a few changes, save, and check the result in your usual PDF reader before sending it on.
Private by design
Your files are processed on your own device and never uploaded. See how it works.