Edit PDF
Edit your PDF files with our online editor. Add text, shapes, and annotations.
Upload PDF File to Edit
Drag and drop your PDF file here, or click to select
Maximum file size: 100MB. Supports all PDF documents.
Privacy Protected
All editing happens locally in your browser. Your PDF files never leave your device.
Text Editing
Add, modify, and format text with custom fonts, sizes, and colors for professional results.
Annotation Tools
Highlight, underline, strikethrough text and add shapes, arrows, and drawing elements.
Mobile Friendly
Edit PDFs on any device with touch-optimized controls for tablets and smartphones.
Edit PDF in one sentence. Drop a PDF into the tool above to add text, highlights, signatures, shapes, and form fills. Editing runs in your browser as an annotation layer over the original — files never leave your device. Free, no sign-up, files up to 100 MB.
What does "edit PDF" actually mean?
Edit PDF means two different things to different people. The first is rewriting existing text — replacing a typo, changing a date, swapping a name. The second is layering new content on top — adding a comment, highlighting a paragraph, signing a form. This tool does the second one well; the first is harder than people expect.
PDF was designed as a final-form format. The bytes encode positioned text fragments, not flowing paragraphs. Browser-based editors like this one add an annotation layer the PDF spec already supports: text boxes, highlights, freehand drawings, and form-field values. You can edit a PDF in this sense without any quality loss to the underlying document.
How to edit PDF in 4 steps
- 1
Upload your PDF
Drag the file onto the box above or click to browse. The tool accepts PDFs up to 100 MB and handles forms, scans, and text-based documents the same way.
- 2
Pick an editing tool
Text box for adding new content. Highlight, underline, or strikethrough for marking up. Shapes and arrows for visual notes. Signature for drawing or typing your name. Form fill for interactive PDFs.
- 3
Click on the page where you want to edit
Each tool drops the new element where you click. Drag corners to resize, drag the body to move. Edits stack as separate objects so you can adjust each one independently.
- 4
Save and download
The browser flattens your edits into a new PDF. Download the result, or keep editing — your changes persist until you close the tab.
What you can and can't edit in this PDF editor
Most edit PDF requests fall into one of seven buckets. The table below maps each to whether this tool handles it, and what to use instead when it doesn't.
| What you want to do | This tool | Alternative if not |
|---|---|---|
| Add a new text box anywhere on the page | — | |
| Highlight, underline, or strikethrough existing text | — | |
| Sign a PDF (drawn or typed signature) | — | |
| Fill out an interactive form (AcroForm) | — | |
| Replace a typo in existing PDF text directly | partial | Cover with a white box, then add a text box on top |
| Edit text in a scanned PDF | Run OCR first, or use the text-overlay workflow | |
| Reorder, delete, or rotate pages | Use the PDF organize tool |
If your task is in the bottom three rows, this isn't the right tool — the alternative column tells you where to go. The first four rows are this tool's sweet spot.
Edit vs Annotate vs Organize: which one fits your task?
"Edit PDF" is an umbrella term. Three different operations sit underneath, each with a different right tool.
| Situation | Edit PDF | Organize PDF | Convert + recreate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add comments to a contract draft | |||
| Drop a signature on the last page | |||
| Move page 5 to position 1 | |||
| Delete pages 12 and 13 | |||
| Rewrite an entire chapter's text | |||
| Mask private info before sharing | |||
| Convert PDF to text and re-author it |
Pattern: edit PDF when you're adding annotations or filling forms. Organize when you're rearranging pages. Convert + recreate when you need to rewrite the underlying text — extract to text, edit there, regenerate the PDF.
Common edit PDF operations cheat sheet
Six operations cover most edit PDF jobs. Below is what each does and when to reach for it.
| Operation | Tool in this editor | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Add new text | Text box | Comments, addenda, notes outside existing text |
| Mark up existing text | Highlight / underline / strikethrough | Reviews, study guides, edits to focus on |
| Sign a document | Signature (draw or type) | Contracts, NDAs, approvals |
| Fill a form | Form field auto-detect | Tax forms, applications, intake docs |
| Hide info | Black/white rectangle on top | Redaction before sharing — but check the result |
| Add a shape or arrow | Shape / arrow | Visual emphasis, diagrams, callouts |
Redaction caveat: drawing a black box hides content visually but the underlying text is still in the file. For real redaction (text removed from the byte stream), convert to image first, then re-export as PDF.
Common edit PDF problems and how to fix them
I can't click on the existing text to change it
PDF text is positioned, not flowing. Most browser-based editors — including this one — let you add a new text box but not rewrite the original glyphs. Cover the old text with a white rectangle and place a new text box on top. The result is visually indistinguishable at normal zoom.
My signature looks pixelated when zoomed in
Drawn signatures are saved as bitmap images at the size you draw them. If you draw at a small size and the recipient zooms to 400%, edges blur. Either draw larger initially, or use the typed-signature option, which renders as scalable text.
The redaction rectangle didn't actually hide the text
A black box drawn on the page covers the text visually but the underlying characters are still in the file. Anyone can copy-paste the redacted area and read what was supposedly hidden. For real redaction, convert the page to an image first, then re-export as PDF.
The form fields don't appear when I open the file
Some PDFs use static form fields (XFA) that browsers can't render interactively. The fix is to print to PDF in your reader first — that flattens the static form into a regular interactive form this editor can fill.
5 pro tips for cleaner PDF edits
Cover, don't rewrite
To "replace" existing text, cover it with a matching-color rectangle and add a new text box on top. Faster and cleaner than fighting the PDF format.
Use system fonts
Stick to Arial, Helvetica, or Times for new text boxes. They render the same on every device. Custom fonts often fall back to defaults on the recipient's screen.
Real redaction needs a flatten step
Black boxes hide text on screen but not in the byte stream. Convert the page to an image first if anyone might copy-paste from the redacted region.
Sign once, save the signature
Draw your signature once and download a copy as a PNG. Drop it as an image on future PDFs — faster and more consistent than redrawing each time.
Flatten before sending sensitive forms
After filling a form, flatten the result so recipients can't accidentally edit your entries. Most PDF readers offer a "print to PDF" option that does this in one step.
Complete PDF Tool Suite
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Combine multiple PDF files into one
Compress PDF
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PDF to Text
Extract text content from PDF files
Split PDF
Split PDF into separate pages
Edit PDF
Edit and annotate PDF documents
Organize PDF
Organize and rearrange PDF pages
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about editing PDF files
Is PDF editing free here?
Yes — every edit on this page is free with no sign-up. No watermark on the output, no daily cap, no upsell.
How do I edit existing text inside a PDF?
This tool can't rewrite existing text directly — that's a hard problem PDFs aren't built for. Cover the old text with a white rectangle, then add a new text box on top with the corrected text. The result looks identical to a true edit at normal viewing zoom.
Can I add a signature to a PDF?
Yes — pick the Signature tool and either draw with your mouse or type your name in a signature style. The signature drops as an image on the page; drag to position, resize as needed, then save.
Can I edit a scanned PDF?
Not the existing text, since a scanned PDF is just images. You can still annotate, highlight, sign, and add new text boxes on top — they all work on scans the same way they work on digital PDFs.
Will my edits survive when the recipient opens the PDF?
Yes — saved annotations are part of the file, not just shown on screen here. Adobe Reader, Preview, Chrome's built-in viewer, and all standard PDF readers display the edits identically to how they look in this tool.
Can I fill out a PDF form?
Yes, and the editor auto-detects form fields when present. Click any detected field to type. Checkboxes and radio buttons toggle on click. The filled values save with the file when you download.
Is editing PDF safe with sensitive documents?
This tool doesn't upload anything. Editing runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. The PDF stays on your device and is released from memory when you close the tab.
Can I edit PDF on iPhone or Android?
Yes — this page runs in mobile Safari and Chrome with touch-optimized controls. A stylus helps for signatures; finger drawing works but produces shakier lines.
Why does my edited PDF look different in a different viewer?
Almost always a font issue. If you used a font for new text that the recipient's reader doesn't have, it falls back to a default. Stick to common fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Times) for portable edits.
Can I undo an edit?
Yes — undo and redo work the same way they do in any text editor. Each annotation is a separate object you can click and delete individually after the fact.
Related PDF tools
If you came here to edit PDF files, you'll probably need one of these next:
- Reorder or delete PDF pages — for page-level changes the editor can't do.
- Compress the edited PDF — if your edits added images and the file grew.
- Merge edited PDFs together — useful when stitching signed pages back into the parent file.
- Extract text from a PDF — the right starting point for true text edits.
- How our tools work — privacy and architecture overview.
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