PDFConvertersOnline.comHow to edit a PDF
- Open your PDF. Pages are shown one at a time with arrows to move between them.
- Pick a tool from the toolbar, then tap or drag on the page to add text, a shape, a highlight or an image.
- Move and resize anything you added, then press Save PDF to download the edited copy.
What you can add to a PDF
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Text | Tap anywhere and type. Choose the size and color and switch bold on or off. Press Enter for a new line. |
| Rectangle and Ellipse | Drag to draw a box or oval around something. Pick the outline color and thickness and, if you like, a fill color. |
| Line | Drag from one point to another to underline, strike through or connect items. |
| Highlight | A see-through yellow marker. Drag over the words you want to stand out; the text stays readable underneath. |
| White-out | A solid white box that hides a typo, an old date or a stray mark. |
| Image | Place a logo, stamp, photo or diagram from your device. |
| Signature | Draw, type or upload a signature and place it, just as in Sign PDF. |
Everything you add can be selected again later: drag it to a new place, pull the corner handle to resize it or press the red button to delete it. Undo steps back through your changes one at a time.
Changing words that are already in the PDF
A PDF isn't stored like a word-processor file. Each line of text is placed at fixed coordinates with its own font, so rewriting a sentence in place is rarely clean. This editor works in layers: it adds new content on top of the page and never rewrites what's there. To correct a wrong word, cover it with White-out and type the right word over the white box with the Text tool. On a plain white page the fix is nearly invisible.
Be aware of what white-out does and doesn't do. It covers the old text, but that text is still inside the file. Someone can select it, copy it or remove the white box in another program. For names, account numbers or anything else that must truly disappear, use Redact PDF, which removes the content instead of hiding it.
Scanned documents and typing on forms
A scanned page is one big picture, so there's no text to select, but you can still type on it, highlight parts of it and cover things up. This makes the editor handy for paper forms that were scanned without fillable boxes: tap on each blank line and type your answer. If the PDF does have real form fields, Fill PDF Form is quicker because it lists every field for you.
How the saved file behaves
Text you type in Latin script is saved as real text, so it can be searched and copied in any PDF reader. Letters the standard PDF fonts can't draw, such as Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic or Chinese characters, are placed as a sharp image of the text instead, so they look right everywhere but can't be searched. Shapes and highlights are saved as vector drawings that stay crisp at any zoom. Your additions become part of the page, not comments that a reader can hide. The rest of the PDF, including its fonts, links and page sizes, is left as it was.
Private by design
The editor runs entirely in this browser tab. Your file is read from your device, changed in memory and saved back to your downloads folder; it never travels over the internet. That matters for bank letters, invoices, school records and other paperwork you'd rather not hand to a stranger's server.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the existing text in my PDF?
Not directly. The editor adds new content on top of the page. To replace a word, cover it with White-out and type the new word on top.
Does white-out remove the text underneath?
No. It only hides it visually, and the original text is still in the file. To remove sensitive information for good, use Redact PDF.
Can I edit a scanned PDF?
You can type, draw, highlight and place images on it. You can't change the words in the scan itself, because a scanned page is a picture.
How do I undo a mistake?
Press Undo in the toolbar, or Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on a Mac). To remove one item, select it and press the red button or the Delete key.
Will my edits show up in every PDF reader?
Yes. They're drawn into the page itself rather than added as comments, so they appear in browsers, phone apps and printed copies.
Is there a page or file size limit?
There's no fixed limit. Pages are shown one at a time, so long documents work fine; very large files are limited only by your device's memory.