How to edit text in a PDF for free

2026-11-04

You spot a typo in a PDF you've already exported, or your phone number in your resume has changed. Opening the original file, fixing it and exporting again would be easiest, but often you don't have the original any more.

Edit PDF lets you click text in a PDF and type, just like in a word processor. It works in your browser, on a computer or a phone.

Edit existing text step by step

1. Open Edit PDF and select your PDF.
2. The pages appear with the Edit text tool already selected.
3. Click the line you want to change and type. Use Backspace and Delete as usual.
4. Your new words are written in the same font, size and colour as the line you are editing.
5. When you're done, click Save PDF and download the edited file.

If you make a mistake, use Undo. On a phone, use the + button to zoom in on small text before you tap it.

How the font matching works

Changing text so that it blends in is the hardest part of PDF editing. Our editor reads the font each line uses and writes your words with the PDF's own font. Many PDFs carry only the letters they used, so if you type a letter the original didn't contain, the editor takes it from the closest look-alike font it can find, chosen to match the original letters' widths and shapes.

You can see the result under Fonts found in this PDF, which lists each font and the look-alike it was matched with.

Text in scanned pages and pictures

A scanned page has no real text, only a picture of words. With the Words in pictures option, the editor can read the words in a picture so you can click and change them, too. It works best on clear scans with dark text on a light background. Choose the language of the document from the list, for example English and Tamil.

The other tools

• Add text puts new text anywhere you click. It takes the font, size and colour of the text next to it, so a filled-in form looks neat.
• Whiteout hides anything you drag over. Text under a whiteout is removed from the page when you save, not just covered.
• Highlight marks words in yellow, like a highlighter pen.
• Draw lets you draw freely with your finger or mouse. You can even sign this way, though Sign PDF is made for signatures.
• Box, Circle, Line and Arrow point things out on a page.
• Tick and Cross are handy for filling in printed forms and checklists.
• Picture adds an image, such as a logo or a stamp of your own.

To delete a whole line, click it and press Delete in the bar above the page (✕ on a phone), or select the words and press Backspace.

Tips for a clean result

• Keep edits short. Changing a word, a number or a date always looks natural. Rewriting a whole paragraph is better done in Word: see how to convert PDF to Word without losing formatting.
• Check line length. If the new text is much longer than the old, it may run past the margin. Shorten it, or split it into two lines.
• Zoom in before saving and compare the changed line with the lines around it.
• Open the saved PDF in a different app, such as your phone's PDF viewer, to check it looks the same there.

Edit responsibly

A PDF editor is for fixing your own documents: your resume, your invoices, a letter you wrote, a form you're filling in. It must never be used to change documents issued by someone else, such as certificates, marksheets, ID cards, bank statements, bills or official letters. Changing those is dishonest, often illegal, and usually easy to detect, because the issuer keeps its own records. If a document issued to you has a mistake, ask the issuer to correct it and send a new copy.

Is it private?

Yes. Edit PDF runs entirely in your browser, including reading words in pictures. Your PDF is never uploaded, so it is safe to edit a resume, an invoice or a personal letter.

Quick checklist

• Click a line, type, and check the font looks the same.
• Use Undo for mistakes and zoom for small text.
• Save, download, and open the file once more to check.
• Only edit documents that are yours to change.