Edit PDF
Edit existing text in your PDF by clicking it. Add or delete text, highlight, draw, insert shapes, images, signatures, links, and fields—or rotate, delete, and rearrange pages.
The short answer
Yes, but with limitations. PDFs are designed to look the same on every screen and printer, not to be rewritten. Internally, a PDF stores instructions like "put this text at this position, in this font" rather than paragraphs that rearrange themselves like they do in Word. That's why:
- Adding things (new text, an X in a box, a signature, a highlight) is easy.
- Covering part of the text and writing over it is also simple.
- Rewriting a paragraph and having the rest of the text reflow is difficult, and often impossible in the PDF itself.
What you can do directly in a PDF
With Edit PDF, you can open the file in your browser and use tools to add content on top of the page:
- Text: Click where you want to type to fill in a field, correct a date, or add a note.
- Cover: Draws a white rectangle over part of the text. Use it with Text to replace a word or number: cover the old text and type the new text over it.
- Highlight: Use the highlighter to draw a reader's attention.
- Draw and Image: Add initials, arrows, a stamp, or an image of a signature.
For small changes (a date, an amount, a misspelled name), this approach works and preserves the layout. Try to use a font and size similar to the original so the correction blends in.
When to convert to Word instead
If you need to rewrite longer sections, rearrange paragraphs, or reuse the document as a template, convert it with PDF to Word, edit it in Word, Google Docs, or LibreOffice, then create a new PDF. Here's what to expect:
- Simple documents with flowing text convert well.
- Complex tables, columns, and text boxes may shift out of place and need manual adjustments.
- Fonts that aren't installed on your computer will be replaced with similar ones.
The guide How to convert PDF to Word explains when conversion can go wrong and how to fix common issues.
Scanned PDFs: the most misleading case
If the PDF came from a scanner or photos, each page is an image. There’s no text to edit or convert—Word would only get pictures. Quick test: try selecting a word. If nothing turns blue, it’s an image.
In that case, run it through PDF OCR first. It recognizes the letters and creates a searchable PDF and plain text. Once you have the text, you can edit it wherever you like. Always proofread: OCR can misread similar letters, accents, and numbers in low-quality photos.
A note about official documents
Fixing a mistake in your resume or proposal is one thing. Changing a document issued by someone else or an organization (such as a pay stub, certificate, proof of payment, medical report, or invoice) and passing it off as the original is forgery and a crime. If a document has an error, ask the issuer for a corrected version.
Also keep in mind that editing a digitally signed PDF may invalidate its signature. Make your edits before signing, never afterward.
Frequently asked questions
Does covering text with a white rectangle erase the information?
Visually, yes—but the original text may still be in the file underneath the rectangle, where someone could recover it by copying the content. To truly hide sensitive information, convert the pages to images after covering it (for example, with the Flatten PDF tool in image mode).
Why does the font look different when I type in a PDF?
A PDF may include only the characters it needs from its embedded fonts, not the entire font. Editors use standard fonts. Choose a similar size and color to make the difference less noticeable.
Can I edit a PDF on my phone?
Yes. Edit PDF works in your phone’s browser: tap to place the text and drag to move it. On a small screen, zoom in with your browser to position it accurately.
Does editing a PDF change the file’s creation date?
When you save it, the new file gets a new modified date. To review the title, author, and other file details, use the Edit PDF Metadata tool.
I have the original Word file. Should I still edit the PDF?
No. If you have the file used to create the PDF (a Word document, Google Doc, or spreadsheet), edit that file and export it again. It’s faster, the text reflows automatically, and the result looks polished.