Edit a PDF

To edit a PDF here, choose the file, white out what should go, type new text or place an image, and download the copy once it has been reopened and checked. Everything runs in this browser tab, so the PDF is never uploaded, and a white-out removes the covered words from the file instead of hiding them under a box.

How to edit a PDF online

1. Choose a PDF

   Press Choose a PDF, or drop one on the page. It opens in this tab and is not sent anywhere. Pages with a lot of small print are easier to work on with the zoom buttons above the page, or by pinching on a trackpad.

2. White out what should go

   Keep White out selected and drag a box over a word, a line, an old address, a logo or a whole block. Drag the box to move it and pull its corner to resize it. If the page is not white, set the white-out colour to match the paper.

3. Type the new text

   Pick Add text and click where the line should start, even on top of a white-out. Type in the panel on the right, then choose Helvetica, Times or Courier, the size in points and the colour. Press Enter for a second line.

4. Add an image if you need one

   Add image places a PNG, JPG or WebP on the current page: a logo, a stamp, a photo or a scanned initial. Drag it into place and pull the corner to resize it without stretching it.

5. Save and download

   Press Save edited PDF. The copy is reopened before the download appears: the covered content must be gone, every image visible and every new line saved as real, selectable text. Undo and Redo keep every step until then.

What you can change on a page

This editor works on top of the page. It covers, adds and places; it does not reflow paragraphs. That covers most of the small jobs people mean when they say they need to edit a PDF:

• White out. Remove a name, a number, a date, a signature line, an old price or a whole paragraph. The content under the box is taken out of the file, so it cannot be selected, copied or found with search afterwards.
• Add text. Write a new date, a corrected figure, a note, a name or a reference number. The text is saved as real PDF text, so it can be selected and searched like the rest of the page.
• Add an image. Put a logo on a letter, a stamp on an invoice, a photo on a form or a scanned initial next to a clause.
• Replace a word. White out the old word, then add the new one on top of it. This is the dependable way to change text that is already printed on a page.
• Work on any page. Use the page arrows or type a page number. Edits stay on the page where you placed them, and one download carries all of them.

Why a white box is not enough

Most PDF editors white out text by drawing a white rectangle on top of it. The page looks clean, but the original words are still stored in the file underneath. Anyone who receives it can select the text through the box, copy it out, find it with search or delete the rectangle. That is fine for hiding a typo from a printer. It is a problem when the covered text is a salary, an account number, a client name or the address you no longer want to share.

This editor uses the same engine as the PDF redaction tool. A page with a white-out is rebuilt from a sharp render in which the covered area is already painted over, so the hidden text and images are never copied into the new file. The words outside your boxes are written back as an invisible text layer, which keeps the rest of the page selectable and searchable. Before you can download, the editor reopens the copy and checks that no covered text survived.

To check a PDF that someone else edited, open it in the redaction checker. It looks for selectable text left under opaque boxes, the mistake described above.

How to change a word or a number

PDF pages store text as positioned characters, not as paragraphs, which is why changing one word in place is hard for every tool. The reliable way is to cover and retype:

1. Zoom in until the line is large enough to work on precisely.
2. Draw a white-out that covers the old word with a little margin on every side.
3. Pick Add text, click at the left edge of the white-out and type the replacement.
4. Match the look: Helvetica for most sans-serif documents, Times for serif contracts and letters, Courier for forms and typewriter text. Set the size close to the surrounding text, usually 9 to 12 points.
5. Move the new text a pixel at a time with the mouse until its baseline lines up with the words beside it.

If the replacement is longer than the old word, make the font a point smaller or shorten the wording, because the text around it will not move to make room. To rewrite whole paragraphs, convert the file with PDF to Word, edit it there and save it as a PDF again.

When this editor is the right tool

It suits the quick, specific changes that do not justify a desktop editor or a subscription. A freelancer corrects the date on an invoice before sending it again. A tenant covers their old address on a document they forward to a new landlord. An office adds its logo and a reference number to a letter it received as a PDF. A parent fixes a misspelled name on a school form that has no fillable fields.

It also suits anything you would rather not upload. Contracts, payslips, medical letters, bank statements and ID scans carry exactly the details that should stay on your own device. Because the whole edit runs in this tab, the file and your changes are never sent to a server, stored or kept for another visit.

What this editor does not do yet

• Change existing text in place. It does not reflow a paragraph or retype a word inside the original line. Cover and retype instead, as described above.
• Every alphabet. New text uses the standard Helvetica, Times and Courier fonts, which cover English and most Western European letters. Characters outside that set, such as č, ł, Cyrillic, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese or Japanese, are refused with a clear message rather than saved as question marks.
• Keep links on a whited-out page. A page with a white-out is rebuilt, so the copy can be larger than the original, and links, bookmarks, form fields and document metadata are removed, as they are in a redaction. Pages without a white-out are copied unchanged.
• Read scanned text. On a scan, every word is part of a picture. You can still white it out and type over it, but nothing on the page becomes searchable that was not before.
• Keep a certificate signature valid. Any change to the page content can invalidate a digital certificate signature. The editor warns when a PDF has signature fields and asks you to confirm before it runs.

Other edits, other tools

Some edits have a tool built for exactly that job. These all run in the browser in the same way:

• Sign PDF Draw, type or upload a signature and place it on the page
• Fill PDF form Type into the fields a form already has
• Stamp PDF Page numbers, headers, footers and watermarks on many pages at once
• Redact PDF Find and remove names, numbers and emails by search
• Delete pages Remove whole pages and keep the rest
• Organize pages Reorder, split and drop pages
• Crop PDF Cut the margins off a page
• PDF to Word Rewrite whole paragraphs in an editable document
• Remove metadata Take the author and software out of the file
• Compress PDF Shrink the edited copy to fit an email or upload limit

Questions about editing PDFs

Is this PDF editor free?

Yes. There is no account, no trial, no page limit to unlock and no watermark on the download.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. Opening, editing, saving and checking all happen in this browser tab. The file and your edits are not sent to a server and are not stored for another visit.

Can I edit the existing text in a PDF?

Not in place. White out the old words, then add new text on top of them. To rewrite whole paragraphs, convert the PDF to Word, edit it there and save it as a PDF again.

Is the white-out permanent?

Yes. The covered text and images are removed from the downloaded copy, not hidden under a box, and the editor checks that before it offers the file. Your original PDF on your device is not changed.

Can I white out text in a PDF on my phone?

Yes. Drag with a finger to draw a white-out and use the zoom buttons for small print. With Move selected, a finger on empty paper scrolls a zoomed page.

Which characters can I type?

Latin text in Helvetica, Times or Courier, which covers English and most Western European letters. Letters outside that set, such as č or ł, are refused with a clear message rather than saved as question marks.

Why did my edited file get bigger?

A page with a white-out is rebuilt from a sharp render so the covered content is really gone, and a picture of a page takes more space than its text. Pages without a white-out are copied unchanged. Compress PDF can shrink the result.

Can I add a logo or a photo?

Yes. Add image accepts PNG, JPG and WebP. The image keeps its proportions when you resize it, and the editor checks that every image is visible in the saved copy.

Is this the same as signing a PDF?

No. To place a drawn or typed signature, use Sign PDF. To fill fields a form already has, use Fill PDF form.

The other PDFGym tools

They all run in a browser tab like this one, and none of them needs an account.

• Merge PDFs Join files in the order you set
• Organize pages Move, remove or split out pages
• Rotate & crop Turn sideways pages, trim edges
• Images to PDF Turn JPG or PNG pictures into pages
• HEIC to PDF The iPhone photo format as pages
• TIFF to PDF Scanner files with several frames
• WebP to PDF Pictures saved from a browser
• BMP to PDF Old Windows bitmap pictures
• Privacy scan Check and clear hidden file details
• Protect & unlock Lock with a password, or unlock
• Repair PDF Rescue a file that will not open
• Compress PDF Shrink to the size you need
• PDF size breakdown What makes the file heavy
• Print preflight Catch print problems early
• PDF to images Each page as a JPG or PNG
• PDF to TIFF All pages in a single TIFF
• Extract images Pull out the embedded pictures
• PDF to Markdown Headings and lists as plain text
• Markdown to PDF Plain text notes to a checked PDF
• PDF to CSV Table rows as comma-separated data
• PDF to Excel Each table on its own worksheet
• Stamp PDF Add page numbers or a watermark
• Compare PDFs See what differs between versions
• Flatten PDF Lock fields and marks in place
• Fill PDF form Type into the form's own boxes
• Create PDF form Turn a flat page into a form
• N-up & booklet Fit pages per sheet or fold a booklet
• Comic archive Comic archives in both directions
• Redact PDF Remove marked text for good
• Redaction checker Test whether black boxes hide text
• Sign PDF Place a visible signature

Related editing tools

• How to edit a PDF Know which edits are easy and which are not.
• Edit text in a PDF Change the words, or work out why you cannot.
• How to redact a PDF Remove private details so they cannot come back.
• Privacy Know exactly what leaves the browser and what never does.