How to edit a PDF without Acrobat
"Editing a PDF" can mean very different things: filling in a form, signing it, adding a note, removing a page, or rewriting a paragraph. The first few are easy with free tools you probably already have. Changing existing text is harder — and there's one common edit that looks safe but isn't.
What kind of edit do you need?
| Task | Difficulty | Free options |
|---|---|---|
| Fill in a form | Easy | Any browser, Acrobat Reader, Preview |
| Add text, highlights or notes | Easy | Microsoft Edge, Preview, Acrobat Reader |
| Sign a document | Easy | Preview, Acrobat Reader, Edge |
| Remove, reorder or add pages | Easy | Preview, our split and merge tools |
| Change existing text | Harder | Word, LibreOffice Draw |
Fill, annotate and sign
Microsoft Edge (Windows and Mac)
Edge's built-in PDF viewer lets you fill in form fields, highlight text, draw, and add text boxes on top of the page. Save the result with the save icon.
Preview (Mac)
Click the Markup button to add text, shapes, highlights and a signature. You can create a signature by signing on the trackpad or holding a signed sheet up to the camera. Form fields can be filled by clicking on them.
Adobe Acrobat Reader (free)
The free Reader app includes Fill & Sign for forms and signatures, and commenting tools for notes and highlights. Editing existing text requires the paid version.
Chrome and Firefox
Both can fill in interactive PDF forms and save or download the filled copy. Firefox also lets you add text, drawings and signatures.
Remove, reorder or combine pages
- In Preview, show thumbnails, then drag to reorder or press Delete to remove pages.
- With our free tools: Split PDF to keep only certain pages (in any order you type) and Merge PDF to add pages from other files. Both run in your browser without uploading anything.
Our guides on splitting and merging cover every device.
Change the existing text
Because a PDF stores text as positioned characters rather than flowing paragraphs (see why formatting breaks), changing it is where free tools struggle. Two workable approaches:
Convert, edit, export again
Open or convert the PDF to Word, make your changes, then save it as PDF again. Best for text-heavy documents; the layout may shift slightly, so check the result.
LibreOffice Draw
The free LibreOffice suite can open a PDF in Draw, where each block of text becomes an editable box. It's good for fixing a date, a name or a typo in place. Install the fonts the PDF uses if you can, or the replacement text may look different.
If you only need a small correction and don't have the source file, covering the old text with a white box and typing the new text on top (with Edge, Preview or Reader) often looks fine on screen and on paper. But read the next section before doing this with anything sensitive.
Don't "redact" with a black box
Drawing a black or white rectangle over text does not remove it. The original text is still in the file underneath, and anyone can select, copy or search for it — or simply delete the rectangle. This mistake has exposed confidential information in legal and government documents.
To really remove information:
- Use a proper redaction feature (for example, in paid PDF editors), which deletes the underlying text and images.
- Or edit the source document, delete the text there and export a new PDF.
- As a last resort, convert the page to an image (for example, by scanning a printout) after covering the text — accepting that the page is no longer searchable.
Also check for hidden information such as comments, metadata or earlier versions of the file before sharing. Our PDF privacy checklist covers what to look for.
General tips
- Always keep the original and save your edits as a copy.
- Ask for the source file if you need major changes — editing the Word or Google Docs original is faster and cleaner.
- Flatten or print to PDF after filling a form if you don't want the recipient to change the entries easily.
- Check signatures requirements: a drawn signature is fine for many everyday documents, but some contracts require a certified digital signature.
Need to rework the text? Convert your PDF to an editable Word document, privately in your browser.
Convert PDF to Word