Edit PDFs and documents online for free in your browser. Online PDF Editor. Annotate documents, whiteout text, append pages, merge files, add fields and more. Edit PDFs; PDF Forms & Templates. See why DocHub is the fastest growing PDF editor and document signing platform. CutePDF Editor requires Adobe Flash Player version 11.1.0 or greater to be installed. If Flash Player is installed on your system, please ensure it is enabled in your.
Truly great free PDF editors are hard to come by, but there are some excellent tools around if you know where to look.
PDF documents are designed to look and behave exactly the same way on any device. That makes it a brilliant format for sharing, but editing them is another matter. Most office software and photo editors let you export documents in PDF format, but editing requires a dedicated tool. That's because PDF was initially a proprietary format owned by Adobe, and it still owns some of the technologies associated with it. Other companies can license those technologies, but only for a fee that's usually passed on to you – the user.
There aren’t many free PDF editors, and even fewer that won’t leave your documents with unsightly watermarks. That's why we've rounded up the very best free PDF editing software that's free to use and won't add any unwanted extras to your work.
- Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to [email protected] with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.
1. ApowerPDF
Edit your PDFs and even create new ones from scratch
There are two options on the ApowerPDF homepage: ‘Launch Online’ and ‘Download Desktop’. Despite appearances, these aren’t the same tools. The desktop software is only a trial of a premium product, and will watermark your edited PDFs. The tool we’re using here is the online editor, which has no such limitations.
Click ‘Launch Online’ and you’ll be prompted to download and run a small launcher app, after which the online editor will launch. You can edit text (including formatting), add text and images, encrypt documents with a password, convert your PDF to an image file and add comments.
You can even create your own PDFs from scratch – a feature you’ll usually only find in premium PDF editing software.
Unlike the desktop application, there’s no tool for removing watermarks from PDFs, but that’s a minor quibble. ApowerPDF is a remarkable PDF editor; just make sure you’re using the online edition.
If you would prefer the desktop version, Apower PDF costs from $29.95 (£25) after the free trial period.
2. PDF-XChange Editor
Another superb tool for editing text in PDFs, with built-in OCR
If you need to edit the text in a PDF, PDF-XChange Editor is ideal. It lets you retype, delete, and reformat text, and adapts well if the document uses a font that isn’t installed on your PC. You can also attach comments, split PDFs, and extract pages.
One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s best features is the ability to use OCR to recognize text in scanned documents – ideal if you only have a printout rather than the original file (a handout from a lecture, for example).
Some of the features visible in the menus and toolbars are only available in the premium version of the software, PDF-XChange Editor Plus, but you can easily hover your mouse pointer over an icon to find out if it’s included.
If you go ahead and use a premium tool anyway (adding polygonal shapes or new text boxes, for example), your document will be watermarked. Look out for a warning message underneath the main toolbar before saving your work, just in case.
The paid-for downloads, PDF-XChange Editor costs $43.50 (£35) for the normal version, but for additional features such as form creation and use you will need to buy PDF-XChange Editor Plus, which costs $54.50 ($48).
3. Sedja
An online-only free PDF editor with a great choice of tools
Free online PDF editor Sedja offers an excellent range of tools, with just one caveat: if you're still working after three hours and haven't saved your document, it will be deleted automatically. It's quite a generous time limit, but worth bearing in mind if your PDF needs a lot of work.
You can add text, images and links, sign documents, add annotations, and insert ellipses and rectangles. There’s also a ‘whiteout’ option, though this simply draws a white rectangle – it doesn’t remove any data. There’s no OCR either, so you won’t be able to edit text in scanned PDFs.
When you’ve finished editing, click ‘Apply changes’ and you’ll be able to download the document, send it to Dropbox or Google Drive, delete it, or access a shareable link. The link will expire after seven days.
There is a free version, available to download or use in the cloud, which has limited features. To open these up you will need to pay for a paid plan. The Web Week Pass is aimed at short-term use, and costs $5 (£4) to access the web-based version for 7 days. If you'd prefer to pay on a monthly recurring basis, then the cloud version is $7.50 (£6) per month.
A desktop version is available to download and use, which also allows web access, and that costs $63 annually, which works out as the equivalent of $5.25 per month.
4. PDFescape
A free online PDF editor that lets you add new text and images
There are two versions of PDFescape: a free web app and a premium desktop program. Here we're using the online editor; if you download the desktop software, you'll only receive a trial of the premium edition.
PDFescape's online editor lets you create new text boxes on the page, but unfortunately there's no way to edit existing text. You can create simple geometric shapes and– as with Sedja, above – add white rectangles to obscure parts of the document when it's printed.
PDFescape lets you select a picture from your PC, then drag a rectangle to insert it. You can insert text fields too, enabling you to create simple forms – a rare and welcome feature for a free PDF editor.
While the online editor is free for editing, creating forms, and sharing, there are also two paid-for versions available. The Premium version is for desktop and includes print to scan, and is available for $2.99 (£2.50) per month. The Ultimate version costs $5.99 per month and comes with more advanced features, such as publishing PDF forms.
5. PDFsam Basic
A simple but well designed PDF editor for quick tasks
The latter half of PDFsam’s name is short for ‘split and merge’, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Basic edition.
You’ll be offered a free trial of the premium version (including full editing, object insertion, secure signing, and OCR), but once that expires you’ll be left with a simple but well designed tool for chopping large documents into manageable chunks, performing a PDF cut-and-shut, or extracting selected pages. You can also use PDFsam Basic to rotate pages, which is very handy if you’ve accidentally scanned a document upside down.
There are no tools for tweaking the actual content of the document, but all of PDFsam Basic’s page-management options are very clearly laid out, and it’s very clear which of the options shown in the main menu are only available in the premium edition.
However, if you'd prefer the advanced features of PDFsam Enhanced, there are 3 different plans available, costing $39 ($34), $49 (£44), or $69 (£60) a year, depending on the range of extra features required.
- Find out how to convert PDFs to Word documents the easy way
It's not easy to find a truly free PDF editor that lets you not only edit and add text but also change images, add your own graphics, sign your name, fill out forms, etc. Below, however, is a list of exactly what you're looking for.
Some of these are online PDF editors that work right in your web browser, so all you have to do is upload your PDF file to the website, make the changes you want, and then save it back to your computer. That's the quick way — but do bear in mind that, typically, an online editor isn't as fully featured as its desktop counterpart, plus the file is exposed to the internet (which might be of concern if it contains sensitive content).
Because not all of these free PDF editors support the same features, and some are restricted in what you can do, remember that you can process the same PDF in more than one tool. For example, use one to edit the PDF text (if that's supported), and then put the same PDF through a different editor to do something supported in that program (like edit a form, update an image, or remove a page).
Switching Formats
If you don't need to change the contents of the PDF but instead just need to change it to another file format (such as .docx for Word or .epub for an eBook), see our list of free document converters for help. On the other hand, if you have a file you created yourself that you want to save as a PDF file, see How to Print to PDF.
Microsoft Word: A Top Choice
If you already own Microsoft Word 2019, 2016, or 2013, then skip all the suggested programs below: You have a great PDF editor at your disposal right now. Just open the PDF as you would any Word document, give the program a few minutes to convert the PDF, and then edit away.
Sejda PDF Editor
What We Like
Lets you load PDFs from other websites.
Supports adding hyperlinks.
Includes a signature tool.
What We Don't Like
Can be used on only three PDFs every hour.
Limited to PDFs with fewer than 200 pages.
Doesn't edit PDFs larger than 50 MB.
Sejda PDF Editor is one of the very few PDF editors that actually lets you edit pre-existing text in the PDF without adding a watermark. Most editors only let you edit the text you add yourself, or they support text editing but then throw watermarks all over the place.
Plus, this tool can run entirely in your web browser, so it's easy to get going without having to download any programs. You can get the desktop version if you'd rather.
There are some differences between the online and desktop versions that you should know about. For example, the desktop edition supports more font types and doesn't let you add PDFs by URL or from online storage services as the online editor does (which supports Dropbox and Google Drive).
Another neat feature is the web integration tool that lets PDF publishers provide a link for their users that they can simply click to automatically open the file in this online PDF editor.
Here are some more features in this free PDF editor:
- Lets you insert blank pages into the PDF
- Can remove pages from the PDF
- Supports whiting out parts of the page
- Can insert images and shapes into the PDF
All uploaded files are automatically deleted from Sejda after five hours.
Sejda PDF Desktop works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and the online version can be run from any operating system.
You can use both the online and desktop versions to convert a PDF to a Word doc or a Word doc to PDF. Open the Tools section in either program to find that option.
Inkscape
What We Like
Can edit PDF text.
Supports manipulating graphics.
Includes lots of image-editing tools.
What We Don't Like
The number of graphics-editing tools can be overwhelming.
Inkscape is an extremely popular free image viewer and editor, but it also includes PDF editing functions that most dedicated PDF editors support only in their paid editions.
Inkscape is a very capable image editing program. If you're not already familiar with programs like GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, and other image editors, however, it's probably a bit advanced for you.
In the context of PDF editing, though, you should consider Inkscape only if you want to delete or edit the images or text in the PDF. We suggest you use a different tool in this list to edit PDF forms or add shapes and then plug that PDF into Inkscape if you need to actually edit the preexisting text.
Windows, macOS, and Linux users can install Inkscape to edit PDFs.
DeftPDF
What We Like
Change, remove, and add text.
Lots of editing options.
Several ways to upload the PDF.
Lets you build a PDF from scratch.
What We Don't Like
Doesn't always match the document's font type after editing.
Limited options for shapes.
No zoom option.
DeftPDF is a free online PDF editor that lets you completely change the existing text of a PDF without having to download the software. Just upload the document to the site and use any of the tools along the top of the page to edit the PDF.
This online PDF editor has a super clean user interface, and all the tools are easily accessible and self-explanatory. If you make a mistake, there's an undo and redo button available.
The DeftPDF web app can change the PDF's text color, font size, and font type; find and replace text; link to internal and/or external pages; create forms; upload images; sign the PDF; create whiteout marks; highlight and strikethrough text; and insert shapes.
When you're finished editing the PDF and have applied the changes, you can download the document to your computer, print it off, share it online, or save it directly to Dropbox or Google Drive. All PDFs are deleted from DeftPDF after five hours.
Beyond the editing capabilities of this tool are several other PDF options like cropping, compressing, converting, splitting, merging, rotating, and more.
You can edit PDFs with this tool on any operating system that supports a modern browser.
PDFescape Online PDF Editor
What We Like
Works online through your web browser.
Includes lots of tools.
Lets you add your own text and images.
Can delete and add PDF pages.
What We Don't Like
Can't edit existing text.
Doesn't edit large PDFs.
PDFescape has quite a lot of features. It's completely free so long as the PDF does not exceed 100 pages or 10 MB.
You can't truly change text or edit images using this editor, but you can add your own text, images, links, form fields, etc.
The text tool is very customizable so that you can pick your own size, font type, color, alignment, and apply effects such as bolding, underlining, and italics.
You also can draw on the PDF, add sticky notes, strikethrough text, put white space over anything you want to disappear, and insert lines, checkmarks, arrows, ovals, circles, rectangles, and comments.
PDFescape lets you delete individual pages from the PDF, rotate pages, crop out parts of a page, reorganize the order of the pages, and add more pages from other PDFs.
You can upload your own PDF file, paste the URL to an online PDF, and make your own PDF from scratch.
When finished editing, you can download the PDF to your computer without ever having to make a user account. You need one only if you want to save your progress online without downloading the PDF.
PDFescape has an offline PDF editor, too, called PDFescape Editor, but it isn't free.
This free PDF editor works on any OS since it runs through a web browser.
PDF-XChange Editor
What We Like
Uses OCR to identify the text in the PDF.
Can import a variety of shapes and images.
Supports adding QR codes to the PDF.
Offers a portable version.
What We Don't Like
Many features require a license.
Works with Windows only.
PDF-XChange Editor offers some great tools, but not all of them are free to use. If you use a non-free feature, the PDF will save with a watermark on every page.
If you stick to just the free features, however, you can still do some editing to the file and save it back to your computer.
You can load PDFs from your computer, a URL, SharePoint, Google Drive, and Dropbox. You can save the edited PDF back to your computer or to any of those cloud storage services.
The PDF-XChange Editor program has lots of features, so it might seem overwhelming at first. All of the options and tools are simple to understand, however, and they're categorized into their own sections for easier management.
One nice feature is the ability to highlight all the form fields so that you can easily spot where you need to fill in. This is really helpful if you're editing a PDF with lots of forms, such as an application.
Although the free version puts watermarks on your edited documents, this program does let you edit existing text, add your own text to the PDF, and add or delete pages from the document.
You can download this program in portable mode to use on a flash drive or as a regular installer.
Many of the features are free, but some are not. If you use a feature that's not covered by the free version (you're told which features are not free when you use them), the saved PDF file will have a watermark attached to the corner of every page.
Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7 users can install PDF-XChange Editor.
Smallpdf Online PDF Editor
What We Like
Is completely free.
Lets you add more text to the PDF.
Can load and save PDFs from various sources.
What We Don't Like
Doesn't let you edit existing text.
Only two PDFs can be edited every hour.
One of the quickest ways to add images, text, shapes, or your signature to a PDF is with Smallpdf.
This website allows you to upload a PDF, make changes to it, and then save it back to your computer all without needing to make a user account or pay for any anti-watermarking features.
- You can open and/or save your PDF to your Dropbox or Google Drive account, too, in addition to your computer
- Lets you put white space over areas you want to erase
- You can import three shapes into a PDF with Smallpdf: a square, circle, or arrow. You can change the object's main color and line color, as well as the thickness of its edge
- Text size can be tiny, small, normal, large, or huge, but only three font types are available. You can change the color of any text you add
When finished editing the PDF, just decide where you want it saved; you can even generate a share link. You can also run the edited PDF through Smallpdf's PDF splitter tool if you want to extract the pages from the document.
If you edit two PDFs within an hour, you have to upgrade to Smallpdf Pro if you want to keep using the website. Or, you can wait an hour to edit another.
FormSwift's Free PDF Editor
What We Like
Everything is free.
Doesn't leave a watermark.
Can add your own custom text to the PDF.
Easy typing, drawing, and signing.
What We Don't Like
Unable to edit existing text.
No easy-to-access undo button (but you can delete what you've done).
Can upload PDFs only from your computer (not from other places such as Google Drive or Dropbox).
FormSwift's Free PDF Editor is a very simple online PDF editor that you can start using without even making a user account.
It's as simple as uploading your PDF file to the website and using the menus at the top of the page to quickly perform some basic PDF editing functions before downloading it back to your computer.
Following are some of the things you can do with this PDF editor:
- Erase or redact existing text and images with white or black space
- Insert your own images
- Highlight anything on the page
- Place circles, checkmarks, and 'x' icons over any text
- Upload Word documents and images if you need to edit those instead of a PDF
When you're done editing the PDF, you can download the file as a PDF file, print it directly to your printer, or save the PDF as a Microsoft Word .docx document.
The .pdf-to-.docx conversion didn't work for every PDF that we tried, but in those that did convert successfully, the images were formatted nicely and the text was fully editable.
Another feature offered by FormSwift at formswift.com/snap lets you quickly edit or sign PDFs from your phone by taking a picture of a document. You can then share or download the PDF when you're done. It's not perfect: Most things done through a web app are spotty. It does work, however, with a little patience.
FormSwift's website works on any operating system through any modern browser.
PDFelement Pro
What We Like
Lets you edit the PDF's text directly.
Supports combining several PDFs into one.
Supports OCR.
Editing embedded forms is easy.
What We Don't Like
Free version places a watermark on the PDF.
PDFelement Pro, just as the name sounds, is free but with a major limitation: It places a watermark on every page of the PDF. That being said, the watermark doesn't cover much of the page, and it's important to realize that it supports some truly great PDF editing features.
This program would be a truly free PDF editor if it weren't for the fact that the free edition will not save without first putting a watermark on every single page of the PDF.
Depending on what you'll use the PDF for, however, the features it supports might be enough for you to consider living with the watermarks:
- Add a password to the PDF
- Insert, extract, delete, and rotate PDF pages
- Crop PDF pages
- Edit the background of the pages in the PDF
- Include headers and footers
- Add images, links, and custom watermarks
You can get this PDF editor for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.