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Edit PDF Online
Add text, highlight, draw, insert images. All in your browser. No watermarks. No uploads.
①Select file→②Edit file→③Download
Edit the text a PDF already contains, for free: retype a paragraph and the change goes into the file itself, not on top. You can also add new text, highlights, drawings, shapes and images on any page, in your browser and without uploading the file.
How to edit a PDF
- Edit text: click a paragraph twice and type. The words change inside the file in the original font, size and colour, but a scanned page holds no text to change.
- Replace all: press Ctrl+F or Cmd+F, then type the word and its replacement. Every match on every page is rewritten in the file, and one Undo brings them all back.
- Insert an image: places a PNG, JPEG or WebP on the page, where you can move and resize it. Saved, it is part of the page and shows in every PDF reader.
- Add a note: pins a comment to a spot on the page. It is saved as a standard PDF comment, not drawn on the page, so a reader shows it as an icon you open.
Common Use Cases
- Fixing a typo in a CV or cover letter when only the PDF is left
- Changing a name or date that appears throughout a document in one step with Find and replace
- Correcting a name, date or amount in a document without rebuilding it
Your Files Remain Private
HonestPDF edits your PDFs entirely in your browser using PDFium, compiled to WebAssembly, to read, edit and write the PDF. Your files are never sent to any server; there is zero network activity related to your file content. Your confidential files, contracts, and forms never leave your device.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit existing text in a PDF?
Yes. Choose Edit text, click a paragraph of the document's own text twice, and type. The editor rewrites it inside the file and keeps the original font, size and colour, all in your browser. Two things worth knowing: a paragraph of several lines reflows at word boundaries and keeps its alignment, and if the document's font lacks a character you type, that word is set in a substitute font; if no available font can draw it, the editor tells you and does not save. You can still add new text, highlights, drawings and shapes on top as well.
Will my edits show up in Adobe Acrobat and other readers?
Yes. Text, highlights, shapes, drawings and images are rendered into the final PDF as standard page content, so they appear in Adobe Acrobat, macOS Preview, Chrome PDF viewer, and every other PDF reader. Notes are the one exception: they are saved as standard PDF comments rather than drawn into the page, so Acrobat and other readers that show comments keep them as notes, an icon you open to read.
Is it free? Do I need to sign up?
Yes, it is free, with no account, sign-up or login, on a computer or a phone: open the page, choose a PDF and start editing. No watermark or stamp is added to the PDF you save.
Can I add images, shapes and drawings?
Yes. Besides text, the editor adds images (PNG, JPEG or WebP, which you can move and resize after placing them), a freehand pen, highlighting, shapes (rectangle, ellipse, arrow, line), whiteout (a rectangle with a white fill and no outline) and notes, comments pinned to a spot on the page. Shapes and the pen have adjustable color and thickness; text has color, font and size. A note has a color too, and the notes a file already carries open in the editor, where you can edit or delete them.
Can I edit multiple pages?
Yes. Move between pages with the thumbnails in the pages rail, where you can also add a blank page, rotate or delete a page, and drag a page to a new place (or use the arrow keys on its grip). Every change on every page goes into the file you save.
Does whiteout permanently remove the text underneath?
No. Whiteout is a white box drawn over the page: the text underneath is covered, not removed, so it stays in the file and can be found with copy and paste or a text extraction tool. To take words out of the file itself, delete them with the Edit text tool. For a guarantee, use Redact PDF, which turns the affected area into an image.
Can I edit the text of a scanned PDF?
Not the scanned text itself. A scanned page is a picture of the words rather than text, so Edit text finds no paragraph to change. You can still add new text, whiteout and images on top of it. To copy the words out of a scan, use the OCR Scanner, which recognises them and gives you the plain text.
Can I find and replace text across the whole PDF?
Yes. Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) or the search button, type the word, fill in Replace with and choose Replace all. Every match on every page is rewritten inside the file, the same way Edit text changes a paragraph, so the old word is gone rather than covered. Match case limits the search to the exact capitalisation.