How to Add or Edit Text in a PDF for Free

PDFs are designed to look the same everywhere, which is exactly why they are awkward to change. PDFkitt gives you two ways in: add new text anywhere on a page, or edit text that is already there by covering the old line and typing a replacement. Both work on any PDF that contains real text (not a photo of text) and neither requires uploading the file.

Add new text to a PDF

1. Open your PDF. On the home page, drop the file onto the upload card or click the card to browse. The editor opens in the same tab.
2. Choose Text → Add text. The Text menu is the first item in the tool strip under the toolbar.
3. Click where the text should go. A text box appears with the cursor inside. Type your text; press Enter for a new line.
4. Style it. With the box selected, use the small toolbar above it to pick Sans, Serif or Mono, the size, the color, bold, italic, underline and left / center / right alignment.
5. Move or resize. Drag the handle to move the box; drag the bottom-right corner to change its width. Text wraps inside the box.
6. Download. Click Download in the top-right corner, give the file a name if you like, and click Download PDF.

Edit text that is already in the PDF

1. Choose Text → Edit existing text. Every editable line on the page gets a light highlight so you can see what the editor found.
2. Click the line you want to change. A text box opens on top of it, pre-filled with the original words, size, font family, weight and color.
3. Type your changes. Fix the typo, change the date, replace the name. The box stays aligned with the original baseline.
4. Click outside the box when you are done. The original line is hidden under a page-colored rectangle and your text is drawn on top.
5. Download. As above. Undo (Ctrl+Z) reverses any edit if you change your mind.

Tips

• Match the size exactly. The size list runs from 8 to 64 pt; the editor picks the nearest value to the original when you edit existing text.
• Long replacements. If your new text is longer than the old line, widen the box by dragging its corner, or let it wrap onto a second line.
• Scanned documents. A scan is a picture, so there is no text to edit. You can still add new text on top, or cover a region with a white rectangle from the Draw menu and type over it.
• Vertical or rotated text cannot be edited in place. Add a new text box instead.
• Keyboard. Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y undo and redo; Delete removes the selected box; Ctrl+S opens the download dialog.

Frequently asked

Will the recipient be able to tell the text was changed?

Visually, in most documents, no. Technically, yes: the original text remains in the file and the new text uses a standard font. If you need a document that shows no trace of the original, edit the source file (Word, InDesign, etc.) and export a fresh PDF.

Can I change the font to match the document?

The editor offers the three standard PDF font families, which is what lets it work without uploading fonts. Serif usually matches Times-style documents; Sans matches Arial and Helvetica-style ones.

Does this work on a phone?

Yes. Tap to place a text box, drag its handle to move it. A larger screen is more comfortable for longer edits.

Related: filling out a form, highlighting and commenting.