Make changes to your PDF files with these free online programs and tools.
It’s not easy finding a completely free PDF editor that allows you to edit the text in PDF, add your text, change images, add your graphics, sign it, fill out the form… However, below is just a combination of the best free PDF editors covering all of those features and more.
Some of them are an online PDF editor that works right in your web browser, so you need to upload the PDF file to the website, make the changes you want and then save it back to your computer. That’s a quick way, but the online editor is often not quite the same as the desktop counterpart, often more capable.
Since not all free PDF editors support the same features, and some are limited to what you can do, keep in mind that you can process the same PDF in multiple task instruments. For example, use one to edit PDF documents (if supported) and then put the same PDF file through another editor to do something supported in that program, like editing a template, updating images, or deleting pages.
Note: If you don’t need to change the PDF file contents but instead change it to another format (like DOCX for Word or EPUB for an e-book, etc.), see our list of Free document converters. On the other hand, if you have a self-created file that you want to save as a PDF file, please see the How to Create a PDF tutorial for help.
Important: If you already own Microsoft Word 2016 or 2013, then skip all the programs suggested below because you have a great PDF editor at your disposal right now. Just open the PDF like any Word document, give the program a few minutes to convert the PDF, and then edit!
1. Sejda PDF Editor
Sejda PDF Editor (Desktop Version).
Sejda PDF Editor is one of the very few PDF editors I’ve seen that lets you edit text previously in PDF without adding a watermark. Most editors will only edit the text you add yourself or assist with text editing but then throw watermarks all over the place.
Plus, this tool can run entirely in your web browser, so it’s straightforward to go without having to download any programs. You can, however, get the desktop version if you want.
What we like:
- Existing text can be edited and added custom text
- The online editor allows you to download PDF files from other websites
- Support to add hyperlinks
- Includes signature tool
- Allows you to insert blank pages into PDF
- Pages can be deleted from PDF
- Supports whiting out parts of the page
- Can insert images and shapes into PDF
What we don’t like:
- Can only be used on three PDF files per hour
- Limited to PDF files under 200 pages
- Do not edit PDF files larger than 50 MB
Works with: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Access Sejda Online PDF Editor
There are a few differences between the desktop and online versions that you need to know about. For example, the desktop version supports more fonts and doesn’t let you add PDF files by URL or from online storage services like online editors (Dropbox and Google Drive support).
A neat feature supported by Sejda’s PDF editor is their web integration tool that allows PDF publishers to provide a link to their users that they can click to open files automatically in this online PDF editor.
All uploaded files are automatically deleted from Sejda after 5 hours.
Tip: Sejda desktop and online services can also convert PDF to Word or Word to PDF. Open the Tools section in either program to find that conversion option.
2. Inkscape
Inkscape is a trendy free photo editor and viewer, but it also includes PDF editing functions that most specialized PDF editors support only in their paid versions.
What we like:
- Can edit PDF documents
- Supports graphics manipulation
- Includes many image editing tools
What we don’t like:
- The number of graphic editing tools can be overwhelming
Inscape is an excellent image editing program but probably shouldn’t be used by people who aren’t familiar with programs like this. It is similar to GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, and other photo editors.
However, if used in the context of PDF editing, Inkscape should only be considered if you want to delete or edit images or text in a PDF. Our suggestion is to use another tool on this list to edit PDF forms or add shapes, then plug that PDF file into Inkscape if you need to edit the text beforehand.
3. PDFescape Online PDF Editor
PDFescape is a great online PDF editor with lots of features. It’s 100% free as long as the PDF doesn’t exceed 100 pages or 10 MB in size.
What we like:
- Works online through your web browser
- Lots of tools are provided
- Allows you to add your text and images
- Can delete and add PDF pages
What we don’t like:
- Existing text cannot be edited
- Doesn’t edit large PDF files
Works with: All operating systems
The way you are allowed to edit PDF files on this website doesn’t mean you can change the text or edit images, but you can add text, images, links, forms, etc.
Text tools are very customizable, so you can choose the size, font style, color, align, and make your text bold, underlined, or italic.
You can also draw on a PDF, add sticky notes, type over text, put a space in whatever you want to disappear, insert lines, checkmarks, arrows, ovals, circles, shape, updates, and comments.
PDFescape allows you to delete individual pages from PDF, rotate pages, crop sections of a page, reorder pages, and add multiple pages from other PDF files.
You can upload your PDF file, paste the URL into an online PDF, and create your PDF from scratch.
Once editing is complete, you can download the PDF file to your computer without creating a user account. You only need one account if you want to save your progress online without downloading a PDF.
PDFescape has an offline PDF editor called the PDFescape Editor, but it’s not free.
4. PDF-XChange Editor
There are some excellent PDF editing features in PDF-XChange Editor, but not all of them are free to use. If you use a not free part, the PDF will save with a watermark per page.
However, if you only use the free features, you can still edit the file and save it back to your computer.
What we like:
- Use OCR to identify text in PDF
- Multiple shapes and images can be imported
- Support adding QR code to PDF
- There is a portable version
What we don’t like:
- Many features require a license
Works with: Windows
You can download PDF files from your computer, URL, SharePoint, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Edited PDFs can be saved to your computer or to any file hosting service.
The PDF-XChange Editor program has a ton of features, so it seems overwhelming at first. However, all the options and tools are simple to understand and categorize into their more manageable management sections.
One nice feature is the ability to highlight all of the form fields, so it is easy to know where you need to fill in the information. This is useful if you edit a PDF file with multiple forms, like an application of some sort.
Although they lead to watermarks in the free version, this program allows you to edit existing text, add your text to PDF, and add or delete pages from documents.
You can download the program in portable mode for use on a flash drive or as a regular installer.
Many of the features are free, but some are not. If you use a part that is not protected by the free version (you are told features are not open when you use them), the saved PDF will have a watermark attached to the corners of each page.
5. Smallpdf Online PDF Editor
One of the fastest ways to add your images, text, shapes, or signature to a PDF is with Smallpdf.
This website makes it easy to upload a PDF, make your changes, and save it to your computer without creating a user account or paying for any watermarking features.
What we like:
- All features are free
- Allows you to add text to PDF
- It is possible to put white spaces on areas you want to erase
- Supports import of shapes
- Can download and save PDF files from a variety of sources
What we don’t like:
- Does not allow you to edit existing text
Works with: All operating systems
You can open and/or save your PDF documents to your Dropbox or Google Drive account outside your computer.
There are three shapes you caYoumallpdf: a three shapes square, circle, or arrow. Once added, you can change the subject’s primary color and the line’s color, as well as the thickness of its edges.
Text sizes can be small, small, regular, large, or large, but there are only three font styles to choose from. You can also change the color of any text you add.
When finished editing a PDF, press the Submit button AND then decide where you want to save it. You can also run the edited PDF through Smallpdf’s PDF splitter tool to extract the document’s pages.
6. FormSwift’s free PDF editor
FormSwift ‘s Free PDF Editor is a straightforward online PDF editor that you can use even without being a user account.
It’s as simple as uploading your PDF file to a website and using the menus at the top of the page to quickly do some essential PDF editing functions before uploading it back to your computer.
What we like:
- Everything is free, and user accounts are not required
- Leave no watermark
- Existing text and images can be deleted or edited with white or black space
- Allows you to insert your pictures
- Can add your custom text to PDF
- Circles, checkmarks, and an “x” symbol can be placed over any text
- Supports highlighting anything on the page
- Makes it easy to enter, draw, or upload your signature
What we don’t like:
- Existing text cannot be edited
- No easy-to-access undo button (but you can delete what you’ve done)
- Can only download PDF files from your computer (not other locations like Google Drive or Dropbox)
Works with: All operating systems
When you are finished editing the PDF file, you can download the file as a PDF file, print it directly to the printer, or save the PDF file as a Microsoft Word DOCX document.
Note: Converting PDF to DOCX doesn’t work for all the PDFs we tried, but for the ones it did, the image is nicely formatted, and the text is fully editable.
Another feature provided by FormSwift at formswift.com/snap lets you quickly edit or sign PDF files from your phone by taking a picture of the document. You can then share it or download a PDF when you’re done. It’s not 100% perfect since most everything done through a web application is spotty, but it works if you have the patience.
You can also upload Word documents and images to FormSwift if you need to edit them instead of PDF.
7. PDFelement Pro
PDFelement Pro, like the sound’s name, is free but with one major limitation: it will put a watermark on every page of the PDF. That said, the watermark doesn’t cover most of the pages, and it’s essential to realize that it supports some great PDF editing features.
What we like:
- Allows you to edit PDF documents directly
- Supports adding custom images, links, and watermarks
- The backgrounds of the PDF pages can be edited
- Headers and footers can be included in the PDF
- Supports merging multiple PDF files into one
- PDF pages can be cropped
- OCR support
- Can insert, extract, delete, and rotate PDF pages
- Makes it easy to edit embedded forms
- Can password protect PDF
What we don’t like:
- The free version puts a watermark on the PDF
Works with: Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
This program is a real PDF editor if it is not because the free edition will not save without putting a watermark first on every page of the PDF.
However, depending on what PDF you’ll be using for, the features it supports might be enough to look at life with watermarks.
