How to edit existing text in a PDF
Adding a text box on top is easy. Actually changing a word that is already in the document is the hard part, and it is what most free tools cannot do at all.
Step by step
- Open the PDFDrop your file into the editor.
- Double-click the textDouble-click any line of existing text. An editable box opens right on top of it.
- Type the correctionThe original font, size and color are detected and matched, and the old text is covered cleanly.
- DownloadExport the PDF. The change is baked in permanently.
Your file stays on your device. PDFree runs entirely in your
browser - the PDF is never uploaded to a server, so private documents stay private.
Common questions
Will the new text match the original?
It matches font family, size and color as closely as it can detect. You can adjust all of them in the formatting bar.
Can I edit a scanned PDF?
No. A scan is an image of text, not text, so there is nothing to edit. Cover it with a text box instead.
Can I change several lines?
Yes, edit each line in turn. Each is independent.
Related guides
- How to edit a PDF for free
- How to redact a PDF properly
- How to sign a PDF online
- How to fill out a PDF form
- How to compress a PDF
- How to add text to a PDF
- How to delete pages from a PDF
- How to rotate a PDF
- How to reorder pages in a PDF
- How to highlight text in a PDF
- How to add an image to a PDF
- How to flatten a PDF
- How to add a link to a PDF
- How to search text in a PDF