The 12 Best Free PDF Editors (March 2023) (2023)

If you don't need to change the contents of the file, just change it to a different format (e.g..docxfor Microsoft Word or.epubfor an eBook), see ourList of free document convertersfor help. On the other hand, if you have a self-created file that you want to save as a PDF file, be awarehow to print to pdf.

Sejda PDF-EditorName

Sejda PDF Editor is one of the few PDF editors that allows you to edit existing text in the PDF filewithout adding a watermark. Most editors just let you edit text that you add yourself or support editing text but throw watermarks everywhere.

What's more, this tool runs entirely in your web browser, so you can easily get started without downloading any programs. You canGet the desktop versionif you prefer to use it that way.

There are some differences between the online and desktop versions that you should be aware of. For example, the desktop edition supports more fonts and doesn't allow adding PDFs by URL oronline storage servicesas the online editor (which supports Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive).

Another cool feature is theWeb Integration ToolThis allows PDF editors to provide their users with a link they can simply click to automatically open the file in that editor.

All uploaded files are automatically deleted by Sejda after two hours.

This tool works regardless of what operating system you are using. Sejda PDF Desktop runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

PDFgear

PDFgear is a complete toolkit that lets you do just about anything you want with a PDF.

In addition to basic PDF viewing and full text editing, there are options to add a signature, convert the file to other formats, extract text, annotate and insert your own watermark, rotate and delete pages, add a password,Compress the PDF, and more. You can even present the PDF as a slideshow if you like.

Something we really like is the text extractor tool. You can highlight any part of the page to drag the text into an easy to use text box so you can copy that content. This is ideal for lists and other situations where selecting text from the PDF is often difficult.

This program runs on Windows and macOS.

body

Canva is a very powerful site for creating unique and high-quality designs. While you can create a project from scratch or as a template, you can also use editing tools on a PDF file.

Unlike most free tools, Canva lets youcompletelyEdit text. Click on any text area to change the meaning of the text and customize the font, size and color. You can also add hyperlinks to text and other objects, and special fonts are available to make typing your signature easier.

Of course, being a complete graphic design platform, it comes with a plethora of other tools that you can also use to edit images, add shapes, edit and create PDF pages, insert graphics, etc. If you have a website like Google Photos or Dropbox, you can connect to these services to easily copy files to your PDF.

PDFs must not exceed 15MB or 15 pages. When you're done, you can save back to PDF or choose from a variety of image and video formats.

PDF-XChange-Editor

PDF-XChange Editor offers great tools, but not all of them are free. If you use a paid feature, the PDF will be saved with a watermark on each page.

However, if you stick to the free features only, you can still edit the file and save it to your computer.

You can upload PDFs from your computer, a URL, SharePoint, Google Drive and Dropbox. You can save the edited PDF file back to your computer or one of these cloud storage services.

There are a lot of features, so it might look overwhelming at first glance. However, all options and tools are easy to understand and categorized into their own sections for easy management.

One cool feature is the ability to highlight all form fields so you can easily see where to fill them out. This is very useful when editing a PDF with many forms, for example B. an application.

Many of the features are free (like editing the text), but some are not. If you use a feature that isn't covered by the free version (you'll learn which ones aren't free when you use them), the saved PDF will have a watermark in the corner of each page. Check the downloads page for a comprehensive list of all free resources.

Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7 users can install PDF-XChange Editor. You can download it in portable mode to use in aFlash driveor as a normal installer.

InkscapeGenericName

Inkscape is an extremely popular free image viewer and editor, but it also includes PDF editing features that most dedicated PDF editors only support in their paid editions.

This is a very powerful photo editor. If you're not already familiar with programs likeGIMP,Adobe Photoshop, and other photo editors, but it's probably too advanced for you.

However, in the context of PDF editing, you should only consider this software if you want to delete or edit the images or text in the PDF. We recommend you to use another tool in this list to edit PDF forms or add forms and then connect themOPDF in Inkscape when you really need to edit text that's already there.

You can install it on Windows, macOS and Linux.

TinyWow

TinyWow is an amazing service withmany free pdf tools, one of which is this editor.

All the features you need are available here: edit text, add text, highlight and edit elements, insert shapes and checkmarks, import date and time, upload images and add your signature. You can also rotate, delete and add new pages to your document.

Files can be uploaded from your device or your Google Drive account. All edited documents can be saved back to a .pdf file.

FormSwift

FormSwift's free PDF editor is a very simple online option that you can use without creating an account (although you'll need one when saving).

It's easy to upload your PDF to the site and use the menus at the top of the page to quickly perform some basic PDF editing functions before downloading it back to your computer.

For example, you can add circles, checkmarks, and "x" symbols over any text; Just type, draw or sign the file; and add your own images.

When you're done editing, you can download the file as a PDF, print it directly to your printer, or save it as a .docx document.

FormSwift converts images to a PDF pageyou can quickly edit or sign PDFs from your phone by taking a picture of a document. When finished, you can share or download the PDF. It's not perfect: Most things done through a web app are lumpy. But with a little patience it works.

You can also upload Word documents and images to FormSwift if you need to edit them instead of a PDF.

All operating systems can use this as it works online.

PDFescape Online-PDF-Editor

PDFescape has some features. It's free as long as the document doesn't exceed 100 pages or 10MB.

You can't really change text or edit images for free with this editor, but you canadd your ownText, images, links, form fields, etc.

The text tool is highly customizable, allowing you to choose your own size, font, color, alignment and apply effects such as bold, underline and italics.

You can also draw on the PDF file, add sticky notes, strikethrough text, put spaces over anything you want to disappear, and insert lines, checkmarks, arrows, ovals, circles, rectangles, and comments.

With PDFescape, you can delete individual PDF pages, rotate pages, crop part of a page, rearrange page order and add more pages from other PDFs.

You can upload your own PDF file, paste the URL into an online PDF and create your own PDF from scratch.

When you're done editing, you can download the PDF to your computer without creating a user account. You only need one if you want to save your progress online without downloading the PDF.

The online version works on all operating systems. There's also an offline editor that runs on Windows, but it's not free.

LibreOffice Drawing

it's a tieLibreOfficesFlowchart and diagram program, but you can also use it to open and edit PDFs. Use thefile>OpenMenu to select the PDF file you want to edit and then zoom in the text to select and change what you want.

One of the nice things about editing PDFs with this program is that it's designed to create and edit objects, so you can edit non-textual items like images, headers, colors, etc. with the same ease.

When you're ready to save, don't use the typical save option. go to insteadfile>export asto find the PDF option.

Works with Windows, macOS and Linux.

Smallpdf Online-PDF-Editor

One of the fastest ways to add images, text, shapes or your signature to a PDF is with Smallpdf.

This site allows you to upload a PDF, make changes to it, and save it back to your computer without having to create an account or pay for anti-watermark features.

You can open files from your computer or Dropbox or Google Drive account.

Importing shapes is possible if you want a rectangle, square, circle, arrow or line. You can change the foreground and line color of the object, as well as the thickness of its border.

The text size can be small, normal, medium, large or extra large, but it is not possible to change the font, only the color.

When you're done editing the PDF file, you can decide where to save it. to your device or Dropbox account. You can also generate a share link that anyone can use to download the PDF file. Another thing you can do is go through the documentSmallpdf PDF splitter toolif you want to extract the pages.

After editing a document, you have to wait several hours to continue using the site or update/pay for it.

This website works with all operating systems that support a modern browser.

PDFelement is free but with a big limitation: it puts a watermark on each page of the document. That said, the watermark is behind it all so you can still see the content, and it's important to know that it supports some really great PDF editing features.

This program would be a truly free PDF editor if it didn't save free editing without putting a watermark on each PDF page first.

However, depending on the PDF usage, the supported features may be enough to live with the watermarks.

When you're done editing, you can save it back in PDF format or any of the many other supported formats including Word and other MS Office formats. You need a Wondershare account to export or save.

Windows, macOS, Android and iOS are supported.

download to:

PDF BOB

PDF BOB is a free online PDF editor that does not require a user account. Simply upload your file, make any necessary changes, and re-export as a PDF when you're done.

There are a bunch of tools here, like a text option that lets you pick a custom color and font, an image picker, a pencil/marker, and some shape tools.

It uses OCR to identify text so things like strikethrough and underlining look great and all you have to do is double click on the word you want to apply it to.

You can also use this site to delete PDF pages and add new ones. When saving, there is even a password option to protect the document.

When you're done editing, export to PDF format or, if you're a subscriber, to JPG and PNG. Files can be saved to your computer or imported directly to Google Drive or Dropbox.

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