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This document explains how to add or replace text, correct typos, change fonts and typeface, adjust alignment, and resize text in a PDF using Acrobat DC. (If you are looking for information on how to edit images, objects, or scanned PDFs, click the appropriate link above.)
Note: This document provides instructions for Acrobat DC or 2017. If you're using Acrobat XI, see Acrobat XI Help.
The Edit Text & Images tool lets you replace, edit, or add text to a PDF. You can correct typos, change fonts and typeface size, adjust alignment, add superscripts or subscripts, and resize text or paragraphs.
Open a PDF in Acrobat, and then choose Tools > Edit PDF > Edit.
You edit a PDF one page at a time. For more extensive editing or to make global formatting changes across the entire document, edit the original document. If the original isn’t available, you can save the PDF as a Microsoft Word document or PowerPoint presentation. Then edit, and re-create the PDF.
Video tutorial: edit text and images in a PDF using Acrobat
Learn how to edit text and images in your PDF files with Acrobat on the desktop, and how to edit PDFs on mobile devices with an Acrobat Pro subscription.
When you edit text, the text in the paragraph reflows within its text box to accommodate the changes. Each text box is independent, and inserting text in one text block does not push down an adjacent text box or reflow to the next page.
- Outlines identify the text and images you can edit.
- Type new text to replace the selected text, or press Delete to remove it.
- Manage list items using the list controls (bulleted and numbered) under Format in the right pane. You can create new list items, convert an existing paragraph to a list item, convert an existing list item to a paragraph, and convert from one list type to another.
- Select a font, font size, or other formatting options under Format in the right pane. You can also use the advanced format options, such as line spacing, character spacing, horizontal scaling, stroke width, and color.
Note:For legal reasons, you must have purchased a font and have it installed on your system to revise text using that font.You can edit text only if the font used for that text is installed on your system. If the font isn’t installed on your system, but is embedded in the PDF, you can change only the color or font size. If the font is neither installed or embedded, you can't edit any of the text.- Click outside the selection to deselect it and startover.
You can add items to a numbered or bulleted list, create new list items, convert an existing paragraph to a list item, convert an existing list item to a paragraph, and convert from one list type to another.
- Note:Acrobat detects paragraphs and lists separately. Therefore, both paragraph and list may appear in the same bounding box while editing. After you save or save as the changed file and reopen it, the paragraph and list items are displayed in separate bounding boxes.
- Do the following:To add or remove items from a numbered or bulleted list:
- You can add or remove items to the list at all nested levels using the same familiar controls that you use in MS Office. For example, press Enter at the end of a list item to insert a new row. Press Backspace to remove the new row and position the cursor back to the end of the previous list item.
To create a numbered or bulleted list:- Place the cursor in the document at the location where you want to add a new list.
- Choose the appropriate list type (bulleted or numbered) under Format in the right pane.
To convert an existing paragraph to a list item:- Place the cursor in the paragraph, and then choose the appropriate list type (bulleted or numbered) under Format in the right pane.
To convert an existing list item to a paragraph:- Select all items in the list. The appropriate list type is highlighted under Format in the right pane.
- Click the highlighted list type.
To convert from one list type to another:- Place the cursor in the list item or select all items in the list.
- Choose the appropriate list type (bulleted or numbered) under Format in the right pane.
Note:You can also use Keyboard to add a list item. For example, before a paragraph, you can type number ‘a’ followed by the closing parenthesis ‘)’ and then add one space. It adds a numbered list starting with “a)”.
Youcan add or insert new text into a PDF using any of the fonts installedon the system.
- Open a PDF and then choose Tools > Edit PDF > Add text.
- Drag to define the width of the text block you want toadd.
- For vertical text, right-click the text box, and choose Make Text Direction Vertical.
- The Add text tool intelligently detects the following text properties of text close to the point of click:
- Font name, size, and color
- Character, paragraph, and line spacing
- Horizontal scaling
These text properties are automatically applied to the text that you add at the point of click.You can change the text properties using the options under Format in the right pane. - To move the text box, place the pointer over the line of the bounding box (avoid the selection handles). When the cursor changes to Move pointer , drag the box to the new location. To maintain alignment with the other list items, press Shift as you drag.
You can move or rotate text boxes on a page. The Edit Text & Images tool outlines each text box, so it is clear what text is affected. Edits are confined to the page. You cannot drag a text block to another page, or move or rotate individual characters or words within a text box. However, you can copy text boxes and paste them on another page.
Resizing a text box causes the text to reflow within the new text box boundaries. It does not change the size of the text. To change the font size, see Edit or format text in a PDF. As with other text edits, resizing is limited to the current page. Text does not flow to the next page.
- Click the text box you want to move, rotate, or resize.A bounding box with selection handles surrounds the textbox you clicked.
- Place the pointer over the line of the bounding box (avoid the selection handles). When the cursor changes to Move pointer , drag the box to the desired location. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to constrain the movement vertically or horizontally.Place the pointer just outside a selection handle. When the cursor changes to the Rotation pointer , drag in the direction you want it to rotate.Place the pointer over a selection handle. When the cursor changes to the Resize pointer , drag the handle to resize the text block.
Add, edit, or move text on noninteractive forms or when signing
Organizations sometimes provide PDF versions of their paper forms without interactive form fields (called 'flat forms'). Use the Add Text tool on the Comment toolbar to fill in noninteractive forms or to add text to documents you need to sign. Text added with this tool is actually a comment and does not change the original PDF.
- In the Text Properties toolbar, select the color, font, and font size for the text you want to add.Note:If you don't see the Text Properties toolbar, click the Text Properties icon in the Comment toolbar or press CTRL+E.
To change the text properties, select the text you want to edit. Use any of the following tools in the Text Properties toolbar:
Use the various options in the toolbar to change text properties
Note:
![Text Text](http://a-pdf.com/faq/i/fill_pdf_form_add_text.jpg)
If you don't see the Text Properties toolbar, click the Text Properties icon in the Comment toolbar or press CTRL+E.
- Choose a font from the Font menu.
- Choose a font size from the pop-up menu.
- Choose a color from the Text Color menu.
- To change the line spacing (leading), click the Decrease Character Spacing button or the Increase Character Spacing button.
Move or resize text in a noninteractive (flat form) PDF
To move or resize a text block, choose Tools > Comment > Comment List (in the right pane). In the comment list, click the comment containing the text you want to move or resize. When the bounding box appears, drag the text block or one of its corners.
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Truly great free PDF editors are hard to come by, but there are some excellent tools around if you know where to look.
PDF documents are designed to look and behave exactly the same way on any device. That makes it a brilliant format for sharing, but editing them is another matter. Most office software and photo editors let you export documents in PDF format, but editing requires a dedicated tool. That's because PDF was initially a proprietary format owned by Adobe, and it still owns some of the technologies associated with it. Other companies can license those technologies, but only for a fee that's usually passed on to you – the user.
There aren’t many free PDF editors, and even fewer that won’t leave your documents with unsightly watermarks. That's why we've rounded up the very best free PDF editing software that's free to use and won't add any unwanted extras to your work.
- Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to [email protected] with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.
1. ApowerPDF
Edit your PDFs and even create new ones from scratch
PDF conversion options
There are two options on the ApowerPDF homepage: ‘Launch Online’ and ‘Download Desktop’. Despite appearances, these aren’t the same tools. The desktop software is only a trial of a premium product, and will watermark your edited PDFs. The tool we’re using here is the online editor, which has no such limitations.
Click ‘Launch Online’ and you’ll be prompted to download and run a small launcher app, after which the online editor will launch. You can edit text (including formatting), add text and images, encrypt documents with a password, convert your PDF to an image file and add comments.
You can even create your own PDFs from scratch – a feature you’ll usually only find in premium PDF editing software.
Unlike the desktop application, there’s no tool for removing watermarks from PDFs, but that’s a minor quibble. ApowerPDF is a remarkable PDF editor; just make sure you’re using the online edition.
If you would prefer the desktop version, Apower PDF costs from $29.95 (£25) after the free trial period.
2. PDF-XChange Editor
Another superb tool for editing text in PDFs, with built-in OCR
Text editing
If you need to edit the text in a PDF, PDF-XChange Editor is ideal. It lets you retype, delete, and reformat text, and adapts well if the document uses a font that isn’t installed on your PC. You can also attach comments, split PDFs, and extract pages.
One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s best features is the ability to use OCR to recognize text in scanned documents – ideal if you only have a printout rather than the original file (a handout from a lecture, for example).
Some of the features visible in the menus and toolbars are only available in the premium version of the software, PDF-XChange Editor Plus, but you can easily hover your mouse pointer over an icon to find out if it’s included.
If you go ahead and use a premium tool anyway (adding polygonal shapes or new text boxes, for example), your document will be watermarked. Look out for a warning message underneath the main toolbar before saving your work, just in case.
The paid-for downloads, PDF-XChange Editor costs $43.50 (£35) for the normal version, but for additional features such as form creation and use you will need to buy PDF-XChange Editor Plus, which costs $54.50 ($48).
3. Sedja
An online-only free PDF editor with a great choice of tools
Good selection of editing tools
Sessions expire after three hours
Free online PDF editor Sedja offers an excellent range of tools, with just one caveat: if you're still working after three hours and haven't saved your document, it will be deleted automatically. It's quite a generous time limit, but worth bearing in mind if your PDF needs a lot of work.
You can add text, images and links, sign documents, add annotations, and insert ellipses and rectangles. There’s also a ‘whiteout’ option, though this simply draws a white rectangle – it doesn’t remove any data. There’s no OCR either, so you won’t be able to edit text in scanned PDFs.
When you’ve finished editing, click ‘Apply changes’ and you’ll be able to download the document, send it to Dropbox or Google Drive, delete it, or access a shareable link. The link will expire after seven days.
There is a free version, available to download or use in the cloud, which has limited features. To open these up you will need to pay for a paid plan. The Web Week Pass is aimed at short-term use, and costs $5 (£4) to access the web-based version for 7 days. If you'd prefer to pay on a monthly recurring basis, then the cloud version is $7.50 (£6) per month.
A desktop version is available to download and use, which also allows web access, and that costs $63 annually, which works out as the equivalent of $5.25 per month.
4. PDFescape
A free online PDF editor that lets you add new text and images
Lets you add media
There are two versions of PDFescape: a free web app and a premium desktop program. Here we're using the online editor; if you download the desktop software, you'll only receive a trial of the premium edition.
PDFescape's online editor lets you create new text boxes on the page, but unfortunately there's no way to edit existing text. You can create simple geometric shapes and– as with Sedja, above – add white rectangles to obscure parts of the document when it's printed.
PDFescape lets you select a picture from your PC, then drag a rectangle to insert it. You can insert text fields too, enabling you to create simple forms – a rare and welcome feature for a free PDF editor.
While the online editor is free for editing, creating forms, and sharing, there are also two paid-for versions available. The Premium version is for desktop and includes print to scan, and is available for $2.99 (£2.50) per month. The Ultimate version costs $5.99 per month and comes with more advanced features, such as publishing PDF forms.
5. PDFsam Basic
A simple but well designed PDF editor for quick tasks
Lets you rotate pages
The latter half of PDFsam’s name is short for ‘split and merge’, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Basic edition.
You’ll be offered a free trial of the premium version (including full editing, object insertion, secure signing, and OCR), but once that expires you’ll be left with a simple but well designed tool for chopping large documents into manageable chunks, performing a PDF cut-and-shut, or extracting selected pages. You can also use PDFsam Basic to rotate pages, which is very handy if you’ve accidentally scanned a document upside down.
There are no tools for tweaking the actual content of the document, but all of PDFsam Basic’s page-management options are very clearly laid out, and it’s very clear which of the options shown in the main menu are only available in the premium edition.
However, if you'd prefer the advanced features of PDFsam Enhanced, there are 3 different plans available, costing $39 ($34), $49 (£44), or $69 (£60) a year, depending on the range of extra features required.
- Find out how to convert PDFs to Word documents the easy way