How to Edit a PDF Online (Add Text, Highlight, Draw)
Edit a PDF right in your browser: add text, highlight, draw, whiteout, insert images and sign. Step-by-step guide to the free online PDF editor.
Updated August 12, 20262 min read
Short answer: Open the PDF Editor, upload your file, and use the toolbar to add text, highlight, draw, whiteout, insert images or sign. When you're done, save and download — your edits are baked into the PDF.
The editor works like a lightweight design tool for documents: everything happens on the page in your browser, with nothing to install.
How to edit a PDF
- Open the PDF Editor and upload your document.
- Choose a tool from the toolbar — text, highlighter, pen, shapes, whiteout, image or signature.
- Work on the page — click to place text, drag to highlight or draw.
- Save and download the finished PDF.
What you can do in the editor
| Tool | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Text | Add notes, fill forms, label sections |
| Highlight | Mark key passages in color |
| Pen / draw | Freehand annotations and marks |
| Whiteout | Cover mistakes or old text |
| Image | Insert a logo, stamp or photo |
| Signature | Draw or type your signature |
Editing text vs. converting to Word
The editor is built for annotating and adding content. To rewrite large blocks of the original text like a word processor, it's cleaner to convert the PDF to Word, edit there, and export back to PDF.
Related workflows
- Add a watermark across every page.
- Sign the PDF with a drawn or typed signature.
- Reorder, rearrange or delete pages before or after editing.
- Add page numbers once the page order is final.
Tips
- Undo freely — experiment with annotations; you can step back at any point.
- Zoom in for precise placement of text and signatures.
- Flatten by saving so your annotations can't be moved by the next reader.