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Edit PDF

Add text, signature images, freehand markup, highlights, and cover boxes to a PDF online. Browser-local editing that leaves the original text layer intact.

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About this tool

PDF was never designed for word-processor editing. A page stores "draw these glyphs at these coordinates in this font", with no notion of reflowing paragraphs. So what "edit a PDF" reliably means in a browser is adding a layer on top of the existing page: a note, a signature, a circle around a problem, a block covering a wrong number — not re-typesetting the body text the way Word would.

This tool renders each page with pdf.js so you can position your edits, keeps whatever you add — text, pen strokes, highlights, images — as a transparent annotation layer, and stamps that layer back onto the matching page with pdf-lib on export. The original text, bookmarks, and page structure are not rewritten, so body text stays selectable and copyable in the exported file. Everything runs in your browser; the file is never uploaded.

How to use it

  1. Upload the PDF and wait for rendering

    Pages are rendered one by one into a positionable backdrop. Long documents take longer, so consider splitting out the pages you need first.

  2. Pick a tool and mark up the page

    Use text to add notes or fill blanks, the pen for signatures and handwriting, highlight for translucent marking, and a rectangle with "fill" checked to cover something wrong.

  3. Review page by page, then export

    Switch pages with previous / next; each page keeps its own annotations, and only pages that actually have annotations get a new layer on save.

Supported range and limits

Editing model
An annotation layer drawn over the page; original page objects are left untouched
Available annotations
Text, freehand pen, translucent highlight, rectangle (outline or filled), inserted image
Original text layer
Unchanged — body text stays selectable, copyable, and searchable after export
Multi-page handling
Annotations are stored per page; export only touches pages that have them
Annotation resolution
The layer is exported at 2× the page display size, roughly 144–216 DPI
Rotated pages
Coordinates are converted from the page /Rotate value, so marks on landscape scans stay aligned
Text languages
Text is drawn into the layer, so Chinese, Japanese, and other non-Latin scripts need no extra font embedding
Where it runs
Rendering, annotating, and writing back all happen locally in the browser

When you would use it

  • Signing and completing a form

    Drop in a signature image and type the date and name next to it, instead of printing, signing, and scanning again.

  • Reviewing a draft in place

    Highlight the problematic paragraph and write the comment beside it, so the recipient sees exactly what the note refers to.

  • Covering an incorrect value

    Put a filled rectangle over a wrong amount or an outdated contact line and write the correct text on top when regenerating the source file is not an option.

What to know before you start

  • This is overlay editing. It cannot change the wording or layout of the existing text; fix the source document and re-export for that.
  • A filled rectangle hides content visually only. The covered text remains in the text layer and can still be copied or extracted, so it is not redaction.
  • Exporting rewrites the file, which invalidates an existing digital signature. Remove the password from an encrypted PDF before editing it.

Related concepts

Content stream
The part of a PDF page holding its drawing instructions. Overlay editing appends new instructions after the originals, which stay intact.
/Rotate
A page attribute of 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees. Readers rotate the displayed page by it while the page coordinate system stays put, so annotations must be converted to line up.

Frequently asked questions

Is the PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is rendered in your browser and the annotations are written back locally. Nothing is sent to a server.
Can I change the existing text in the PDF?
No. This tool layers text, pen strokes, highlights, and boxes over the page; the original text and layout stay as they are. Edit the source document and re-export when the wording has to change.
How do I sign a PDF?
Draw the signature with the pen tool, or use Insert image to place a signature image with a transparent background, then drag and resize it onto the signature line before saving.
Why can I not edit the existing text directly?
A PDF stores glyphs at absolute coordinates with no paragraphs or lines. Changing one word means recomputing the position of every glyph after it, and online tools that try usually wreck the layout. Adding a layer is the predictable option; when the body text genuinely has to change, go back to the source document.
Is information covered by a rectangle safe?
No. The rectangle is just a shape drawn on top; the text underneath is still in the file and any copy or extraction tool will reveal it. Real redaction removes the text object itself — if it must be unrecoverable, convert the page to an image and rebuild the PDF from that.
Why is the exported file larger?
Each annotated page gains one full-page transparent PNG. Transparent areas compress well, but dense markup or a high-resolution inserted image makes the increase noticeable. Pages without annotations are untouched.

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