Edit a PDF online: change the existing text in its own font
Click a line and type. GenPDF changes the text already in the PDF, at its size and colour, in the document's own font when the PDF contains it. Arabic and scanned pages too. Free, in your browser: the PDF is not uploaded to edit it.
or drop it here
Runs in your browser
Free, no account needed
Works on phones
How it works
How to edit a PDF online
01
Choose your PDF. It opens in the editor, in your browser.
02
Click the words you want to change and type: the paragraph flows as you write.
03
Download the PDF. The new words are text that can be selected and searched.
In detail
Editing the text of a PDF: what it does and where it stops
Changing the text, not covering it
Many free PDF editors let you type new text on top of the page, or hide the old words under a white box. GenPDF changes the text that is already in the document. You click a line and type, and the words are replaced in the PDF itself, at the same size and colour.
The result is real text: it can be selected, searched and copied, and nothing is stuck over the page. A paragraph flows as you type, so a longer sentence wraps onto the next line instead of running off the page, and the words you leave alone stay exactly as they were.
Why the font matters
A PDF carries the fonts it was made with, often only the letters it uses. When the font you need is inside the file, GenPDF writes your new words with it, so an edited line looks like the rest of the page.
If you type a letter the embedded font does not have, GenPDF draws just that letter with a matching font and says so. If the whole font is missing, it picks the closest one and shows its name before you save. Nothing is swapped without telling you.
What stays on your device
The editor runs in your browser. Editing, undoing and saving all happen on your device, and the PDF is not uploaded. Two things can reach our server, and only after you agree. The image of a scanned page is sent so its words can be read, then deleted as soon as the text is back. And if your browser cannot start the on-device engine, GenPDF asks before sending the PDF, which is then processed in memory and not stored.
Where it stops
Some PDFs cannot be edited as text, and it is better to know before you start:
Text that was turned into a picture or into outlines before the PDF was made is not text, so it cannot be changed word by word.
A PDF of more than 25 MB does not open in the editor: make a smaller copy first in the app that created it (for example with smaller images).
A password-protected PDF has to be unlocked first, with its password.
A scanned page is a picture of words. They can be read, with your agreement, and then edited, but reading is best on clear, straight scans and may miss turned text.
Why GenPDF
Edit PDF text with GenPDF: what is different
The same font, not a look-alike
When the font is inside the PDF, which is most of the time, GenPDF writes your words with it. When it isn't, GenPDF picks the closest match and tells you which one.
Real text, not a patch
Your words replace the old ones in the document itself: they can be selected, searched and copied, and nothing is pasted over the page.
Your file stays with you
The editor runs in your browser, so the PDF is not uploaded to edit it. A scanned page is sent as an image, to read its words, only if you agree, and deleted as soon as they are read.
Questions
Edit PDF text: questions and answers
How do I edit the existing text in a PDF for free?
Choose the PDF here, click the line you want to change and type: your words replace the old ones, in the document's own font when the PDF contains it. Then download the PDF. No account and nothing to install, on a computer or a phone; the free plan includes 3 edited-PDF downloads a day.
Can I edit a scanned PDF?
Yes. When you choose Edit text on a scanned page, GenPDF asks whether to read it. If you agree, the page's image is sent to our server, which reads the words and deletes the image when the text is back. You then edit the lines like any other. More on editing a scanned PDF.
Will my edit use the same font?
Yes, when the PDF contains that font, which is most of the time: your words take the document's font, size and colour. Otherwise GenPDF shows the font it will use before you save, so there is no surprise.
Can I change several pages?
Yes. Edit as many lines on as many pages as you like, undo any change, then download the PDF once.
Is it free?
Yes, with no account: editing is free, and the free plan includes 3 edited-PDF downloads a day; Pro or a 7-day pass has no limit.
Is my PDF uploaded when I edit it?
No. Editing runs in your browser. A scanned page's image is sent only if you agree to have it read, and deleted as soon as the text is back.
Why can't I click some of the text?
It may not be text. If the PDF was made with its words turned into outlines or pictures, there are no letters to change; on a scan, choose Edit text and agree to read the page first.
What if the PDF's font isn't inside the file?
GenPDF uses the closest font it has, with the same letter widths where it can, and names it before you save. If a character you type is missing from a font, it says which one and draws it with another.
Can I add new text as well as change what is there?
Yes. Add text puts new words anywhere on a page, in the document's font or another, and you can move and resize them. For a PDF in Arabic, see editing Arabic text in a PDF.
Ask useful questions about a PDF and verify the answers. Check quotations, page references, calculations and information the document does not contain.
