How to edit a PDF for free

A PDF or Portable Document Format is a type of format for documents that was created by Adobe in the 1990s. It was supposed to help users present their documents in an independent manner that didn’t rely on any application software or OS.

As a standalone file, it is impossible to edit a file that is in PDF format. Consequently, there are plenty of free as well as charging websites that assist users to edit their PDF documents. One of the highly recommended software for this is Adobe’s own Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, although it comes with a monthly subscription.

However, this article looks at how to edit a PDF for free.

See also: How to Convert Kindle To PDF

How to edit a PDF for free

How to edit a PDF for free

Using PDF escape program

To make changes to your PDF you can use a program called PDF escape. Whether you’re using a Mac or a PC, it doesn’t matter, the process is the same.

Start by opening the PDF escape program and then drag your file onto the box that says ‘Drop PDF Here’ then give it time to upload.

There’s a security issue that comes with this operation since the document gets uploaded to the cloud; meaning that you have to be careful with highly sensitive documents.

If you regularly handle sensitive documents, it is best to use a subscription program that guarantees your privacy.

Once the PDF uploads to the program, the document will be displayed on the page.

Creating new text:

One option in editing a PDF id by adding content that wasn’t there.

Start by going to the toolbox and clicking on the ‘Text’ icon.  Once you’ve done that, go back to your PDF document and drag your cursor to create a text box on any space on your document.

In that box, you can now type in your words. You also have the option of choosing the font type, font size, as well as font color, much like you would in any other word typing application.

Editing old text:

This program doesn’t allow the user to edit the existing text.

However, on the toolbar, there’s an option for ‘Whiteout’. Select it and drag it to your PDF document.

As you move your cursor on the text that you wish to replace, it will whiten it out and give you a blank canvas. So, you can only cover up the old text, not delete it or edit it.

Aside from typing in new material, you also have the option of using the free hands tool to use your handwriting.

To do away with an entire text box and all the content in it, select it and click on the ‘Trash’ icon to start afresh.

Adding images:

To add images to your PDF, click on the ‘Image’ icon on the toolbar. This allows you to import or images from anywhere in your PC or Mac and add them to your document. Once uploaded, you can resize the images and put them anywhere on the document to suit your needs.

Moving and Adding pages:

With this program, you can also rearrange your pages such that page one becomes page three, and so on. Just click on the ‘Pages’ icon, next to ‘Annotate’, and move them around to your preference.

You can also combine multiple PDF documents to make them one. Do this by clicking on the ‘Append’ option under ‘Pages’. This allows you to import other PDF documents from your computer.

Once you’re finished editing on the PDF Escape program, click on the save icon and then download it. You’ll find your newly edited PDF document on the desktop.

You will notice that you cannot directly edit the original document using this program as you would on a word document. Your two options are adding texts and images on the available space or whitening out old texts to replace them with new ones.

Other free apps that can help you with this include Smallpdf, PDF Pro, and PDF element.

PDF element, for example, allows you to edit the original text but once you export it, it comes with a watermark attached. This can only be avoided in the premium version which means paying for it.

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