Change pdf file. Editing text in a PDF file

PDF is everywhere: books, magazines, textbooks, instructions - everything is done in this format, once invented by specialists from Adobe. The format is really convenient, especially for large text files with a lot of images. But if you don’t know how to edit text in PDF, then its advantages fade into the background.

Although there is no need to be angry with PDF. You also edit ordinary text documents through a special program - Word? And you work with tables in Excel, not in Notepad. In general, each format has its own program, sometimes more than one. PDF is no worse: if you have the appropriate software, you can edit it, or Word and perform other operations.

How to Edit Text in PDF

Online editing

If you need to slightly edit one small file, the easiest way to do this is using free online services. I offer two options:

• Pdfescape.com
• Google Drive Applications.

I liked Pdfescape more because it doesn’t slow down when downloading files. Google applications opened for about three minutes, prompting me to select an account, wait a little longer, etc. With Pdfescape everything is easier and faster:

A two-page document loads in 2 seconds. Then you can edit it: add images, rotate or delete pages. As for working with text, you cannot delete it here. But you can cover up the unnecessary part and write something else on top.

If you don't trust third-party services, use applications on Google Drive. First, upload the file to storage.

Right-click on the downloaded document and expand the "Open with" menu. Select DocHub or Lumin PDF.

These services work on the same principle as Pdfescape. What is unnecessary is glossed over, what is necessary is added. Unfortunately, online services provide minimal editing options: close extra text, write something else on top, add notes. If you need more tools, you will have to install special software on your computer to work with PDF.

Using programs

If you have already decided to install an application for editing PDF, then you will not find anything cooler than Adobe Acrobat 11 Pro. There is only one problem: the program is paid. But you can use it for free for 30 days. After the trial period ends, you will have to buy a license or move on to other tools.

Launch Adobe Acrobat and select the Edit task.

A document will appear with the elements already selected. Want to rewrite? Place the cursor, delete unnecessary parts and write what should be.

The necessary tools are pinned in the menu on the right. There you will find tools for editing content, manipulating pages, adding interactive objects (button, video, sound), and setting up security. Simply put, you cannot find more functional software.

Once your Acrobat 11 Pro trial period is over, move on to using Foxit Advanced PDF Editor. This is also a paid editor, but it will work for 30 days without money. The possibilities here are no less than in software from Adobe.

You can rewrite the text, change the size and font, and specify a different alignment. Pictures can be deleted, cropped, or replaced with other images. Unfortunately, the interface has not been translated into Russian, but everything is clear anyway - the icons are the same everywhere.

If you don't want to buy a license or install hacked applications from Adobe or Foxit, then edit the text using Inkscape.

Actually, this is a vector graphics editor like Illustrator or CorelDraw, but it also works with PDF.

You can also change and copy text in Microsoft Word. In versions 2013 and 2016, the ability to open PDF files was added. True, they open only after automatic conversion, so you see not the original document, but its Word copy.

- not the best solution at all. You will be changing the Word version of the file, and when converting back to PDF, problems with layout may arise. Therefore, it is better to do without changing formats. In addition, there are a lot of tools for changing PDF documents. Another issue is that online services are extremely limited in functionality, and the software is mostly paid. But a solution can always be found even without purchasing a license.

Free PDF editing software can be hard to find, but it is possible if you know where to look.

PDF documents are designed to look and behave the same on all devices. This makes this format ideal for distribution, but editing it is a separate issue. Most office programs and photo editors allow you to export documents as PDFs, but editing requires a separate tool. This is because PDF was originally developed by Adobe, which owned it and now owns some of the technologies associated with it. Other companies can use these technologies, but only at a cost that is passed on to users.

There are not many free PDF editors, and even fewer that do not leave any of their own watermarks on documents. That's why we've selected the best free software that won't leave any marks on your work.

Edit your PDF files and create new ones from scratch.

+ Options for PDF conversion
+ Ability to create PDF files from scratch

Among good and free PDF editors, ApowerPDF stands out. It is quite powerful and challenges the best paid programs.

On the main page of the official ApowerPDF website, there are two options for using the product: “Launch online” and “Download to desktop”. Despite their similar appearance, these are different applications. The desktop version is only a trial version of the paid program and will leave its own watermark on your edited PDF files. The software we're looking at here is an online editor (which, however, runs in the video of a separate application) that has no such restrictions.

Click on the service website button “ Launch Online” and you will be asked to download and run a small application, after which the online editor will launch. In it, you can process text (including formatting), add it and images, encrypt documents with a password, convert your PDF file to an image, and add comments. You can even create your own PDF files from scratch, an option usually found only in top editors.

Unlike the desktop application, the online version does not have a tool for removing watermarks, but we think that this is not critical. ApowerPDF is a good PDF editor, just make sure to use the online version.

Another great tool for editing PDF files with built-in OCR functionality.

Optical Character Recognition
+ Text editing
+ Splits and extracts pages
+ There is a Russian interface language

If you need to edit text in PDF, then PDF-XChange Editor is the ideal choice. It allows you to retype, delete and reformat text. In addition, it adapts well if the document uses a font that is not installed on your PC. You can also add comments, split PDF files, and extract pages. With PDF-XChange Editor it's very easy to edit text in PDF format without having to convert it to a Word document.

One of the best features of PDF-Xchange Editor is the ability to use OCR on scanned documents. This is convenient if you only have a printout of the text and not the original file (handouts at a lecture, for example).

Some features that are visible in the menu and toolbar are only available in the paid version of the program (PDF-XChange Editor Plus), but you can hover your mouse over the icon to find out if it is available.

If you still want to try the premium tools (adding polygonal shapes or new text fields, for example), your document will be labeled. Please pay attention to the warning messages below the main toolbar before saving your work.

Sedja

Online application with a good set of tools.

No need to download anything
+ Good selection of editing tools
+ Cloud storage
– Sessions expire after three hours

Free online PDF editor Sedja offers a wide range of tools, with just one caveat: if you work for more than three hours and don't save your document, it will be deleted automatically. This is a fairly long period of time, but this nuance must be kept in mind if the PDF document needs to be edited for a long time.

You can add text and notes, images and links, sign documents, insert ovals and rectangles. There is also a whitening function, although this simply draws a white rectangle and does not remove the data. There is no OCR feature, so you won't be able to edit text in scanned PDF files.

Free online PDF editor that allows you to add new text and images

Supports forms
+ Allows you to add media
– The free version is only available online
– Limit on the number of document pages and its size

There are two versions of PDFescape: a free web app and a paid desktop program. In our case, we use an online editor; If you download the installation version, you will only receive a trial version.

The online editor allows you to create new text fields on the page, but there is no way to edit existing text, unfortunately. You can create simple geometric shapes and, like Sedja, insert white rectangles to shade parts of the document when printing.

PDFescape allows you to select a picture on your PC and drag a rectangle to insert it. You can also insert text fields, creating simple forms - this is a rare and useful feature for a free PDF editor.

PDFsam is a simple but well-designed PDF editor that's great for small tasks that need to be done quickly

Supports splitting and joining
+ Allows you to rotate pages
+ There is a Russian interface language
– Some functions are limited in time

The last three letters of PDFsam's name mean "divide and join" in English, which says a lot about the basic version of the program. But this free PDF editor can do much more.

By downloading this program you will get a free trial, including full editing, object insertion, secure signature and optical character recognition, but once the deadline is up you will be left with a simple but well-developed tool for slicing large documents into pieces for processing or extracting selected pages . PDFsam Basic can also be used to rotate pages, which is very useful if you accidentally scan a document upside down.

There are no tools for changing the original content of the document, but all the options for working with pages are clearly laid out, and you can immediately see which of them are available only in the paid version.

Would you like to suggest something or provide important information about the products on this list? Do you have any other candidates for the title of the best PDF editing program? Use the comment form!

Portable Document Format was developed over 20 years ago as a file format that will always look the same, regardless of the operating system or viewer program the user uses to open it.

In other words, when giving a presentation or sending an important document to a client, you no longer have to worry about the text formatting being broken, the font used in the document not being on the Linux computer, or the images being shifted to the side.

Currently, the PDF format developed by Adobe is widely used for distributing documentation and texts with illustrations of varying complexity. And if there are no difficulties with reading PDF files, since even web browsers open them (although, of course, it is more convenient to use specialized programs), then the question of how to edit a PDF file arises quite often. And this is normal - editing PDF is a little more difficult than the usual txt text files, or Microsoft Office documents - rtf, doc, xls and others.

Let's define it right away, by changing the contents of a PDF file, we will mean not only editing the text itself inside the file, but also changing its structure, adding graphics and using various tools for working with text - highlighting, underlining, creating footnotes and notes, deleting and adding pages and so on.

Another important feature of PDF files that is worth mentioning. A situation often occurs when an image of a scanned page of text is simply inserted inside the PDF document itself, which significantly limits its editing capabilities, but nevertheless, editing is possible if the editor programs have built-in OCR tools for recognizing text in the image (a typical example is the PDFXEdit version with OCR).

• On the left is an example of a page of a PDF document with clear text, on the right is an image inside a PDF file.

As a rule, the difference between similar documents is noticeable to the naked eye.

The PDF standard is characterized by the use of high-quality raster and vector drawings, photographs, scans and screenshots, text with standardized fonts, and even three-dimensional models in the document. Being one of the main documentation formats, PDF files require special software that is not part of the Microsoft Office package to operate.

Such software is divided into three types: readers, editors and combined options. In our review, we will look at the five best free programs for viewing and editing PDF files.

One of the most successful alternatives to Adobe Acrobat for working with PDF documents is PDF-XChange Editor. The program combines the functionality of a viewer and editor, compatible with Microsoft office products. The free Free PDF-XChange Editor and the paid one with the Plus prefix, which has advanced features, are available for download.

The editor allows you to create new electronic documents and import/export elements into PowerPoint, Word and Excel files. The owner of the document can leave his signature, stamp and set a password to restrict access. Each participant in the teamwork can leave their comments in the form of text or audio comments, leave markers on problem areas and make corrections. The software comes complete with the PDF-XChange Lite add-on, a virtual printer for converting graphics and text to PDF.

Although the free program includes a minimum of necessary tools, PDF-XChange Editor Plus offers a greater variety of manipulations with PDF forms. In addition to manual printing, the OCR function is implemented to recognize text on an image and convert it into electronic form. You can also copy a drawing from Compass-3D or AutoCad into a PDF document and continue working on it in the editor interface.

The program interface has a classic look for office editors - the toolbar and tabs are located at the top of the window, and the work area occupies ¾ of its space. At the bottom there is an indication panel of cursor coordinates, buttons for turning and changing the page layout configuration. Drag&drop will make it easier and faster to copy or paste elements between documents. The interface text has been translated into Russian.

Advantages:

• Paid features are available in the free version (the watermark cannot be removed);
• support for third-party formats TXT, DOC, PNG, DOCX, JPEG, BMP, TIFF, RTF;
• interaction with Microsoft Office products;
• inserting web links and stamps;
• document protection with password and electronic signatures;
• a large set of tools for cropping, changing the position and parameters of attachments, drawing and formatting text;
• implementation of OCR text recognition technology;
• classic customizable interface in Russian;

Flaws:

• no obvious shortcomings.

PDFelement

PDFelement is an excellent cross-platform program for reading, editing and converting PDF files on a computer running Windows, Mac OS and Android and iOS mobile devices. The developer and publisher is the Chinese company Wondershare. They offer users two types of paid licenses: Standart and Professional, which have significant differences in functionality.

The process of creating a new or editing an existing PDF document is not significantly different from what we saw in Adobe Acrobat. It also features advanced text formatting, automatic adjustment when moving paragraphs, correction of grammatical and punctuation errors, and a large selection of non-standard fonts. PDFelement Professional is additionally equipped with OCR optical text recognition function from scanned images, screenshots and photographs.

Both versions contain a converter for Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word documents to PDF and vice versa. Without resorting to conversion, you can drag and drop individual attachments and forms from MS Office files into your open PDF document. To simplify the creation of a new form, the user has access to more than 8,000 templates from the internal library. The Professional license adds a batch processing option to convert multiple files at once.

Document protection from accidental or intentional damage is ensured by a complex password with 256-bit encryption to prevent confidential data from being hacked. In the settings, you can specify which actions are subject to blocking (printing, viewing, editing, sending, deleting, etc.). Anyone with access to the document can leave comments or markers on key issues.

Externally, PDFelement strongly resembles the latest MS Word 2019. In addition to the usual panels and tabs, there are also unique elements, for example, a functional collapsible panel on the left side of the window and a miniature block of buttons in the upper left corner. The program has been translated into 9 languages, but Russian is not one of them.

Advantages:

• the program is a direct competitor to Adobe Acrobat;
• many tools for working with graphics, text and CAD attachments;
• high accuracy of text recognition;
• compatibility with MS Office formats;
• a large library of blank forms and fonts;
• batch PDF converter from DOC, DOCX, XLS, PPT, PPTX and other formats;
• encrypting a document with a password;
• Convenient familiar interface.

Flaws:

• Only a trial version with limitations is free;
• no translation into Russian.

PDF Editor

For more than 15 years, the PDF Editor program has remained in demand among users who value the rigor, simplicity and multitasking of this product. The editor's developer is the German company CAD-KAS, specializing in the creation of office software. In addition to the basic paid version, CAD-KAS offers advanced PDF Editor Pro and PDF Editor Objects. You can try each of them without paying by installing a limited demo version.

PDF Editor provides great opportunities for working with text, as if you were working in a full-fledged text editor. The user has access to full formatting, dragging and dropping individual paragraphs, auto-correction of grammatical and punctuation errors, replacing the font with a standard or unique one (from the library) and other basic functions. Unicode support in PDF Editor allows you to read and edit documents in all standardized languages ​​and dialects, as well as use non-standard characters.

The program interface includes a miniature graphic editor. With it, you can change the parameters of attached images directly in the document without leaving the PDF Editor. The editor also includes tools for drawing raster and vector images from scratch, inserting stamps and markers. It allows you to change the page layout, their order and position in the window. To hide confidential data contained in a document, PDF Editor has a masking function. When you open a file in a third-party PDF editor, hidden attachments will be invisible and the rest of the information will remain untouched.

To prepare the finished document in accordance with regulatory standards, the PDF Editor Pro version includes a form editor where you can enter basic data: full name of the owner and developers, date of creation, signature. Individuals with access to the PDF can leave comments below the work.

The PDF Editor interface is relatively simple and does not stand out among its competitors. The upper part of the window is reserved for context menu tabs, action tabs, and control buttons. On the left and right sides there are toolbars for working with dough, graphics, page layout, etc. The interface text is correctly translated into Russian.

Advantages:

• “easy” PDF editor for the system;
• the presence of only basic functions without frills and clutter of tools;
• extensive library of templates in the PDF Editor Objects version;
• document protection with a password and digital signature;
• advanced form editor in PDF Editor Pro;
• support for all versions of Windows, including good old XP;
• There is a demo version for trying out the software;
• simple interface in Russian;

Flaws:

• overpriced licenses, given the mediocre set of functions.

Soda PDF

Soda PDF is a family of programs for working with PDF documents with unlimited possibilities. The program is known for its widest functionality, high quality and optimization for any computer and mobile device based on Windows, Android and iOS. Canadian developer Lulu Software offers several variants of its product: Soda PDF Anywhere, Soda PDF HOME and Soda PDF PREMIUM. Along with them, a free online service, Soda PDF Online, is available for viewing and converting files in an Internet browser.

Soda PDF's capabilities put it on par with the exemplary Adobe Acrobat program, the file formats of which are completely associated with the hero of our review. The same applies to Microsoft Office - all file extensions .doc, .docx, .jpg, .bmp, .rtf, .xls, .pptx, .txt are read and converted by Soda PDF. It is also possible to batch convert several documents at the same time.

To create a new document, the user is provided with a lot of tools and actions, in particular: entering and automatically correcting a test, merging and reorganizing paragraphs from several files, access to a set of basic and custom fonts, formatting the page and fields on it, creating and filling out forms from scratch "or according to a template. In order to make human work easier, Soda PDF has a smart OCR optical text recognizer, which allows you to convert image text into an electronic editable form in several languages.

Soda PDF can work with complex raster and vector graphics, bitmaps, CAD drawings, 3D objects and other attachments. You can insert freshly captured photos or a hand-drawn drawing directly into the Soda PDF interface. The owner of the document has the right to set his own stamp/watermark, electronic signature and password. For other project participants, access rights can be simplified with the ability to leave comments and edits. The PDF document can be published to the Soda cloud or Google Drive.

The appearance of Soda PDF is almost a copy of MS Office with the exception of some minor details. This can be called a plus, since the location of the main buttons and tools is intuitive at first glance. All interface elements have been translated into Russian.

Advantages:

• a serious competitor to Adobe in terms of PDF editing capabilities;
• a large selection of several options with different functionality;
• association with MS Office formats;
• there is an OCR text recognizer;
• an expanded library of templates and ready-made forms;
• PDF converter for one or more files at the same time;
• High degree of protection of work from outsiders;
• Practical Russian-language interface.

Flaws:

• The free trial version has functional and time limitations.

PDF Candy

Surely everyone reading the article is wondering, where is a truly free PDF editor without restrictions in functionality and time of use? This is the online PDF Candy service from IcecreamApps. It gives you the basic tools you need to work with PDF documents without paying a penny to use them. There is also an offline analogue of the service in the form of a free program on Windows OS.

PDF Candy is the ideal free PDF editor for everyday tasks at school and work. Here you can remove and add text from other documents, add and change graphic attachments, insert geometry and change sheet parameters. The capabilities of the “candy” are quite modest, but they are more than enough for urgent, simple editing.

Having visited the service’s website, a shortcut panel appears in front of the user, where, in addition to the PDF editor, there are many additional tools. Here you can do everything that you can do in paid analogues: combine PDF files, convert and insert MS Office files into them, format pages and metadata, add headers and footers, set/remove document passwords and much more. A separate point worth mentioning is the image text recognizer, which interprets it into a digital editable form in 10 languages, including English and Russian.

The entire service interface is represented by the main page with shortcuts and the work area of ​​the selected tool. In a Windows program, the toolbar is located on the left side of the window, and on the right is the contents of the document or the path to the file. Both products contain Russian language.

Advantages:

• PDF Candy is a completely free project;
• access to all modern tools and options;
• there is no need to install the program, although such an option is provided;
• there are no clear system requirements - calculations are performed on the server;
• downloading data from Google Drive and Dropbox;
• comfortable interface in Russian.

Flaws:

• low functionality and flexibility of the editor.

Bottom line

We believe that with this article we have fully covered the topic of choosing a PDF editor, thoroughly analyzing all the features of the programs, and for each of them we have identified the key advantages and disadvantages. The last thing we can do is find the target consumer for some of the products reviewed.

For use at work and at home, the best option is PDF-XChange Editor and PDFelement. Both programs have powerful functionality, an association with common office files, and an interface that is comfortable for long-term work. If necessary, the user can always upgrade the program to a paid advanced version.

Soda PDF is positioned as a more versatile professional solution for the office and home. Mobile applications from Soda will help you correct a document and get acquainted with the projects of your colleagues, anywhere and at any time. However, there is more emphasis on purchasing paid licenses.

In other cases, when you do not need huge functionality, PDF Candy is perfect for editing PDF documents. It is completely free, which is useful for schoolchildren, students and small private organizations. The online service eliminates the need to be tied to a computer and the need to download and install software.

The ability to edit PDF will help you in many cases. For example, when pages in a scanned contract file are missing, mixed up or turned upside down, when you need to remove some pages from the document or add a photo and your signature to it. All this can be easily fixed if you have Movavi PDF editor at hand - a convenient tool for working with PDF in Russian. Download the Windows or Mac version of the program and, in a few simple steps, edit the document as you need.

Unlike editing PDF online, you do not need an Internet connection to work, all the necessary functions are available in one program, and, most importantly, all information is reliably protected from unauthorized access. Read the instructions below on how you can edit PDF documents.

How to Edit a PDF Using the Navigation Pane

• Step 1. Install Movavi PDF Editor

  Download the application, run the installation file and follow the on-screen instructions. In a couple of minutes the application will be ready to use and you can edit your PDF document.

• Step 2: Add a file

  Launch the PDF editor, click Open file and select the desired document. You can also drag a file into the workspace directly from the folder it is in.

• Step 3: Edit the document

  In the navigation panel on the left, select the desired page or several pages (to do this, hold down Shift and click on each one), and right-click on any of them. The pages will be marked with a blue background.

  In the context menu that opens, left-click on the desired editing function and edit the document.

• Step 4: Save changes

  Go to menu File. To commit changes to the original document, select Save. To save the edited document as a separate file, select Save as, give the document a name and specify a save folder.

Edit PDF in Page Management mode

• Step 1. Download and install the PDF editor

  Download the version of the program for the OS you need using the blue buttons on the page. Run the installation file and install the program.

• Step 2: Open the desired document

  Click the button Open file and select the desired document from the list or simply drag it into the area of ​​the program window indicated by the blue dotted line.

• Step 3: Go to Page Management Mode

  Click on the icon Page management in the second line of the top menu to switch to this mode. It is most convenient for working with multi-page files.

• Step 4: Edit PDF

  To designate a page to change, click on it with your mouse. To select a group of pages, hold down Shift and click on the first and last pages. To select scattered pages, press and hold Ctrl and click on each one. Then use the desired editing option in the right menu.

• Step 5: Commit your changes

  Go to menu File in the left corner of the top menu and save changes to the current file via Save or in a new document - via Save as.

How to insert an image on a page

• Step 1. Download and install the program

  Download Movavi PDF Editor and install it on your computer by following the on-screen prompts. This will take 2-3 minutes.

• Step 2: Import the desired file

  Use the button Open file in the editor's start window or the ability to drag and drop to open the document.

• Step 3. Open the image and add it to the document

  Select an option Image from the dropdown menu Editing and double click on the picture you need.

  The image will appear on the file page. Place it in the desired area and adjust the size using the corner markers.

• Step 4. Save the editing result

  Save a new version of the document through the menu File top left: Save– in the current file, Save as- in the new one.

  Set the resulting drawing to the desired position on the page and adjust the size using one of the corner markers.

• Step 4: Commit your changes