How to edit text in a PDF file

Why editing a PDF is harder than editing a Word file

In a Word document the text flows continuously and the program wraps the lines itself. In a PDF every line, and often every word, is placed at a specific spot on the page together with information about the font. Changing one word doesn’t move the rest of the paragraph, so the editor has to deal with the length of the new text, matching the font and covering the old text. That is why small corrections (a typo, a date, an amount) work well, while rewriting whole pages is better done in the source file.

What you can do in the PDFowo editor

• Correct existing text: the “Edit text” tool lets you click a word or select a passage and type the new version. The editor tries to use the font from the document.
• Add your own text, a note or a stamp anywhere on the page.
• Highlight, draw, add an arrow, a box or an ellipse to make something stand out.
• Insert an image, e.g. a scan of a signature or a logo, and rotate or resize it.
• Add links and form fields (text field, checkbox) that you can then fill in with any PDF reader.
• Crop and rotate pages and change their order in the thumbnail panel.
• Search for text with Ctrl+F, also by patterns such as e-mail addresses or account numbers.

Scans: recognise the text first

A scanned document is an image, not text. To correct it, the characters have to be recognised first. In the editor you will find an OCR button above the page: once you run it, the program reads the text from the image, and you can edit it like normal text. The result depends on the quality of the scan: the sharper and straighter it is, the fewer mistakes. After recognition, always read through the corrected text.

How to save your changes

When you have finished, click “Save PDF”. The edits are applied to the file and you download a new document, while the original on your drive stays unchanged. Everything happens in the browser, so a confidential document is not sent anywhere. The editor also autosaves a working copy on your own computer, which helps recover work after accidentally closing the tab.

Limits and good practice

• If you can, edit the source file (Word, Excel) and export the PDF again. That always gives the best result.
• Don’t change the content of documents you have no rights to, especially contracts and certificates. Altering someone else’s document can have legal consequences.
• After editing, open the file in another browser or reader and check that it looks the same.

A small example: correcting a date in an offer

You sent an offer with the wrong expiry date and the client has already opened it. Instead of generating the document again, load the file into the editor, choose “Edit text” and click the date. Type the correct version, and the editor covers the old text and inserts the new one, matching its size and font to the surroundings. Check it zoomed in, save and send the correction with a short note that one detail has changed.

If the change concerns important terms (the price, the conditions), it is better to issue a new version of the document with a new number or date than to quietly correct the old one. That protects both sides.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change the font and size of the text?

Yes. The editor tries to use the font from the document, and for new text you can choose a typeface (Sans, Serif, Mono), bold, italics and size.

Why does the corrected text look slightly different?

If the font in the document lacks the characters needed (e.g. accented letters), the editor uses a similar-looking substitute font. Whole selected words or lines are edited.

Can I undo a change?

Yes. The undo button and Ctrl+Z work step by step, and Ctrl+Y redoes a change.

Will editing work on a scanned document?

First run text recognition (OCR) above the page. Then the recognised words can be edited, and it is worth checking the result for errors.