How to Edit a PDF on Windows (Free and Paid Options)

You have a PDF on your Windows PC that needs something: a form filled in, a signature, a few highlights, or a sentence that is simply wrong. The tool depends on the edit. For forms, highlights, drawing, and adding new text, open the PDF in Microsoft Edge, which is free. To change text that is already in the PDF, open it in Microsoft Word (it converts the file, and the layout may shift) or use Adobe Acrobat, which is paid.

Match the tool to the edit

Most PDF frustration comes from using a viewer for a job that needs an editor. A viewer like Edge writes on top of the page. An editor like Acrobat changes what the page is made of. Word sits in between: it turns the PDF into a Word document you can edit freely, then saves a new PDF.

What you need to do	Best free choice	Paid or fuller choice	What to watch for
Fill in a fillable form	Microsoft Edge	Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat	Some advanced forms don’t work in Edge
Type on a form that has no fields	Edge (Add text)	Acrobat Fill & Sign	Text sits on top; line it up by hand
Sign a PDF	Edge (Draw)	Acrobat Reader Fill & Sign	A drawn signature isn’t a certified digital signature
Highlight or comment	Edge	Acrobat	Comments may display differently in other apps
Fix a typo or rewrite a paragraph	Word (converts the PDF)	Acrobat Pro Edit PDF	Word may move images and page breaks
Replace an image, delete or reorder pages, redact	LibreOffice Draw (limited)	Acrobat Pro or another PDF editor	Check every page after saving
Edit a scanned page	Word may convert simple scans	Acrobat Pro with OCR	Scans are pictures until OCR runs

If you made the PDF yourself from a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file, there is an easier route that many people miss. Microsoft’s page on how to edit or make changes to a PDF file lists it first: open the original Office file, make the change there, and save it as a PDF again. You get a clean result with no conversion problems.

Add text, draw, highlight, and fill forms in Microsoft Edge

Edge comes with Windows 11 and Windows 10 and opens PDFs without any extra software. It’s the fastest choice for anything you would otherwise do with a pen on paper.

1. In File Explorer, right-click the PDF and choose Open with > Microsoft Edge. If Edge is already your default PDF app, just double-click the file.
2. To type on the page, click Add text in the toolbar at the top, click the spot where the text should go, and type. A small menu lets you change the text color, size, and spacing. You can also right-click the page and choose Add text.

3. To write or sign by hand, click Draw, pick a color and thickness, and draw with your mouse, pen, or finger on a touch screen. Use the eraser to fix a stroke.
4. To mark text, select it, right-click, and choose Highlights with a color. To leave a note, select the text, right-click, and choose Add Comment.
5. For a fillable form, click into each field and type. Check boxes and drop-down lists work the same way.
6. Save. Press Ctrl + S or click the save icon to overwrite the file, or use the Save as option to keep the original untouched and save your filled version under a new name.

Microsoft’s admin documentation for the Microsoft Edge PDF reader confirms the inking, highlighting, commenting, and basic form-filling features, and notes the main limit: forms that rely on JavaScript or XFA (an older Adobe form format) aren’t supported. If a government or bank form looks blank in Edge or won’t accept typing, open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader instead.

The other limit matters more: Edge can’t change the PDF’s original text. Your typing and drawing sit on top of the page. If you need to correct a wrong date that is part of the document, covering it with a white box and new text is a workaround that anyone can spot. Use Word or Acrobat for a real fix.

For forms in detail, including how to flatten a filled form before you send it, see how to fill out a PDF form on Windows. For signatures, the methods are compared in how to sign a PDF document on Windows.

Change the PDF’s existing text in Microsoft Word

Word 2016 and later, including the Microsoft 365 version, can open a PDF and convert it to an editable document. This is the free route if you already have Word, and it works best on PDFs that are mostly text, such as letters, reports, and resumes.

1. Open Word and click File > Open, then Browse to the PDF and open it.
2. Word says it will make a copy of the PDF and convert it into an editable Word document. Click OK. Your original PDF isn’t changed.
3. Edit the text, fix the typo, or replace the paragraph. Check headers, footers, tables, and images, since those are the parts most likely to shift.
4. To make a PDF again, click File > Save a Copy (or Save As, depending on your version), then Browse.
5. In the Save as type list, choose PDF, give the file a new name, and click Save.

Microsoft’s article on how to edit PDF content in Word explains the conversion and its limits: pages and lines can break in different places than the original, and PDFs made from scanned paper may not convert well. Before you save, click More options > Options in the save dialog if you need a page range, accessibility tags, the archival PDF/A format, or a password on the new file. Those settings are listed on Microsoft’s page to save or convert to PDF in Office desktop apps.

A practical example: a cover letter PDF has the wrong company name in two places. Word converts it, you change both names, and you save a copy as PDF. Compare the two files side by side before sending. If the new one runs onto an extra page or a logo moved, adjust the spacing in Word and save again. A longer walkthrough of the opening step is in how to open a PDF in Microsoft Word.

Edit text, images, and pages in Adobe Acrobat

When the layout has to stay exactly as it is, a dedicated PDF editor is the right tool. Adobe Acrobat Pro (paid, with a free trial) edits the text and images inside the PDF rather than converting it. The free Acrobat Reader can view, comment, fill, and sign, but it can’t change existing text.

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat.
2. Choose Edit (or the Edit PDF tool, depending on your version) from the toolbar or tools list.
3. Click inside a text block and type. Acrobat tries to match the original font; if the font isn’t on your PC, it substitutes a similar one.
4. Click an image to move, resize, or replace it, or use the add image option to place a new one.
5. Use the page tools to delete, rotate, reorder, or insert pages, and the redact tool to permanently remove sensitive text.
6. Click File > Save As to keep the original, or Save to overwrite it.

Adobe’s guide to making a PDF editable describes this workflow. Menu names change between Acrobat releases, so if you don’t see Edit PDF, search the tools list for “edit”.

Redaction deserves a warning. Drawing a black box in Edge or Word only hides text visually; the words can still be copied or found by search. A real redaction tool removes the text from the file. If you are sharing anything with account numbers or personal details, use a redaction tool and then search the saved file for the hidden text to confirm it’s gone.

Acrobat online, without installing anything

Adobe also has a browser-based Acrobat online PDF editor. You choose a file, sign in with a free Adobe account, add text, comments, sticky notes, highlights, or drawings, and download the result. It’s handy for a one-off markup on a PC where you can’t install software. The free online editor adds markup but doesn’t change existing text; editing that text needs Acrobat Pro, which Adobe offers as a 7-day free trial, so expect prompts to upgrade.

Other free routes: LibreOffice Draw and Google Docs

If you don’t have Word or Acrobat, two free options can change existing text, each with trade-offs.

LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice is a free office suite. Its Draw app opens a PDF as editable text boxes and shapes, which keeps the layout better than a straight conversion for simple, one-column pages. Open the PDF with LibreOffice Draw, double-click a text box to edit it, and use File > Export As > Export as PDF to save a new PDF. Fonts may be substituted and long paragraphs can break into separate lines, so check each page.

Google Docs

Upload the PDF to Google Drive, right-click it, and choose to open it with Google Docs. Docs converts the text so you can edit it, then File > Download > PDF saves a new file. Formatting suffers more than in Word: images and columns often drop out. It works for getting the words out of a PDF, less so for a polished copy. Here is how to open a PDF in Google Docs and what survives the conversion.

Other PDF editors

Search results also name editors such as Foxit PDF Editor, PDFgear, PDF24, Nitro, and Wondershare PDFelement. Many have free tiers or trials, and their features and prices change often, so check the vendor’s own site before you rely on one. Download only from the developer’s official website or Microsoft Store.

A word on online PDF editors

Browser-based editors are convenient, but you’re uploading the file to someone else’s server. That’s fine for a flyer or a club newsletter. For tax forms, contracts, medical records, ID scans, or anything with account numbers, stick to Edge, Word, or a desktop editor so the file stays on your PC. Many online tools also limit file size or free tasks.

Scanned PDFs need text recognition first

A PDF made by a scanner or a phone camera is usually a picture of the page. You can draw and type on top of it in Edge, but no tool can edit the words until they’re turned into real text by OCR (optical character recognition).

• Quick test: try to select a single word in Edge. If you can’t, or the whole page selects as one block, it’s a scanned image.
• Word: Word may be able to convert a clean scan of typed pages, but Microsoft notes that scanned pages often don’t convert well. Handwriting and faint copies come out poorly.
• Acrobat Pro: its scan and OCR tool turns the image into editable, searchable text, and then the Edit PDF steps above apply.

If you control the scanner, you can often make the PDF searchable at scan time. The scanning side is covered in how to convert a scanned document to PDF on Windows.

When a PDF won’t let you edit it

• It asks for a password to open: you need that password. There’s no legitimate way around it, so ask the sender.
• It opens but editing tools are grayed out: the creator restricted editing, printing, or copying. Ask for an editable copy or the permissions password. Don’t use tools that strip protection from a file you don’t own the rights to.
• It’s a signed document: editing a digitally signed PDF can invalidate the signature. Make changes before signing, or ask the signer to sign the corrected version.
• Edge shows a blank form or won’t let you type in the fields: the form probably uses XFA or JavaScript. Use Acrobat Reader.
• Changes didn’t save: the PDF may be open in another app, stored in a read-only folder, or in a synced folder that is still uploading. Use Save as to a folder like Documents, then check the new file.

Keep the original and check the result

Before you edit anything important, copy the PDF (select it in File Explorer and press Ctrl + C, then Ctrl + V) so you always have the untouched version. While editing, Ctrl + Z undoes the last change in Edge, Word, and Acrobat. After saving, close the file, open the new copy, and scroll through every page. Check that text you added is where you expect it, form fields still hold their values, and nothing moved onto an extra page.

If you only have the original document so far, printing it to PDF on Windows gives you a file to edit in a couple of clicks.

PDF editing questions

Can Edge change the font of text already in the PDF?

No. Edge’s text formatting options apply only to text you add. To change the font or size of existing text, convert the PDF in Word or edit it in Acrobat Pro.

Will converting in Word damage the original PDF?

No. Word works on a converted copy and leaves the original PDF as it was. Save your edited version under a new name so you can tell them apart.

Can I combine two PDFs or delete a page for free?

Edge can’t remove pages. One free workaround is to print the PDF in Edge, choose only the pages you want, and pick Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer; that saves a new PDF without the other pages, but fillable fields and links are flattened. For combining files or real page edits, Acrobat Pro or another PDF editor is the dependable choice.

Which option keeps the layout exactly the same?

Editing the original Office file and saving it as a PDF again, or using a dedicated editor such as Acrobat Pro. Word and Google Docs convert the PDF, so some layout change is normal.

For most everyday jobs, start with Edge, and move to Word or Acrobat only when you need to change words that are already on the page.