Hi all! Dmitry Kostin is with you as usual. You know, there are often situations when you need to change something in the text of a PDF file, but for many users this simply seems like something impossible, because this type of document essentially cannot be edited. Ahhhh! Guard! What to do then? Don't panic. Today I will tell you how to edit text in a PDF document, in several ways at once.

The only thing you need to consider is the origin this file. It can be formed both from text (then there are exactly zero problems) and from pictures. And if it suddenly turns out that the file itself contains scanned images with text, then there are only 2 options:

• Or recognize the entire document, and then with the same pages, but in text format.
• Or upload the file to the Photoshop graphic editor, and there you can demonstrate the wonders of working with graphics, selecting fonts from pictures, etc.

But both of these methods are terribly hemorrhoids, so we will start from the fact that PDF is originally of textual origin.

Adobe Acrobat

This is the most official way for direct editing. Therefore, we will consider it first. There is really one problem. If the reader ( Adobe Reader) is absolutely free, then the editor itself already costs money. On this moment- this is a little less than 1000 rubles per month. But of course, most people download this program for free from torrents...shhhh...I didn't tell you that).

Editing from Word

There is another interesting method that will suit your needs. True, it takes a little longer, but it is no less effective and free. Our favorite text message will help us with this Microsoft editor Word. And, by the way, even here there are two options for how this can be implemented.

Word

Word itself has had the ability to open documents in PDF format for quite some time. Moreover, they are loaded not in the form of pictures, but, as expected, in the form of text. All you have to do is just open Microsoft Word and open required document.

The only problem is that it may not look exactly like the original file. By the way, we are warned about this even when opening the file. Due to different indents and fonts, each page may contain a different number of words and paragraphs. In addition, if the file contains drawings, they may also move out.

But in general, you can edit the text as you wish. After all, you already work in regular Word, which is essentially created for writing and editing documents. All that remains for you is to save the file in the same PDF, because latest versions offices allow this.

Small PDF

Let's now look at another way. For example I will use my favorite online PDF converter, namely SmallPDF. I have already described how to work with it, so I won’t go on for long.

Just go to the website and select an item from PDF to WORD, and then follow the instructions. Once the document is ready, download it and see if there are any flaws.

I would like to say in defense of this method that shortcomings can be found here, but they are almost invisible compared to direct opening in Word. Here, even the drawings do not fit on the text but stand exactly where they should be. So if u work through text editor, then it’s better through SmallPDF.

But remember that only 2 operations per hour are available for free. If you want to perform a third operation, you will see a countdown timer when this option becomes available to you. But if this is a priority for you, then I recommend purchasing paid access. Still, it is quite inexpensive.

Pseudo-editors

I've noticed that many people like to list a huge list of applications and online services for editing text in PDF documents, but in reality this turns out to be not exactly what end users expect. As a rule, you can insert new images and write new text there, but it is not possible to edit existing content there.

In general, according to my observations, the methods that I described above are the best for our needs, so I suggest you use them. Although my search does not end there, and if I find something new, I will definitely share this information with you.

Well, that's all for me. Don't forget to subscribe to blog updates. Good luck to you. Bye bye!

Best regards, Dmitry Kostin.

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a format developed by the software company Adobe Systems and designed for storing, viewing and printing electronic documents on different operating systems- both stationary and mobile.

PDF files can contain text, images, fillable forms, multimedia objects (video, audio, interactive tools), signatures, hyperlinks, javascript scripts, attachments and much more. If there are no problems with reading such documents, fortunately a lot of free applications, like Adobe Reader, Foxit Reader etc., then with editing things are more complicated. Only a few programs can edit a PDF file, or rather, its contents. And today I will introduce you to the best of them.

Adobe Acrobat Pro and Standard

Adobe Acrobat Pro and Standard are the only software that allows you to edit any content of a PDF file: from page layout to javascript script. Here is a basic list of its capabilities:

• Inserting, deleting, replacing, moving, cutting pages.
• Rotate pages vertically and horizontally.
• Changing the layout: adding and removing headers, footers, background, watermarks, numbering.
• Editing text.
• Working with pictures: adding, deleting, resizing, rotating, cropping, as well as transferring them to Adobe graphic editors - Photoshop and Illustrator (if installed) directly from the program itself.
• Managing interactive objects - buttons, video, flash video, audio, 3D shapes (adding, deleting, customizing).
• Create and edit fillable forms (text fields, radio buttons, checkboxes, etc.) based on an existing PDF document or template.
• Preparing a file for printing - setting margins, converting colors, adding typographical marks, etc.
• Create, edit and append to a file javascript scripts.
• Adding signatures, certificates, notes, attachments, hyperlinks, bookmarks.
• Installing and removing protection (prohibiting document modification, encryption, etc.).
• Permanently deleting (erasing) content from a file.

In fact, Adobe Acrobat Standard and Pro make it possible to modify any objects that a PDF document contains, if the protection function is not enabled. The program is good in everything except the price. An annual subscription to Adobe Acrobat Pro will cost 454 rubles per month if paid annually. If you pay monthly, you will have to pay 757 rubles a month. Price full versions product price is obscenely high - more than 20,000 rubles for Standard and more than 30,000 rubles for Pro.

Foxit PhantomPDF Standard and Business

The editor (not to be confused with Foxit Reader) is the second most powerful tool for editing PDF content. It also allows you to change almost everything in a document, and the majority of users will not notice any restrictions in it in comparison with Adobe. On the contrary - Foxit Phantom PDF has its own graphic editor, although it is simple, but Adobe Acrobat does not.

Foxit PhantomPDF features include:

• Combining several PDF files into one, as well as dividing one into several separate parts.
• Adding, reordering and deleting pages.
• Changing the page layout.
• Edit text in paragraphs while maintaining the layout of the original document.
• Breaking text into blocks, moving and resizing the block.
• Built-in vector and raster images.
• Editing background, footers, watermarks.
• Adding color gradients to objects.
• Convert text to image.
• Creating and editing fillable forms.
• Adding javascript scripts.
• Create 2D barcodes based on information entered into forms.
• Redacting confidential data before publication.
• Commenting on a document, attaching files as comments.
• Add signatures, certificates, encryption, security policies, and other security features.

Most features are available in both Standard and Business versions. But some, such as working with images, adding color gradients, dynamic watermarks, enhanced security - only in Buisness.

The pleasure of using a legal copy of Foxit PhantomPDF will cost less than Adobe Acrobat: “only” $106.80 for the Standard version and $154.80 for the Business version.

Microsoft Word and Libre Office

Edit text in PDF with using Microsoft Word is also acceptable, but only in the last two editions - 2013 and 2016. However, in terms of capabilities, this option is much inferior to the previous two. It is useful when you need to transfer some information from PDF to ordinary document MS Word, because when opened in Word PDF the file is usually noticeably distorted. Blocks of text in it are out of place, and in general the page layout does not look the same as it was originally. Especially if the original file was created in another application.

To work with PDF in operating systems other than Windows (although in it too), devils are sometimes used. paid program Libre Office, similar in functionality to office suite Microsoft and its replacement. It copes with our task better than Word, since it opens documents without significant distortion. And problems, if they arise, are associated, as a rule, with replacing fonts (when instead of a missing font, another similar one is substituted into the document).

Unlike MS Word, Libre Office allows you to edit PDF text content - blocks, headings, lists, tables, hyperlinks, as well as add and delete pages and insert and remove pictures.

Online PDF editors

The ability to edit PDF online also exists, but to a lesser extent. With the help of web services, you can add something to the source data, fill out forms, rotate and move pages, make notes and nothing more. Some services allow you to edit text, but not in the usual way, but by applying a “patch” to match the background color and creating a new entry on top of it.

Let's get acquainted with three free web-based PDF editors that do not require registration, and compare their capabilities with each other.

PDFzorro

PDFzorro is a popular English-language Internet resource for page-by-page editing of PDF files. Here are its main functions:

• Rotate pages in 90 o increments.
• Changing page size (A3 -> A4).
• Copying and deleting the selected block. All content is copied as an image.
• Export the page as an image.
• Selecting part of a document in separate file.
• Adding text notes and comments.
• Covering part of the content with a “patch” with the ability to write over it.
• Drawing and highlighting with the Pen tool.
• Filling out forms.
• Permanently deleting a file from the site after editing.

The strengths of PDFzorro, as well as other similar services, are their availability on any platform and a simple and intuitive interface. The disadvantage is some clumsiness.

The editor is slightly different from the previous one. It has a little more functions and, in my opinion, a more convenient organization of the menu: tools for inserting objects, creating notes and working with pages are separated into separate groups.

PDFescape features include:

• Insertion of a “white patch” over which you can write notes.
• Insert text, images, hyperlinks, shapes, handwritten objects.
• Filling out forms.
• Adding notes, comments, highlighting text with a marker, underlining, outlining with a frame.
• Add, move, rotate, straighten, delete and trim pages.
• Setting document protection.
• Send for printing directly from the browser.

In addition, registered users can store their documents on the PDFescape server and share them with others.

- one of the few web resources that work for free and in Russian. With its help, PDF documents can be divided, combined, encrypted (set restrictions on actions) and decrypted (removed restrictions). And also - convert Postscript files to PDF. Free PDF Tools does not contain tools for editing content.

PDF 24 Creator - an example of a free PDF editing program

Surely you want to know if it is possible to edit the contents of PDF files in the same way as in Adobe Acrobat, but for free? Unfortunately, there are no free applications of this type. All multifunctional editors cost money, and decent money at that. But if you need only some of their functions, for example, only protection or operations with pages, the free multilingual PDF24 Creator program with support for Russian, Ukrainian and many other languages ​​is suitable for you.

Here is a partial list of its capabilities:

• File Conversion various types to PDF.
• Change basic file properties, including author name and title.
• Merging and separating documents.
• Extract text to paste into text file.
• Quickly drag and drop pages from one PDF file to another.
• Sorting, copying, pasting, deleting pages.
• Setting and resetting security settings (setting document access rights, password protection).
• Adding watermarks and stamps, signatures.
• File compression with different quality levels. Saving in formats graphic editors.
• Sending by e-mail and printout.

PDF24 Creator is free for both home and business users. Download and enjoy.

For convenience, we distinguish four types of programs: viewers (for reading and annotating), editors (for editing text and other content), managers (for splitting, compressing and other manipulations with files) and converters (for PDF conversion to other formats). Most of the applications listed in this article can be classified into several types.

Completely free programs

These applications are not the most functional, but all their features are available without restrictions.

• Type: viewer, manager, converter.
• Platforms: Windows.

This small program does not allow you to edit the contents of PDF documents, but is useful for many other operations with the format.

What you can do in PDF24 Creator:

• view PDF;
• combine documents into one file;
• recognize text in PDF;
• compress files;
• convert PDF to JPEG, PNG, BMP, PCX, TIFF, PSD, PCL and other formats;
• set a password for files or disable it;
• break documents into pages;
• extract selected pages.

• Type: viewer, converter.
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Although the popular LibreOffice software package is designed to work with Word formats, the Draw application included in it can edit PDF documents. And the Writer program from the same package can be used as a converter.

What you can do in LibreOffice:

• view PDF documents;
• convert DOC and other Word formats to PDF;
• edit text;
• draw in a document.

• Type: viewer, converter.
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.

Fast and convenient PDF reader with different modes viewing. Ideal for users who want a simple document reader without the clutter additional functions. The program is available on all major platforms.

What you can do in Foxit Reader:

• view, highlight and comment on text;
• look up words and phrases;
• convert PDF to TXT;
• fill out forms and sign documents.

The mobile version of Foxit Reader allows you to edit text and other document content, but only as part of a paid subscription.

Shareware applications

These programs offer greater functionality for working with PDFs, but with some limitations. You can use stripped-down free versions or subscribe with a full set of tools.

• Type: viewer, editor, converter, manager.
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

Very intuitive and convenient program. When you launch Sejda PDF, you will immediately see all the tools grouped by category. Select the one you need, drag the required file into the program window and start manipulating. Most PDF actions in this application can be completed in a few seconds, even if you are using it for the first time.

What you can do in Sejda PDF:

• combine and separate documents by page;
• compress file size;
• convert PDF to JPG and Word (and vice versa);
• protect documents with a password and disable it;
• add watermarks;
• discolor documents;
• trim page area;
• sign documents.

Free version allows you to perform no more than three operations per day.

• Type
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

PDFsam cannot boast of being polished to perfection and user-friendly interface. But the program has several useful management functions that are available to everyone without payment or any restrictions.

What you can do in PDFsam:

• merge PDF;
• split PDF by pages, bookmarks (in places with specified words) and size into separate documents;
• rotate pages (if some of them were scanned upside down);
• extract pages with specified numbers;
• convert PDF to Excel, Word and PowerPoint formats (paid);
• edit text and other file contents (paid).

3. PDF‑XChange Editor

• Type: viewer, manager, converter, editor.
• Platforms: Windows.

A very functional program with a classic style interface office applications Microsoft. PDF-XChange Editor is not very beginner friendly. To master all the features, you need to spend some time. Fortunately, all internal descriptions and tips have been translated into .

What you can do in PDF‑XChange Editor:

• edit and highlight text;
• add annotations;
• recognize text using OCR;
• edit non-text content (paid);
• encrypt documents (paid);
• convert PDF to Word formats, Excel and PowerPoint and vice versa (paid);
• compress files (paid);
• sort pages in any order (paid).

• Type: viewer, manager, converter, editor.
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS.

A popular universal program for working with PDF from Adobe. The free version is a very convenient cross-platform document viewer; other functions are available by subscription.

What you can do in Adobe Acrobat Reader:

• highlight and comment on text, search for words and phrases;
• edit text and other content (paid);
• combine documents into one file (paid);
• compress files (paid);
• in Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats (paid);
• convert images JPG formats, JPEG, TIF and BMP to PDF (paid).

All these features and more are available in desktop versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Mobile versions They only allow you to view and annotate documents, and also (after subscribing) convert them into different formats.

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 isn't much free editors PDF and even fewer that do not leave any of their 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 home page The official ApowerPDF website has two options for using the product: “Run online” and “Download to desktop”. Despite the 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. Software, which we are considering here, is an online editor (which, however, runs in the video of a separate application) that does not have 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, online versions There is no tool for removing watermarks, but we think that this is not critical. ApowerPDF - good editor PDF files, just make sure to use the online version.

Another great tool for editing PDF files with built-in optical character recognition.

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 best features PDF-Xchange Editor – the ability to use optical recognition in scanned documents. This is convenient if you only have a printout of the text and not original file(handouts at lectures, 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
+ A good choice 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 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 shapes- This is a rare and useful feature as 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 in the PDFsam name English language means “divide and join,” which says a lot about the basic version of the program. But this one free pdf the editor can do much more.

Loading this program you will receive a free trial including full editing, object insertion, secure signature and optical character recognition, but once the deadline is up, you'll 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.

Do you want to suggest or inform something? important information about the products on this list? Do you have other candidates for the title? the best program for editing PDF documents? Use the comment form!

And again, hello! It's me again, and we're talking about the PDF format again. More precisely, about how and with what program you can edit PDF files. By the word “edit”, I do not mean full-fledged editing of PDF files, as in Word, with full formatting of text, pictures and the like, but, so to speak, a lightweight option, when you need to replace one word with another or insert notes, again – add or delete a page. In general, make an easy adjustment.

In my practice, there was a case when it was necessary to urgently change the inscriptions on the drawing and correct some dimension lines. Of course, there was an idea to use Photoshop or Corel, but for me this is not an option. After all, it is necessary to then perform various actions with layers, colors, and so on - a rather complicated procedure, and it requires a lot of unnecessary movements.

Therefore, as the unforgettable leader of the proletariat used to say, I went the other way, namely towards the Internet, where I found a wonderful program - fast, convenient and shareware. Yes, the program is not free, but... how often do you have to edit PDF documents. I think not often, well, about five times a month, maximum, unless of course you are in the printing business.

That’s why we won’t bother ourselves about whether this or that software product is paid or free. The question of which programs are better to use - paid or free - is controversial, of course, this can be discussed and discussed for a long time, so I will write a separate post on this topic, and you subscribe to news from the blog so as not to miss anything interesting...

If you really have to edit, just edit, and not review, that is, make various marks, comments or comments, then it makes sense to use something paid, for example, Acrobat Pro, this is where you can go wild in terms of PDF editing, but the options not cheap, although if you scour torrents, you can find a broken version, but... I didn’t tell you that.

I got distracted, let's get back to editing PDF files. A program for editing PDF documents – FoxitPDFEditor. As I wrote above, there are several other programs for editing, but I like this one. For example, I will take two files - one with a drawing, the other with text.

Small note: In this way, you can only edit PDF files created from source programs using or, that is, if drawings, then AutoCAD or Compass, and if texts and tables, then Word, Excel and other similar text or spreadsheet editors.

Editing PDF files with drawings

So, there is a drawing and you need to put inscriptions on it and adjust some dimensions and callouts. Go! Here's a drawing:

Let's make inscriptions instead of callouts and replace some dimensions. Open the required file in FoxitPDFEditor and start editing... Let's take a look!

If we briefly describe the whole process, we get the following:

• Launch PDFEditor
• Opening required file with a drawing (once again, please note that the PDF file must be created from the original source)
• We edit the drawing as if in AutoCAD. Select the necessary lines, move them, add dimensions, etc.

Well, something like this... If you don’t understand, ask, don’t be shy.

Editing PDF files with text and pictures

There is a file created from primary source programs, I have this part of the article, which you can read in full.

We will change the size of the text and pictures, we will not delete desired page and add what you need and some other little things. Let's see!

The editing principle is similar to editing in vector editor(Corel, Illustrator). All pictures and text in the edited file become objects that can be selected, changed or deleted. Moreover, not only text and pictures, but even pages can be deleted or added, which is shown in the video.

Please note that the videos must be watched sequentially, because there are some nuances in the first video that are not mentioned in the second. For example, how to correctly add text blocks and some other points.

The article turned out to be long, but, I hope, informative. Let's summarize and draw conclusions.

conclusions

Due to the fact that the PDF format is not intended for editing, there are nevertheless situations when it is necessary to make some changes to PDF documents.

For this purpose they were developed special programs for editing PDF format, but out of all the variety, only one was considered in this article, but, in my opinion, the most convenient. With some skill, you can edit files in this program no worse than in Word.

It only remains to mention that FoxitPDFEditor is now called Foxit Phantom PDF. Paid option, about a hundred green American rubles Those who want to use the new version of the above program will have to pay. For those who don't care a new version or not new - Google to the rescue...

Thank you for your attention! And if something is not clear, do not hesitate to write...

P.S. For dessert I offer you a very dramatic cat. Relax and smile!