Stayput Tools

How to edit a PDF: add text, fix a mistake, mark it up

A PDF is made to look the same everywhere, which is also why it is hard to edit. You usually cannot just click on a word and retype it. What you can do is add new things on top of the page, and that covers most of what people need: filling in a form, correcting a figure, stamping a logo or marking up a draft.

Updated 2 min read

What you can and cannot change

You can add text, pictures, shapes, arrows, highlights and drawings to any page, and move, restyle, copy or delete them at any time before you save. You can cover what is already there with a plain box.

You cannot reflow the existing text the way you would in a word processor. If a paragraph needs rewriting, convert the PDF to Word, edit it there and convert it back, or ask for the original file.

Fill in a form that has no fields

  1. Add the PDF to Edit PDF.
  2. Choose Text, click where the answer goes and type. Press Escape when you are done.
  3. Use the size buttons in the bar under the page to match the size of the printed text, usually 10 to 12.
  4. To tick a box, use Draw to put a cross or a tick in it, or type a ✓ with the Text tool.
  5. Add your signature as a picture with the Picture tool, or sign with Sign PDF afterwards.
  6. For the same item on every page, such as a name in the corner, select it and press "Add to every page".

Correct a mistake

  1. Choose White-out and drag a box over the wrong word or number. The box is white, like the paper.
  2. Choose Text and type the correct word over it. Match the size and font as closely as you can.
  3. Zoom in to line the new text up with the line it sits on, and use the arrow keys to nudge it a point at a time.
  4. Remember that a White-out only hides. The old text is still in the file, so do not rely on it to remove anything private.

Mark up a document

The highlighter multiplies its colour with the page, so the text under it stays readable, just like a real highlighter. Arrows and circles point to what matters, and a few words in a box explain why. Each item can be coloured, resized and sent behind another one. When you save, the marks are part of the page, so they show in every reader and on a printout.

Before you send it

  • Open the saved file and look at every page you changed.
  • Check that text with ₹ or Hindi letters looks right. It is added as a picture, which cannot be selected.
  • If you covered something private, use Redact PDF instead, so it is removed rather than hidden.
  • Keep the original file. The edited one is a separate copy.

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