How to Edit a PDF on Your Phone

To edit a PDF on your phone, open the Edit PDF tool, choose the file, pick a tool such as Text or Highlight, tap or drag on the page, and tap Save edited PDF. You get a new PDF with your changes on top of the original pages.

It works in your browser, so nothing is installed and your file is not uploaded. This guide shows each tool, and it is honest about what editing in the browser cannot do.

What you need

• The PDF on your phone
• A rough idea of what you want to add: words, a highlight, a tick, a drawing or a picture
• A few minutes

Steps to edit a PDF

1. Open the Edit PDF tool, tap the box and choose your PDF. The pages appear one under another, with a toolbar above them.
2. To add text, tap Text, then tap the page where the words should start. Type in the Text box under Settings. Change the size, the colour or Bold there as well.
3. To mark something, tap Highlight and drag over the words. Use Line, Arrow, Box, Oval or Pen the same way: drag on the page. With Pen, draw with your finger or mouse.
4. To tick a box, tap Tick or Cross and tap the spot. Tap Date to put today’s date where you tap. Tap Picture to add a JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC photo from your phone.
5. To change something you added, tap Select (it is chosen again after each item), then tap the item. Drag it to move it. Drag a corner dot, or pinch with two fingers, to resize it. Use Delete the selected item to remove it. Undo and Redo step through your changes.
6. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in for careful work. The small page numbers above the pages jump to a page.
7. Tap Save edited PDF, then download the new file. Open it and check each page before you send it.

What each tool is for

• Text is for filling in a line, adding a note or typing over a blank space.
• White-out paints a white box. It is useful to hide a mistake visually before you type a new word on top. It does not remove anything. More on that below.
• Highlight adds a see-through colour that lets the words show through.
• Line, Arrow, Box and Oval are for pointing at things and marking areas.
• Pen is for circling, underlining and quick marks.
• Picture adds a photo, a stamp or a signature picture.
• Tick, Cross and Date are quick marks for forms with no fillable boxes.

Important: white-out does not hide anything

The White-out box only lays white paint over the page. The words underneath are still stored in the file. Anyone can select them, copy them, or move the box away.

Do not use it to hide an account number, an address or an ID number. For that, use Redact PDF, which removes the content for good. Our guide on hiding personal information in a PDF shows how, and how to test the result.

What editing cannot do

Edit PDF adds new things on top of the page. It keeps the original page content exactly as it is. That has good and bad sides.

• Good: the original text stays real text, and the quality of the page does not change.
• Not possible: changing the words that are already in the PDF, or moving them around. To change a word, cover it with a white-out box and type the new word on top, or ask the person who made the file for an editable copy.
• Fonts: English and Western European text is written as real text in a standard font. Hindi, Malayalam and Arabic are drawn by your browser and added as a picture, so they look right but cannot be selected.

Other tools for related jobs

• If the PDF has fillable boxes, Fill PDF Form is quicker. Our guide on filling a PDF form explains it.
• To add a signature, use Sign PDF. Read our guide on signing a PDF on your phone for what a signature picture is and is not.
• To join or reorder files, use Merge PDF.

You can use these tools one after another on the same file. Save the result of one, then choose it in the next.

Tips for neat results

• Zoom in before you place small things, such as a tick in a tiny box.
• Use the arrow keys on a computer to nudge a selected item by one point. Hold Shift to move it by ten.
• Keep text short. Long paragraphs are easier to type in a word processor.
• Check on a bigger screen if the PDF is important, before you send it.
• Keep the original. The tool makes a new copy and never changes your file.

Common problems

I cannot select the item I want. Tap its middle, or tap the line itself for a thin line. For a tiny item, zoom in first.

The page scrolls when I try to draw. Choose a tool first. While a drawing tool is chosen, dragging on the page draws and does not scroll.

My Hindi text looks fine but cannot be selected. That is expected. It is added as a picture so that it looks right.

The saved file looks different from the screen. The preview and the file use the same positions. Zoom in on the saved PDF and compare. If a line looks thicker, change its thickness and save again.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit the existing text in a PDF?

Not directly. The tool adds new text, shapes and pictures on top of the page. To change an existing word, cover it with a white-out box and type the new word on top.

Is the white-out box safe for private information?

No. It only covers the page. The words underneath are still in the file. Use Redact PDF to remove private details for good.

Will the quality of my pages change?

No. The original page content is not redrawn, so text stays sharp and real. Only the things you add are new.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. The editing and saving happen inside your browser, on your device. Your file is never sent to our servers.

Can I undo a mistake?

Yes. Use Undo and Redo, or delete the selected item. Your original file is never changed.