Can I edit the existing text inside a PDF?

Honestly, no — and neither can any other browser-based PDF editor (including iLovePDF, Smallpdf, PDF24, Sejda, or Adobe Acrobat's free web tier). PDF text is stored as positioned glyphs, not flowing paragraphs, so re-typesetting in-place would shift the entire layout. What you CAN do here, free and without upload: add new text boxes anywhere, place a white rectangle over the old text and type fresh text on top (whiteout), add signatures, highlights, headers, footers, and freehand annotations. If you really need to rewrite the original text, run the PDF through our OCR tool first, then export to Word, edit, and re-save as PDF.

Can I add new text anywhere on the PDF?

Yes. Click anywhere on the page to drop a text box. Choose font, size, color, alignment. Drag to reposition. Works on any page, any PDF, no upload.

Is this PDF editor really free with no watermark and no signup?

Yes. No account required. No watermark on output. No daily cap (unlike Smallpdf's 2-tasks-per-day limit). No file-size limit. The entire editor runs as JavaScript + WebAssembly in your browser, so we have no server cost to recover.

How do I add my signature?

Use the signature tool to draw your signature with mouse, touchpad, or stylus. You can also upload a PNG of an existing signature. Save it once and reuse across documents.

Can I whiteout or hide existing content?

Yes — use the whiteout tool to cover existing text or images with a white (or any color) rectangle, then type fresh text on top. This is the standard workaround when you can't directly edit existing PDF text.

Does my PDF leave my device?

No. Every edit happens locally in your browser using pdf-lib and PDF.js (both open source). There are zero outbound network requests with file content — verifiable in your browser DevTools Network tab. This is why ExactPDF works behind corporate firewalls (Zscaler, Netskope) that block file uploads.

Can I add headers, footers, or page numbers?

Yes — add custom headers and footers to all pages, including page numbers, dates, or custom text. Position, font, and color are configurable.

Is the PDF editing engine open source?

Yes — the underlying engine uses pdf-lib (MIT) for PDF manipulation and PDF.js (Apache 2.0, Mozilla) for rendering. Both are open source and battle-tested.

PDF Editor

100% Private

100% Local

No Signups

PDF Editor

Edit PDFs online - add text, images, and signatures. 100% offline.

Drop your PDF to start editing

Add text, images, signatures, and more — 100% in your browser

Select PDF

100% Private

Instant

Your files never leave your device

Max file size: 150MB

🔒 Your files never leave your device

Need this in a production workflow?

Move from one-off browser work to larger files, background jobs, API automation, and PDF audio when the document flow grows.

Use the API Max plans

Built for larger private PDFs

Up to 150 MB

No upload

Firewall friendly

Most cloud PDF tools need uploads, accounts, or free-tier caps for large files. ExactPDF processes files locally in your browser, supports PDFs up to 150 MB on this tool surface, and never adds a watermark or daily quota.

How It Works

Step 1: Upload Your PDF

Open any PDF in the browser-based editor. All pages render as an editable canvas.

Step 2: Add Text, Images & Signatures

Type text anywhere, insert images, draw signatures, add headers and footers with page numbers.

Step 3: Download Edited PDF

Save your edited PDF with all changes permanently embedded in the document.

Why Use This Tool

Full PDF editing — add text, images, signatures, headers, footers, and page numbers
Works offline after page load — edit confidential documents with zero upload risk
No software installation needed — runs in Safari, Chrome, or Edge on Mac, Windows, and Linux
Free with no watermarks — a practical option when people search for how to edit a PDF free or how to edit a PDF on a Mac without Acrobat

Common Use Cases

Edit PDF documents for contract annotations, form filling, letter personalization, and report modifications. Add signatures to agreements without printing and scanning. Insert headers and page numbers for professional document formatting. Perfect for editing confidential legal, medical, and financial PDFs without uploading to cloud services — including lightweight Mac workflows where you want a free in-browser editor instead of desktop trialware.

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PDF Editor

PDF Editor

Drop your PDF to start editing

Create Blank PDF

Paste from Clipboard

Need this in a production workflow?

Built for larger private PDFs

How It Works

Step 1: Upload Your PDF

Step 2: Add Text, Images & Signatures

Step 3: Download Edited PDF

Why Use This Tool

Common Use Cases

Related Tools

Merge PDFs

Split PDF

OCR PDF

Related Articles

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