If you want to edit a PDF or fill up in a PDF form, yous may be thinking that your only option is to impress it out, make full it in with a pen and so scan it or photo information technology and ship information technology back. Luckily it's not necessary to get to such lengths. There are complimentary apps that brand it easy to edit text in a PDF, including adding your signature, adding comments, and redacting data. You can also combine lots of PDFs, rotate pages, reduce the size, and even convert PDFs to Word, Excel and other file types. Best of all it doesn't accept to cost a thing.

Here nosotros expect at a drove of PDF apps that are either completely costless, or have a gratuitous trial version with a lot of the necessary functionality for a one-off PDF editing requirement.

Some of these apps do certain things amend than others, and so the best PDF editor for you lot will depend on what your particular needs. For example, if you want a PDF editor that can apply OCR (optical character recognition) to read the text on a page you have scanned, and allow you to edit it, nosotros have an pick that can allow you lot to do that.

Alternatively, if you are looking for a PDF editor that's simple to use and flexible enough to allow you fill up in a form without pulling out your hair, we take one beneath. We take fifty-fifty found a PDF tool that volition let you import a PDF into Word (or Pages) and edit it there.

Nosotros take looked at the post-obit features and abilities of the PDF Editors reviewed here:

Import: How faithful to the original PDF is the PDF editor? Does it maintain fonts and spacing? Can yous open the PDF in Word, Excel etc?

Editing: Can you lot select text from the original PDF? Is the new text added in a separate text box? How easy is it to edit and delete content from the PDF? Tin y'all move content around? Does the text you add maintain the style and formatting of the original PDF? Can you add hyperlinks or attach documents? Can yous add images?

Collaboration: What markup tools are available? Tin can you highlight, underline, or strikethrough text? Can you utilise freehand drawing tools and an eraser. Can you add stamps? Tin you runway who reads and edits?

Signing: Tin can you add a signature? Is this signature scanned, imported, or typed? How many signatures tin can you lot save?

Saving: Tin can you resize the PDF? Tin yous stitch pages from multiple docs? Can you delete pages? Can you rotate pages?

Detect & Replace: Can the PDF editor search the PDF? Tin yous detect and supercede words? Tin can you redact words?

OCR: Can the PDF editor read a scanned folio - and tin you edit that?

Watermark: Does it add a watermark? Tin you lot add your ain watermark?

Don't forget that macOS comes with some PDF editing capabilities of its own in Preview, and you tin can read a bit more virtually how to work with it intips for using Preview to edit a PDF on a Mac.

Preview

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There is a gratuitous PDF editor already bachelor on your Mac and it'southward pretty good. It'due south got some limitations, but it'southward probable to offer plenty tools for you if you lot only need to fill in some responses to questions on a PDF.

Y'all tin use Preview to add text (in text boxes), you can modify the size, color and font you use. It can be a bit fiddly to become the text box to line up with the text on the page, just it's not impossible.

You lot can also perform actions like strike-through - initially we used the line shape, just then nosotros discovered that it is possible to select strike-through from the card (Tools > Annotate). Yous tin can also underline text the same mode. These options are also available from the highlighter palette.

Under Comment in the carte are options for adding a spoken language bubble. You tin can as well add comments in the class of viscous notes.

Our spellings were checked as we typed - indicated by the usual squiggly line.

Adding a signature is elementary, with three options for doing so: using a trackpad, iPhone or iPad, or by signing your name on a piece of newspaper and holding it upward to the camera. You can save multiple signatures and add them to the document hands. We have a guide to calculation a signature to a PDF here.

Information technology's easy to shuffle pages and add to, and delete pages from, a Preview PDF. If you can't already encounter the thumbnail view on the left click on the drop down box above the A icon and choose Thumbnails.

Shhow thumbnails Preview

Now that you tin can see the thumbnails it is easy to shuffle page lodge, delete a page, and yous can even elevate and drop another PDF into the thumbnail column to add together it.

It is likewise like shooting fish in a barrel to rotate pages (click on the page in the Thumbnail view and click on the rotate icon in the bill of fare).

You can consign your PDF equally a JPEG, TIFF, merely there are no options for exporting to other apps, such equally Give-and-take or Pages.

One of the newest features of Preview is an OCR - optical character recognition. If you are running macOS Monterey and y'all open anything in Preview - exist information technology a PDF or a photo - y'all will be able to select most forms of text and cut and paste information technology in to a text document. Nosotros were able to select text, even if it was on a camber, and generally the results were good.

As we said above, Preview offers enough features if all y'all need to practise is enter a chip of text and sign a PDF. And so if you are trying to fill in an application form or filling in a few aye or no checkboxes, it'south likely to be sufficient. Those wanting a little more than flexibility may find that Preview might non have plenty features... in which instance nosotros have some options below that might prove more tempting.

Before you await at those, be sure to also read our full guide tousing Preview on the Mac.

Adobe Reader DC

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Acrobat Reader DC is free but some of the features aren't - to admission them you would need to move to the Pro tier that comes with a monthly, annual or prepaid annual subscription (it's £25.28/$24.99 a month if y'all don't commit for the yr, £xv.17/$14.99 a month otherwise, and £181.ten/$179.88 for the full year when you pay upwards front).

Even so, there are a lot of features that are available for free. Yous'll find these in the Comment and Fill & Sign sections.

To add together text to the PDF cull Fill & Sign. Here y'all volition also observe the options to add a tick or a cross, a circle, or a line. The signature option is here too, we'll look at that in more than particular below.

Annotate options include the ability to add a speech bubble, highlight, underline, and strike-through words. In fact, y'all can strike-through and add a related comment. All your comments volition appear in the sidebar on the right.

There are also tools here to describe and erase what yous describe. A stamp tool with options like Approved, Revised, Confidential, Sign Hither, and the pick to import your own (these need to be in the PDF format, just it could exist a style to add an image).

When calculation a signature yous have options to Blazon, Draw (using a mouse or trackpad), or Prototype. If you opt for the latter you could import a browse or photograph of your signature - you can import whatsoever image this way, but it will appear translucent, with the background appearing backside it as you lot can see from our illustration.

Acrobat Reader offers plenty features to brand it worth the download. It can be a tad abrasive when it looks similar you need to get a subscription to employ features that information technology turns out can be performed without signing up, and then beware of this earlier you spend

LibreOffice

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LibreOffice is a complimentary role suite with some handy features if yous are wanting to edit and update PDFs.

Because it's an office suite yous do good from all the Office-like features and familiar menus.

We were able to open a PDF in LibreOffice and edit text and add text and images. Nosotros weren't able to add a signature, but this would exist simple plenty if y'all already had the signature equally an image file.

You can also create a PDF from a document you create in LibreOffice, but as you can from Pages or Discussion. Create the document and so choose File > Consign as PDF.

While information technology's non a dedicated PDF editor or creator you can do many of the things you are likely to want to exercise to a basic PDF, and so its a good option that comes with various benefits on account of information technology being a decent culling to Microsoft Office. Read our round upwards of the best word processors for Mac for more information.

PDFelement Pro

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Wondershare's PDFelement app (currently version 8) brings a streamlined interface and additional capabilities that make it a fine choice for those who want pro level features at an affordable price, although there is, as with then many of these options, a costless trial version.

With the software you can create new PDFs from scratch, convert Give-and-take, Excel or Powerpoint files, likewise as quickly producing forms that can be used online, replete with dropdown menus.

Editing an existing PDF is straightforward, with tools for adding text or comments, annotating images and documents, plus the standard choice of inserting a signature created on the trackpad. There'southward also OCR capabilities that brand it easy to scan in documents and have them converted into usable PDFs in minutes.

PDFelement is a comprehensive package with an interface that's unproblematic and intuitive. To give it test run y'all can take advantage of the free trial, simply this is restricted by the inclusion of a watermark on all saved files, only able to open a maximum of three page PDFs, and no saves for files created via OCR.

To remove these you'll need the full Pro license which costs $49.99 for half a year, $79.99 (approx £60) per year or $129.99 (approx £98) for a perpetual license.

For more tips, take a await atusing PDFelement Pro on a Mac.

If you'd adopt a free version that you don't take to pay for, PDF Reader is too from Wondershare, but this is an entirely free version of PDFelement that you tin apply on your iPad or iPhone to read, edit, annotate, convert and sign PDFs. You just demand to register with Wondershare to utilise the app.

We're mentioning it here because, while it's not a Mac app, you might exist happy to edit the PDF on your iPad or iPhone for the sake of getting a free option. Incidentally, there is a Windows version of PDF Reader.

Once the app was downloaded to our iPhone we were able to open up PDFs that were stored in iCloud, edit text and add our own. You tin can add crosses and ticks (checks), depict on the PDF, strike through text, highlight text, and create and add a signature. Once your changes are made you tin can save.

Download Wondershare'southward PDF Reader from the iOS App Store

PDF Expert (macOS)

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PDFExpert for Mac from Readdle offers a seven-day total-featured gratuitous trial, which could go far ideal if yous but demand a solution now and don't expect to be editing PDFs again for a while. If you do demand information technology for longer than a week it costs £69.99/£79.99 a twelvemonth on subscription, or £122.99/$139.99 if you choose the Lifetime plan.

We constitute PDFExpert did a good task of maintaining the fonts, way and formatting of the original PDF.

There are ii options for editing that yous tin find in the menu at the top of the page: Annotate and Edit. Under Annotate you will find the tool to easily add together text to the PDF. You can choose the font and colour of the text here.

Yet, you will find the meliorate editing tools nether Edit. Hither you accept the option to actually edit the text already on the folio, add images, add together hyperlinks, and redact sensitive information (you tin cull to black out names, or you can search for a specific word and delete every occurrence of that.)

Nosotros were able to select text and move it around the page. But as nosotros found with all the PDF editors here, it wasn't possible to drag and driblet text between pages (to get around this nosotros were able to cut and paste though and notwithstanding make a good-looking document).

Dorsum to the Annotate tab. Here yous will find options to highlight, underline, or strike-through text, as well as a pan tool that means you can depict freehand in any color, as well equally change the line width and opacity. There'due south also a ingather tool hither. In Annotate yous can likewise add sticky notes and stamps (e.one thousand. an Approval). You'll encounter a column of existing annotations on the left so its easy to encounter what edits have been made and when. These annotations can be exported as HTML, text or markdown.

Adding a signature is also done via the Annotate tab. You can add more than than 1 signature and these are added via the keyboard, trackpad, or an image. To add the signature to your PDF but drag and drib from the signature pane. Y'all an also add a watermark yourself, perhaps your company logo, rather than having one added for y'all as is the case with some of the other trials looked at here.

Resizing a large PDF was piece of cake thank you to a High/Low slider that indicated the size of the resulting file. There was also the choice to merge files, combine multiple documents into one PDF, or individual pages from multiple documents.

We had ane PDF that was scanned on our iPhone via the Notes app (we explicate how to scan a document with an iPhone here). Obviously such a document will only be recognised by the PDF editor if the editor has OCR abilities that are unlocked in the trial. PDFExpert couldn't do this and then nosotros weren't able to edit the text in the scanned document, although we were able to add hyperlinks to sections of that document. Evidently we couldn't search the scanned certificate, or edit the text at that place.

We were able to search normal PDFs though, and we were able to search for a word and redact every occurrence of it either by blacking it out, or deleting it.

Nosotros were able to export the PDF into Give-and-take, PowerPoint and Excel, besides equally to Text and Image.

It'due south a free seven day trial, so if y'all need the software for longer than that and don't want to pay up then you lot would have to look elsewhere. Just if you don't need something long term this trial offers everything yous need.

pdfFiller

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pdfFiller from airSlate is another pick if you want to edit and suit a PDF. As with the other paid for PDF editors in this round up, there is a thirty-day free trial that y'all can use. You will need to enter your details, only since yous tin sign in with Apple you can avoid sharing your e-mail address, which is overnice.

It's spider web based, although there is an iOS app you tin use.
You can add and edit existing text, copy and paste, and add images to the PDF. It's as well possible to add a signature - which is fifty-fifty electronically verified.

You can hands combine multiple PDFs in one file. You can salvage your PDFs and collaborate with others while editing. If you are working as part of a squad the lock and encryption options will be useful.
It is even possible to create and host fillable forms that multiple users can fill in, and y'all can export the data added.

Plus it is possible to convert documents from Discussion, JPG, Excel, PowerPoint and then on and create PDFs from them.

PDF Candy

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While there is no Mac app for PDF Candy, Mac users can use the free online version to add text to a PDF, as well as underlines, strike-throughs, and add together signatures.

You can also shrink and merge PDFs, rearrange pages, delete pages, rotate and crop PDFs.

Unfortunately yous can't add or change the text, so if you demand to practice that this isn't going to suffice (although yous tin can place white overlay over content you want to hibernate).

You lot tin can too convert PDFs to Word, Excel and diverse other documents using this free online tool. You then demand to download it from the website. Unfortunately when we did this the give-and-take certificate we concluded upward with wasn't quite what we'd started with.

There are limits to this free online version. For example, you can only perform ane job per hour. If you lot want access to more than tools (there are 47 in full) y'all demand to register and select a programme, the options are pay monthly and abolish at any time $half-dozen, pay yearly $48. There is also a one time lifetime license that comes with PDF Candy Desktop for $99 - but since the desktop app doesn't piece of work on Macs information technology's not really relevant to Mac users.

Skim

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Skim is an open source, free PDF reader, and then as long as yous don't await more basic functions you will be satisfied.

The tool allows you to view PDFs, add notes, underlines and highlight text.

Skim is more for reading PDFs - information technology was designed for academics, so it's less about filling in and editing PDFs and more about the comfort of reading and navigating them along with the power to add notes and bookmark pages. If all y'all want is a PDF reader this may well conform you. You tin download it here.

9.

FineReader Pro for Mac

ABBYY FineReader Pro

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This is the app to try if you lot desire OCR (optical character recognition) capabilities (although Preview does now offer these). However, we near didn't realise how deep the capabilities of this app went considering the results tin can be a little hit-and-miss. Actually, the capabilities of the thirty-twenty-four hours complimentary trial version are pretty impressive, equally long as y'all are willing to take that it might not always practise a great job of translating what information technology 'sees'.

We discovered this when nosotros imported our PDF and were greeted with a alarm to "Please re-browse your document at a college resolution". Given the PDF we were imported hadn't been scanned we were a niggling confused by this. Then when we exported the 'scan' to Give-and-take we saw a alert that some of the pages had not been recognised. The resulting Discussion document (really we opened information technology in Pages) was a fiddling muddled, some of the translations were laughable. But the general content had come through well enough for the states to be able to right the mistakes.

Now, this probably wouldn't practice for you if y'all wanted to edit a straightforward PDF - if that's the instance employ 1 of the other apps. However, if y'all had scanned text from a volume or a printout and you wanted to edit that then this is the app for you.

As we mentioned earlier, nosotros had a scan we had taken with our iPhone camera via the Notes app and nosotros were able to get FineReader to 'read' this and open it as a Word certificate, which nosotros could then edit. Sure, at that place might exist a few words that are wrong, but it's got to be better than typing the whole thing out.

Once in Word (or Pages), you tin edit the certificate as much every bit you like. We did see a warning that fonts were missing, and there was a strange case of paragraph formatting that acquired the text to wrap to the next line equally if it was in a box, but it was a good effort we thought.

As for collaboration and editing you have all the tools that are available in the app you end up opening the document in, be that Word, Pages, Excel, PowerPoint or something else.

It might not exist spot on every time, just the fact that we were able to scan a document and export it to Word where nosotros could edit it, was a real bonus.