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Free · No sign-up · Runs in your browser

Edit a PDF.

Change the words already in your PDF — fix a typo, update a date, a name or a price — in its own font. Add text, pictures, shapes and highlights, and fill in its form. It never leaves your device.

Not uploaded — nobody sees it Edit the text that’s there Keeps the PDF’s own fonts No watermark, no account
Your PDF is never uploaded — it’s opened, edited and saved right here in this browser tab, on your device. We never see it, copy it or keep it.
At a glance

Edit PDF: quick facts

Change a PDF’s text and add to it, without uploading it or buying software.

Updated

Price
Free, no sign-up, no watermark.
Edits
Change existing text; add text, pictures, shapes, highlights, drawing and white-out; fill in forms; find and replace.
Fonts
Uses the PDF’s own font where it can, otherwise one cut to the same measurements.
Old text
Taken out of the file, not just hidden under a white box.
Works on
Computers and phones, in the browser.
Privacy
Your file is processed in your browser and never uploaded.
How it works

How to edit a PDF

Open the PDF, click the text you want to change and type, or add new text, pictures and shapes. Download the edited copy when it looks right.

01

Open your PDF

Pick the PDF. It opens here in your browser, page by page.

02

Click and type

Click any text to change it, or use the buttons to add text, pictures, shapes, highlights or white-out.

03

Download it

Download the edited PDF. Your changes are written into the file itself.

Most PDF editors that run in a browser only lay a white box over the old words and type on top, so the old wording stays in the file. Altto reads the page’s own instructions for drawing its text, takes out the letters you changed and writes the new ones in their place.

Tips

Tips for editing PDFs

A few habits that give a clean result.

  • Change a word, keep the lookClick straight on the word you want to change. The cursor lands there and the rest of the paragraph keeps its font, size and colour.
  • Delete, don’t cover, anything privateWhite-out only covers words; they can still be copied out of the file. To remove an account number or a name, click the text and delete it, and the words are taken out of the PDF.
  • Check the page after each changeWhen you click away from a paragraph, the page is redrawn from the real result. What you see then is what the saved PDF will hold.
  • Use Find and replace for repeated changesA new date, a changed company name or a corrected spelling can be changed everywhere at once with Ctrl+F and Replace all.

Like every Altto tool, this runs on your device — nothing you open or add is uploaded. How Altto works

5 fonts

made to the same measurements as Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Times New Roman and Courier stand in when a PDF lacks a letter you type.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded when I edit it?
No. The PDF is opened, changed and saved inside this browser tab on your own device. Altto never receives it, so there is nothing on a server to see, keep or delete.
Can I change the text that’s already in the PDF?
Yes. Click any paragraph, heading or line and type, just as in a word processor. The paragraph re-flows as you type. When you save, the old words are taken out of the file itself and the new ones written in, so the old wording isn’t left hidden underneath.
Will my changes match the original font?
Usually exactly: Altto writes your words in the PDF’s own font, size and colour. Many PDFs only carry the letters they used, though, so a letter you add may not be in the file. Then that part is written in a free font made to the same measurements as the original (Carlito for Calibri, Caladea for Cambria, Arimo for Arial, Tinos for Times New Roman, Cousine for Courier), so it looks very close and takes the same space.
Can I edit a scanned PDF?
A scan is a picture of a page, so its words can’t be changed like typed text. If the scan has a hidden text layer (most scanners and phone apps add one), you can click the words: Altto paints over them in the paper’s colour and types your new words on top. Otherwise use White-out to cover the words and Add text to type new ones.
Does White-out really remove what’s underneath?
No. White-out covers things up, and the words under it stay in the file, where someone could copy them out. To really remove text, click it and delete it (or use the Delete text button): that takes the words out of the file.
Can I add pictures, shapes, highlights and a signature?
Yes. Add a picture (PNG, JPG and others), boxes, ovals, lines and arrows, highlighter, freehand drawing and new text anywhere on the page. Each can be moved, resized, recoloured or deleted. To sign, draw your signature with the Draw tool, or use Altto’s Sign PDF for typed and uploaded signatures and the date.
Can I find and replace words?
Yes. Press Ctrl+F (or the Find button), type the words to find, then what to put instead, and choose Replace all. Each paragraph that holds them is changed and laid out again as if you’d typed it.
Can I fill in a PDF form?
Yes. If the PDF has fillable boxes, type into them, tick boxes and pick options right on the page. They stay fillable in the saved PDF.
Why can’t I change some text?
A few PDFs store text in a way that doesn’t say which letters it draws (the words show on screen, but the file only holds shapes), and some draw their words as outlines or pictures. That text is marked with a grey outline. Cover it with White-out and type over it with Add text.
Is it really free? Is there a watermark?
It’s free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on pages or files.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Tap text to change it and use the buttons to add things. Small print is easier with the zoom buttons. Everything stays on your phone.
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