4 Ways to Edit PDF Files

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 08:07

This wikiHow teaches you how to edit a PDF file using a program from Adobe, Acrobat Pro DC or by converting it to Word format in Microsoft Word. If you need a free option for editing PDF files, you can use LibreOffice Draw. However, this program does not have as many features as Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.

Step

Method 1 of 4: Using Sejda

Step 1. Visit the official Sejda website via a web browser

This page is the website of a free online PDF editing service called Sejda. You can edit 3 files per hour using this service. Sejda can process files with a maximum of 200 pages (or 50 MB). Files that have been uploaded and edited will automatically be deleted after 2 hours.

If 2 hours is not enough to finish editing, you can use LibreOffice Draw as a free program for editing PDF files. You can also use some of the features available in Sejda to edit the file first, then open it in LibreOffice Draw to finish editing

Step 2. Click Upload PDF file

It's a green button in the middle of the page.

Step 3. Select the file and click Upload

The file will be uploaded for later editing via Sejda's online editor.

Step 4. Add text to the file

To add text to the file, click the icon labeled “ Text ” at the top of the page, then click the area in the document where you need to add text. After that, you can start typing.

Step 5. Edit the existing text

Unlike other free PDF editing services, Sejda allows you to edit text directly in PDF files, as well as add new text to documents. To edit text, simply click the text that needs to be changed and type in the new text. You can add or remove text. Use the icons at the top of the text field to change the text format. The available text formatting options are:

Click " B ” to bold text.
Click " I ” to italicize the text.
Click the letter “T” icon with an arrow next to it, then use the slider bar to change the font size.
Click " Fonts ” to select a new font from the drop-down menu.
Click " Color ” to select the text color.
Click the trash icon to delete the entire text box.

Step 6. Add a link to the page

With links, you can add URLs to external websites. Follow these steps to add a link to a document:

Click " Link ” at the top of the page.
Click and drag the area where you want to add the link.
Copy and paste the link URL in the field labeled "Link to external URL".
Click " Apply Changes ”.

Step 7. Add form elements to the document

Click Forms ” at the top of the page to see a drop-down menu containing various form elements that you can add to a PDF document. These elements include interactive and non-interactive elements. Select an element from the drop-down menu and click the area of the document where you need to add the element. The form elements available in the drop-down menu are:

Click the "X" icon to add a cross ("X") to the PDF document.
Click the tick icon to add a tick to the document.
Click the dots icon to add bullets to the document.
Click the box labeled " ABCD " to add a single line text field to the document.
Click the small box labeled " ABCD " to add a double row text field to the document.
Click the circle icon with a dot to add a radio button to the document.
Click the checkbox icon to add a checkable box to the document.
Click the drop-down menu icon to add the menu to the document.

Step 8. Add the image to the document

Follow these steps to add an image to a document:

Click the button " Image ” at the top of the page.
Click " New Image ”.
Select the image you want to add and click " Open ” to upload it.
Click the area of the document where you need to add an image.

Step 9. Add a signature to the document

Follow these steps to add a signature to a document:

Click " Sign ” at the top of the page.
Click " New Signature ”.
Type a name into the column at the top.
Choose a signature style.
Click " Save ”.
Click the area of the document you want to add a signature to.

Step 10. Edit the text with a marker, doodle, or underline

Follow these steps to mark text in a document with a color marker, strike it out, or underline it:

Click " Annotate ” at the top of the page.
Click one of the colored circles next to the "Highlight", "Strike out", or "Underline" options.
Click and drag the cursor over the text you want to mark, strike out, or underline.

Step 11. Add shapes to the document

To add a shape, click the “ Shapes ” at the top of the page and select “ Ellipse " or " Rectangle " After that, click and drag the cursor on the part of the document where you want to add a shape. Use the options above the shape to edit it:

Click the line icon to specify the thickness of the outline.
Click the icon that looks like a square to select the outline color of the shape.
Click the circle icon to specify the color (fill) of the shape.
Click the icon of two overlapping squares to copy the shape.
Click the trash icon to delete the shape.

Step 12. Create an image on the document

Follow these steps to draw a document:

Click " Annotate ”.
Click one of the color circles next to the “ Draw ”.
Click and drag the cursor to draw freely on the document.

Step 13. Click Insert page here to add a new page to the document

This button is at the top and bottom of each page. Click the button at the top of the page to add a new page before the current page. Click the button at the bottom of the page to add a new page after the displayed page.

Step 14. Undo the error

Follow these steps to undo the error:

Click " More ” at the top of the page.
Click " Undo ”.
Click the checkbox next to each step that needs to be undone.
Click " Revert selected ”.

Step 15. Click Apply Changes

It's a green button at the bottom of the page. Click this button after you have finished editing the document. The Sejda site will immediately process the documents.

Step 16. Click Download

It's a green button at the top of the page. The edited document will be downloaded to the computer.

Alternatively, click an icon to save the document to Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive, rename the document, or print it

Method 2 of 4: Using LibreOffice Draw

Step 1. Download and install Libre Office

LibreOffice is a free Microsoft Office alternative package. You can use the Draw program to create and edit PDF files. To download and install LibreOffice, visit https://www.libreoffice.org/ and click “ Download Now Open the installation file and follow the on-screen instructions.

You must download the entire program package in order to use LibreOffice Draw

Step 2. Open LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice Draw is marked by a yellow icon that looks like a triangle with a circle inside. Click the icon in the “Start” menu or in the “Applications” folder on Mac computers.

This icon may be stored in the “LibreOffice” folder on the “Start” menu (Windows) or in the “Applications” folder (Mac)

Step 3. Open the PDF file in LibreOffice Draw

The file may look different from its original appearance. Follow these steps to open a PDF file in LibreOffice Draw:

Click " File ”.
Click " Open ”.
Select the file you want to open.
Click " Open ”.

Step 4. Move and resize the object

When placing the cursor over an object, the cursor changes to a cross arrow. Click an object to select it. Use the following options to move and resize objects:

Click and drag the object to move it.
Click and drag the rectangle in the corner of the object to resize it.

Step 5. Add new text

To add new text to the document, click the letter “A” icon next to the lines at the top of the page. Click the section where you want to add text and type something. Click and drag the cursor to create a text field of the desired size. Use the formatting options in the menu bar on the right to edit the text formatting.

Step 6. Edit the text

To edit text that is already in the document, click the text and start typing something. You can delete text, add new text, mark text, or change its format using the options on the menu bar on the right side of the window. The available options include:

Use the drop-down menu under the " Character " option to select a font.
Use the drop-down menu next to the font menu to change the font size.
Click the "B" icon to bold the text.
Click the "I" icon to italicize the text.
Click the "U" icon to underline the text.
Click the "S" icon to cross out the text.
Click the "A" icon to add a shadow to the text.
Click the 4 line icons below the " Paragraph " segment to align the text to the left, right, center, or both sides (justified).
Use the space under the " Spacing " segment to specify line spacing before and after paragraphs, as well as text indentation.
Click the dotted icon next to the row in the " Lists " segment to add a bulleted list to the document.
Click the number icon next to the row in the " Lists " section to add a numbered list.

Step 7. Add the image to the document

Follow these steps to add an image to a document:

Click the mountain icon at the top of the page.
Select the image you want to add.
Click " Open ”.
Click and drag the cursor to place the image in the desired area.
Click and drag the square dots around the image to resize it.

Step 8. Add shapes to the document

Follow these steps to add shapes to a PDF document.

Click the overlapping shapes icon at the top of the page.
Select the desired shape from the menu bar on the left side of the window.
Click and drag the cursor to draw a shape.
Click the box next to the " Color " option on the menu bar on the right side of the window.
Choose a shape color.

Step 9. Rotate the object

Follow these steps to rotate the object:

Click the square icon with the circular arrow at the top of the page.
Click the object you want to rotate.
Click and drag the yellow dots in the corners of the object to rotate it.

Step 10. Save the job

Follow these steps to save the job:

Click " File ”.
Click " Save ”.

Step 11. Export the PDF file

Follow these steps to export a document to PDF format:

Click the menu " File ”.
Click " Export as ”.
Choose " Export as PDF ”.

Method 3 of 4: Using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Step 1. Open the PDF document in Adobe Acrobat Pro

Click the Adobe Acrobat app icon, which looks like a red “A” in a pretty font.

You can review PDF files for free using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. To edit PDF files, you need to subscribe to the Adobe Acrobat Pro DC service. Register to subscribe to this service at acrobat.adobe.com

Step 2. Open the PDF file

You can open the file by clicking on the option “ Open ” in the Adobe Acrobat Pro startup menu and select a file, or follow these steps:

Click the menu " File ” in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Click " Open ”.
Select the file that needs to be edited.
Click " Open ”.

Step 3. Click Edit PDF

This option is indicated by a pink checkered icon in the menu bar, on the right side of the window. Outlines will appear in every text field and document in the document.

Step 4. Edit the text

To edit text in a document, click the text in the text box and type something. You can delete text or add new text, mark text, or use the “FORMAT” menu on the right side of the window to change the text format.

Step 5. Add new text

To add new text to the document, click Add Text ” in the bar at the top of the window. After that, click on the area of the document where you need to add text and type something. Click and drag the cursor to specify the height and width of the text fields that need to be added.

Step 6. Use the " FORMAT " tool to edit the text

The “Format” tool is in the right sidebar menu of the program window. Mark the text that needs editing and use the following tools to edit the formatting:

Click the drop-down menu under the " FORMAT " segment to change the text font.
Click the size drop-down menu under Font to change the text size.
Click the color grid bar next to the text size drop-down menu to change the text color
Click the icons with large “T” in various styles to bold, italicize, or underline text, and set selected text as subscript or superscript.
Click the drop-down menu next to the three lines and three dots icon to create a bullet list.
Click the drop-down menu next to the numbered three-line icon to create a numbered list.
Click the four-line icon that resembles text to align the text to the left, center, right, or both sides (justified).
Click the drop-down menu with the vertical arrow icon next to the three lines of text to increase or decrease the distance between each line of text.
Click the drop-down menu next to the arrow icon between two paragraphs to increase or decrease the distance between paragraphs (and after paragraphs).
Click the " Horizontal scaling " drop-down menu to increase or decrease the width (in percentage) of the marked characters.
Click the drop-down menu with the horizontal arrow icon under the letters "A" and "V" to increase or decrease the distance between each character of the text.
Not all elements in the document can be edited.

Step 7. Add the image to the document

Follow these steps to add an image to a document:

Click " Add Image ” at the top of the page.
Select the image you want to add.
Click " Open ”.
Click the area where you want to add an image, or click and drag the cursor to specify the size of the image.
Click and drag the blue dots in the corners of the picture frame to resize it.

Step 8. Use the " OBJECTS " tool to edit images and objects

Select the object you want to edit and use the following tools to edit it:

Click the icon of the two right-pointing triangles to flip the object vertically (from top to bottom, or vice versa).
Click the icon of the two triangles pointing up to flip the object horizontally (from right to left, or vice versa).
Click the drop-down menu next to the two-box icon next to the line to arrange multiple objects on the page based on a single reference object.
Click the circular arrow icon counterclockwise to rotate the object to the left.
Click the circular arrow icon clockwise to rotate the object to the right.
Click the icon that looks like a stack of images to replace one image with another.
Click the icon that looks like a stack of squares to change the position of objects on the page relative to text and other objects (eg in front of or behind text).
Not all elements in the document can be edited.

Step 9. Click Fill & Sign for add a signature to a PDF document.

It's next to the purple icon, which looks like a pencil, in the menu bar on the right side of the program window. Use the tools at the top of the page to type a signature or add a tick icon. You can also click the “ Sign ” to create or add an existing signature.