Add Text to PDF
Click anywhere on a page and type. Useful for filling in forms that aren't fillable, adding a note, or correcting a detail without going back to the original.
Drop your file here
or click to browse
- ProcessingOn your device
- Uploaded to a serverNothing
- InternetNot needed
Don't take our word for it. Turn off your Wi‑Fi, then use this tool. It will work exactly the same, which is only possible because your file never goes anywhere.
Adding text to a finished document
Adding text places new content on top of an existing page. It is what you want for filling in a form that has no fields, initialling a paragraph, dating a document or annotating a page — anywhere the document is finished and you need to write on it.
This is not the same as editing
Changing words that are already on the page is a different and much harder problem, because PDF text is positioned character by character rather than flowing in paragraphs. Adding a text box beside or over the existing content sidesteps all of that and is usually what people actually need.
Making it look deliberate
- Match the size of the surrounding text rather than the default. Added text that is visibly larger looks like an afterthought.
- Black on white reads best and photocopies cleanly. Blue is a useful convention when the addition should be obviously an addition.
- Line it up with what is already there — a baseline that sits slightly high is the clearest sign a form was filled in digitally.
- Check it on a printed copy if the document is going to be printed. Screen and paper do not always agree at small sizes.
Filling forms
Many PDFs described as forms have no interactive fields at all — they are pictures of forms. Adding text boxes is the way to complete them without printing, and the result is cleaner than printing, writing and scanning back.
Related reading: adding a signature rather than plain text.
Questions people ask
Can I edit the text that's already there?
No — this adds new text on top. Changing existing text means rebuilding the page's internals, which no browser tool does reliably.
Will the added text be selectable?
Yes. It is added as real text, so it can be selected, searched and copied like the rest of the document.
Can I move the text after placing it?
Yes, while you are working. Once the file is saved the text is part of the page, so keep your original if you may need to change it.
Does this work on a scanned form?
Yes, and it is one of the best uses for it. The scan stays as it is and your text sits on top.
How to use it
How-to guides · 21 August 2026 · 5 min
How to add text to a PDF (and why editing existing text is harder)
Typing onto a PDF page is straightforward. Changing words that are already there is a genuinely different problem, and knowing which one you have saves a lot of frustration.
How-to guides · 16 August 2026 · 7 min
How to edit a PDF: four ways, and when each is right
Editing a PDF means four genuinely different things, and picking the wrong one is why it feels so hard. Here's how to tell which job you actually have.