Quick answer: open your PDF, choose Add text and click where the text should go, or choose Edit text and click a line that is already in the PDF. Drag across text with Highlight to mark it, then press Download PDF. Everything happens in your browser, and your original pages are kept, so the existing text stays sharp and searchable.
What you can do with the CleanPDF editor
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Add text | Click to type anywhere, or drag a box so the text wraps. Choose Helvetica/Arial, Times or Courier, size, bold, italic, underline, colour, background, alignment and line spacing. The text is real PDF text, so it can be selected, searched, copied and read by job-portal (ATS) systems and screen readers. |
| Edit text | Click a line that is already in the PDF. It is covered with the page's own background colour and replaced by an editable box with a matching font size, style and colour. |
| Highlight, underline, strikethrough | Drag across text and the mark snaps to the lines, like a real highlighter. Click a single word to mark just that word. |
| Whiteout | Covers anything on the page. The colour is matched to the paper automatically, so it also works on scans and coloured backgrounds. |
| Shapes and drawing | Rectangles, ellipses, lines, arrows and freehand drawing with a mouse, pen or finger, with adjustable colour, line width, fill and opacity. |
| Images | Add a logo, photo, stamp or picture of your signature (PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF), then move and resize it. |
Text lands exactly where you put it
A common problem with online PDF editors is text that moves after download. CleanPDF stores every edit in PDF points, measured on the page exactly as you see it, at any zoom level and on any screen. When you download, one exact conversion maps those positions onto the page, so pages that are rotated or cropped come out right too.
The preview uses fonts that are metric-compatible with the PDF's standard fonts (Arial/Helvetica, Times New Roman and Courier), and line breaks are calculated with the same character widths that are written into the file. What you see on screen is what you get in the PDF.
Your original pages are not turned into pictures. The edits are added on top of each page, which keeps the original text selectable, keeps the file small and keeps the original print quality.
How to edit a PDF online
- Open your PDF. Click Select PDF file or drop the file on the page. All pages appear in one scrolling view. Zoom with the buttons or with Ctrl and the mouse wheel.
- Pick a tool. Choose Add text, Edit text, Highlight, Whiteout, a shape, Draw or Image from the toolbar. The panel on the right shows the settings for that tool.
- Click or drag on the page. Place your edit. Switch to Select (V) to move items, resize them with the handles or change their settings. Double-click text to change it.
- Download the edited PDF. Press Download PDF. Your edits stay in the editor, so you can keep changing things and download again.
Common uses
- Fill in PDF forms that have no fillable fields: type into boxes, add ticks and dates.
- Correct a document: fix a typo, a date or an amount on an invoice or letter with Edit text or Whiteout.
- Review contracts and reports: highlight key clauses, underline terms and strike through outdated text.
- Study: highlight lecture notes and papers, and add your own notes in the margin.
- Add a logo, stamp or signature image to letters, quotes and certificates.
Privacy and security
The editor runs completely in your browser. Your PDF is read into the memory of your own device, edited there and saved back to your device. It is never sent to a server, so there is nothing to store, leak or delete afterwards. This makes it a good choice for tax forms, contracts, bank documents and other private files. You can check this yourself in your browser's developer tools: no request carries your document.
CleanPDF compared with typical online PDF editors
| CleanPDF editor | Typical online editor | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | On your device | Uploaded to the provider's server |
| Account | Not needed | Often needed for full features |
| Watermark or daily limit | None | Common on free plans |
| Added text | Real, searchable text | Varies |
Good to know
- Languages: Latin-script text (English, French, Spanish, German and more) is added as real text. Text in other scripts, such as Urdu, Arabic, Hindi or Chinese, is added as a sharp, high-resolution image so it always displays correctly.
- Edit text covers the old text and places new text on top. The original words still exist underneath in the file, so do not use it to hide confidential information. Use a dedicated redaction tool for that.
- Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF.
- Large files: only the pages you are looking at are drawn, so long documents with hundreds of pages stay fast. Very large files depend on your device's memory.
- To sign a document, Sign PDF has drawn, typed and photo signatures, initials and dates. To mark every page, use Add Watermark.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to upload my PDF to your server?
No. CleanPDF edits your PDF entirely in your browser. Your file never leaves your device.
Can I add selectable text to a PDF?
Yes. Latin-script text you add is written into the PDF as real text using the standard PDF fonts, so it can be selected, copied, searched and read by screen readers and ATS systems.
Can I change text that is already in the PDF?
Yes. Choose Edit text and click the line. CleanPDF covers it with the page's background colour and gives you an editable box with a matching font size, style and colour.
Can I highlight or underline text in the PDF?
Yes. Highlight, underline and strikethrough snap to the lines of text when you drag across them. Click a single word to mark just that word.
Will the edited PDF look the same as on screen?
Yes. Positions are stored in PDF points and the preview uses fonts with the same character widths as the PDF fonts, so text, line breaks and marks land exactly where you placed them, also on rotated pages.
Does the tool work on mobile devices?
Yes. The editor works on phones, tablets and computers. All tools work with touch, including drawing with a finger.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no fixed limit. Only the visible pages are drawn, so long PDFs stay fast. The practical limit depends on your device's memory.
Do I need an account, and is there a watermark?
No account is needed and no watermark is added. The editor is free to use.
Can I edit a password-protected PDF?
Unlock it first with the Unlock PDF tool, using the password, and then open it in the editor.