About PDF Editor
The PDF editor that never sees your files
PDF Editor is a free, open-use tool that runs entirely inside your web browser. There is no server, no account, and no upload step — your document stays on your device the whole time.
Why we built it this way
Privacy by default
Most online PDF tools route your document through their servers. We built the entire processing pipeline in WebAssembly — it runs in your browser tab, not on a remote machine.
Instant, no friction
No sign-up, no email verification, no waiting for a file to upload. Open the editor, drop your PDF, edit, and download — the whole workflow takes seconds.
Works everywhere
No plugins or extensions required. PDF Editor works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chromebooks — in any modern browser. No software licence, no install.
How it works
Three steps, no account, no server.
Open your PDF
Drag and drop your file onto the editor — or click to browse. Works with any PDF up to 50 MB.
Try it now →Edit & annotate
Add text, signatures, shapes, highlights, images, and form fields with point-and-click precision.
Download instantly
Hit download and get your finished PDF in seconds. No account, no watermark, no waiting.
Every tool, explained
All tools are available for free — there is only one plan.
Place a text box anywhere on the page. Set font family, size, colour, weight, background fill, and border.
Learn more →Highlight, underline, strikethrough, or freehand-draw over any area of the page.
Learn more →Draw rectangles, ellipses, lines, and arrows with custom stroke colour, fill, and width.
Upload a PNG, JPG, or WebP image and place it on any page. Drag and resize freely.
Learn more →Type your name in a handwriting font, draw it with a mouse, or upload a scanned signature image.
Learn more →Add interactive text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and dropdowns. Recipients can fill them in any PDF reader.
Learn more →Cover any area with a solid white rectangle — useful for hiding content before placing new text on top.
Draw a permanent black redaction block over sensitive text or images. Embedded as a solid black layer in the downloaded PDF.
Learn more →Draw a link region over any area and attach a URL. The resulting PDF has a clickable hyperlink annotation.
Stroke over placed overlays to remove them. Targets the topmost element under each point of the stroke.
Full undo/redo history up to 50 steps. Cmd/Ctrl+Z to undo, Cmd/Ctrl+Y to redo.
Navigate multi-page PDFs via the thumbnail rail. Rotate, duplicate, and export selected pages only.
Privacy architecture
Your files never touch a server
When you open a PDF in this editor, your browser reads the file from your local disk via the Web File API. The bytes are held in a JavaScript Uint8Array in your tab's memory.
Rendering is handled by PDF.js (Mozilla's open-source renderer), which paints each page onto an HTML canvas client-side. Editing is powered by pdf-lib, which reconstructs the PDF in memory after applying your changes.
The download step writes the finished bytes directly to a local file using a Blob URL — the browser never makes a network request with your document. You can even use PDF Editor offline once the page has loaded.
- No analytics on your document content
- No file names, metadata, or page content sent anywhere
- Works fully offline after first page load
- Editing history stored only in your browser's localStorage
Who uses PDF Editor
Freelancers & contractors
Sign contracts, add invoice stamps, and return client documents without specialist desktop software.
Students
Annotate lecture notes, highlight key passages in papers, and submit filled application forms.
HR & recruiters
Redact personal data from CVs before forwarding, add review notes, and prepare offer letters.
Small business owners
Fill government forms, add company stamps to invoices, and sign supplier agreements on the spot.
Legal & compliance
Redact sensitive case details, add comments for review, and prepare documents for submission.
Researchers & academics
Mark up papers with highlights and margin notes, annotate datasets, and share reviewed drafts.
Built on open-source foundations
No proprietary server-side pipeline — just battle-tested open-source libraries running in your browser.
Mozilla's open-source PDF renderer. Parses and rasterises each PDF page onto an HTML canvas with full text-layer support.
RenderingJavaScript-native PDF writer. Replays all editing operations — text, images, shapes, links, form fields — onto the original document in-browser.
WritingReactive UI framework compiles to minimal vanilla JS. Powers the editor canvas, toolbars, overlays, and property panels with no runtime overhead.
UIStatic site generator. Delivers fully pre-rendered HTML for every page with zero JavaScript shipped to the browser for non-interactive pages.
FrameworkFrequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before you start editing.
Does PDF Editor upload my files to a server?
No. Every operation — loading, editing, rendering, and downloading — happens entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly and the Web File API. Your PDF bytes never leave your device and no network request is made with your file content.
Is PDF Editor really free?
Yes, completely free with no account required, no watermarks, and no file size paywall. The tool runs in your browser and costs nothing to use.
What tools does PDF Editor include?
The editor includes: text overlay, image insertion, shapes (rectangle, ellipse, line, arrow), freehand drawing, highlight / underline / strikethrough annotations, whiteout, black redaction, eraser, hyperlinks, interactive form fields (text, checkbox, dropdown, radio), and a signature tool with type, draw, and upload modes.
Can I edit the original text in a PDF?
PDF files do not expose their text as editable characters the way Word documents do. PDF Editor works by overlaying new content on top of the page. You can cover existing text with a whiteout or redaction block and place a new text box above it — giving the same visual result.
What browsers are supported?
PDF Editor works in all modern browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop. Mobile browsers are supported for viewing, though the editing experience is optimised for desktop.
Is there a file size limit?
The editor enforces a 50 MB limit per file. Files beyond this can cause the browser to freeze or run out of memory when re-serialising the PDF. Most real-world documents are well under this threshold.
Are my edits saved if I close the tab?
The editor auto-saves your session to your browser's localStorage roughly every 30 seconds. If you close and reopen the tab, you will be offered the option to restore your last session. This data is stored only in your browser and is cleared when you clear site data.
Does redaction permanently remove underlying content?
Redaction in PDF Editor draws a solid black rectangle on top of the page in the downloaded PDF. Because this is a client-side overlay tool, the underlying text stream inside the PDF is not surgically stripped. For everyday privacy masking the black overlay is effective and sufficient; for legally binding redaction use a certified workflow.
Can I use PDF Editor on a scanned (image-based) PDF?
Yes. You can place text, shapes, signatures, and other overlays on top of scanned pages just as you would with a text-based PDF. Scanned documents render as images and all editing tools still work fully.
Is the signature I add legally binding?
Signatures created with PDF Editor are graphical images placed on the document. They are not certified electronic signatures under eIDAS, ESIGN, or equivalent frameworks. For legally binding e-signatures consult a dedicated e-signature service.
Ready to edit your first PDF?
No account. No upload. Free forever.
Open the editor