How to Edit a PDF for Free on a Windows PC or Mac

Someone sends you a PDF form, a contract with a typo, or a scanned letter you need to sign, and the first search result wants a monthly subscription before you can change a single word. You probably do not need to pay. Most people can edit a PDF for free with software already on their computer, as long as they know which tool handles which job. This guide shows exactly what each free option can and cannot do on Windows and Mac, with the steps for the five edits people need most.

What "edit a PDF" actually means

The phrase covers very different tasks, and the right free tool depends on which one you need. Before you open anything, decide which of these you are doing:

Filling in a form with text boxes and tick boxes.
Signing a document with a drawn or typed signature.
Annotating: highlighting, adding comments, drawing arrows.
Reorganising pages: deleting, rotating, reordering or merging files.
Changing the original text, such as fixing a typo in a paragraph.

The first four are easy and free on both platforms. The fifth is the one paid editors charge for, and even there you have a free workaround.

Free tools that edit a PDF on Windows and Mac

Tool	Platform	Fill and sign	Annotate	Reorder pages	Change text
Microsoft Edge	Windows, Mac	Yes	Yes	Rotate only	No
Preview	Mac	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
LibreOffice Draw	Windows, Mac	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, line by line
Microsoft Word	Windows, Mac	No	No	No	Yes, after conversion

Edge comes preinstalled on every Windows 10 and 11 machine. Preview ships with every Mac. LibreOffice is a free office suite of about 350 MB, and Word is only free if you already have it through work, school or a household plan. Our wider list of free tools that replace paid software covers LibreOffice alongside other apps worth keeping.

Step by step: the five most common edits

Fill in a form

Right click the PDF, choose Open with, then Microsoft Edge on Windows or Preview on Mac. If the form has fillable fields, just click into them and type. If it is a flat scan with no fields, use Edge's "Add text" button or Preview's Markup toolbar and click the text tool, then drag the box into place. Save with Ctrl+S or Cmd+S.

Sign a document

In Edge, click "Draw" and sign with a mouse or trackpad, then resize it. Preview is better: open the Markup toolbar, click the signature icon, and either sign on the trackpad with a finger or hold a signature on white paper up to the webcam. Preview saves the signature for next time, which takes about 30 seconds to set up once.

Delete, rotate or reorder pages

On a Mac, open View, then Thumbnails in Preview. Drag thumbnails to reorder, press Delete to remove a page, and drag a second PDF into the sidebar to merge. On Windows, Edge can rotate but not delete pages, so use LibreOffice Draw: open the PDF, right click a page in the left panel, and choose Delete Page. Export with File, then Export as PDF.

Fix a typo in the original text

Open the PDF in LibreOffice Draw. Each line of text becomes its own editable box. Double click into the line, fix the word, and export as PDF. This works well for short corrections. On long documents with complex layouts, fonts may shift slightly, so check the result before sending.

Rewrite large sections

Open the PDF directly in Word with File, then Open. Word converts it into an editable document. Simple text documents convert cleanly; anything with columns, tables or unusual fonts will need tidying. Edit, then save as PDF again.

One habit saves a lot of grief across all five edits: work on a copy. Duplicate the file first and name it something like "lease-signed-v2" before you change anything. Preview and Edge both save over the original by default, and once a signature or deleted page is saved there is no undo button. Keeping the untouched version means a mistake costs you two minutes instead of an awkward email asking for the document again.

Why I would skip most free online PDF editors

The usual advice is to search for a free online PDF editor, upload your file and edit it in the browser. It works, and for a restaurant menu it is fine. For most of the documents people actually need to edit, I think it is the wrong habit.

Think about what those files are: tenancy agreements, tax forms, medical letters, employment contracts. Uploading them means a copy sits on a server you know nothing about, under a privacy policy you did not read. Many free sites also add a watermark, cap you at two or three files a day, or require an account before you can download the result.

Every edit in this guide happens on your own machine, with no upload and no watermark. Reserve online tools for the rare case where nothing local works, and never for documents with your ID number, bank details or signature.

When paying for a PDF editor makes sense

A paid editor is worth it if PDFs are part of your job. If you edit text in PDFs every week, redact sensitive information for legal work, run optical character recognition on large batches of scans, or need to create fillable forms for other people, the free tools above will slow you down.

Before you subscribe, check whether a one time license exists. Subscriptions around 15 to 20 dollars a month add up to 900 dollars or more over five years, and some well known PDF apps still sell a perpetual license for under 100 dollars. Our breakdown of subscription vs one time purchase software shows how to run that comparison for any app.

A quick tip once you start editing regularly: if you copy text between a PDF and other documents, clipboard history on Windows saves you from switching windows over and over.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit a PDF for free without downloading software?

Yes. On Windows, Microsoft Edge is already installed and can fill in forms, sign, highlight and add text to PDFs. On a Mac, Preview does the same and can also reorder, delete and merge pages. Neither requires a download or an account.

How do I change the text in a PDF for free?

Open the PDF in LibreOffice Draw, which turns each line into an editable text box, then export it as a PDF again. For longer rewrites, open the file in Microsoft Word, which converts it into an editable document. Check the layout before sharing, since complex designs can shift.

Is it safe to use free online PDF editors?

For harmless documents it is usually fine, but your file is uploaded to someone else's server. Avoid online editors for contracts, tax forms, ID documents or anything with your signature or bank details. Local tools like Edge, Preview and LibreOffice do the same jobs without uploading anything.