How to write on a PDF document using 3 simple steps.

A woman sitting at a table writes on a PDF using 3 simple steps on her laptop.

See how easy it is to add text, comments, and freehand drawings to your PDFs, plus learn about more tools for editing existing text.

The PDF is one of the most widely shared file types today, with documents floating virtually between individuals, students, business partners, and more. Sometimes you need a way to add text to a PDF you receive — whether that entails filling out a form, adding a PDF signature, or making notes for a student or colleague — so you can keep those workflows moving along. Let’s dive into the easiest method for writing in your PDF.

3 Simple steps for adding text to a PDF.

While a PDF may not initially be the easiest file type to edit, online tools help make your document adjustable again and add the content you need. It’s easy to write in a PDF document when you use an online editor. With just a few clicks, you'll have an editable PDF where you can add comments, text, and even freehand drawings or diagrams to further illustrate your notes.

Here’s how:

Upload your file to the online PDF editor.
Use the toolbar to add your text, comments, sticky notes, and draw on PDF. You can also highlight, underline, strike through or redline text.
When finished, download your file or get a link to share.

If you’re on the go, you can also use a mobile PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader to write on PDFs, then share them seamlessly with colleagues or classmates right from the palm of your hand.

How to convert a PDF so you can write on it.

Need to add text to your PDF? Not a problem. Add the content you need with these simple steps:

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro.
Select the Edit PDF tool in the right-hand panel. There will then be a bounding box around the editable items in your file.
Use the editing tools to add text, edit text, or update fonts by using the selections from the Format dropdown list.
From there, you can add, replace, move, or resize images using the tools under the Objects list.
You can add a watermark and use the Comment tools.
Name the file and save it as a PDF.

How to write on a PDF with a stylus.

Maybe you need to add your signature to a PDF and prefer to use a stylus for signing or creating other markups. Here’s how to write on a PDF with a stylus:

Go to the Acrobat online PDF editor.
Select a PDF to edit by clicking the “Select a file” button above, or by dragging and dropping a file into the drop zone.
Once the file has uploaded, sign in to upload comments.
From there you can draw, add text, and make other edits to your PDF.
Download your file or get a link to share it with others.

How to edit text in a PDF.

It’s important to note that with most online editors, you can only add text. You cannot edit or modify the original text in the PDF. Advanced editing tools like those found in Adobe Acrobat are needed to edit text — such as fixing a typo, formatting text, or revising a section.

In addition to offering all the tools you need to make your PDF and other documents picture perfect, Acrobat makes sharing and collaborating on documents as easy as possible. Your document needs are always changing, and Adobe Acrobat was built to create ease and efficiency whenever and wherever you are working.

Explore everything you can do with Acrobat and Acrobat online services to keep edits easy and workflow moving.

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