How to edit PDF files for free

Index

• Edit PDF files for free on Windows, Mac and Linux
  • LibreOffice
  • PDF-XChange Viewer
  • Preview
• Edit PDF files for free online
  • iLovePDF
• Edit PDF files for free on smartphones and tablets

Edit PDF files for free on Windows, Mac and Linux

As I told you at the beginning of the guide, to begin with let's go through the "classic" solutions for editing PDFs at no cost, namely those programs for Windows, Mac and Linux that can be used for editing of documents in the format in question. For more info continue reading.

LibreOffice

If you are looking for an application that allows you to edit PDF files freely, a bit like Word documents, try LibreOffice. You've probably heard of it before, it's a free and open source productivity suite that allows you to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases and other printable content.

It is compatible with all files generated by Microsoft Office and allows you to freely modify PDF documents by altering the writings contained in them, adding new ones and creating notes, highlights or other customized content. Other undeniable advantages are full compatibility with Windows, Mac and Linux (it is included "standard" in numerous distros, starting from Ubuntu) and support for the cittàn language both in the interface and in the spelling dictionary.

To download LibreOffice on your PC, connect to the program's website and click on the button Download version xx. If you are using a Mac, also click on the button Translated user interface which is used to download the cittàn language pack for the suite (which is included "as standard" in the Windows version).

Once the download is complete, if you are using a Windows PC, start the LibreOffice installation package (LibreOffice_xx_Win_x86.msi) and complete the setup by clicking in sequence on NEXT (twice in a row), come on Install, its Yes and end.

If you are using a Mac, on the other hand, open the .dmg package that contains LibreOffice and move the program icon to the folder Applications of macOS. Then open the .dmg package of the language pack and start the setup it contains to install the cittàn translation. To start LibreOffice on Mac for the first time, due to the security features included in macOS that prevent the execution of software from sources other than the App Store, you need to right-click on the suite icon and select the item apri from the menu that appears twice in succession.

Now you can open any PDF document in LibreOffice (using the menu File> Open) and start editing it using the buttons you find in the lower part of the program window: le geometric shapes, arrows letter "T" (for inserting custom texts) and so on. If you need more in-depth guidance, try reading my tutorials on how to write on PDFs and how to create editable PDFs.

PDF-XChange Viewer

As an alternative to the above program, if you are using a Windows PC you can use PDF-XChange Viewer. It is a free software (but with some Pro functions, for a fee) and in cittàn language designed for viewing and editing files in the format in question that has very little to envy to the most popular commercial solutions. Try it now and you will see that you will not regret it.

To use it, first connect to the program's website and click on the button Download, in order to start downloading PDF-XChange Viewer to your computer.

When the download is complete, extract the compressed archive you just obtained in any position and start the file contained within it (PDFXVwer.exe) to start the software installation procedure. In the window that opens, click on Si and OK. Then press on NEXT, check the box next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreementclick your NEXT six times in a row, come on Install and end.

Now that you see the software window on your desktop, click on the item apri at the top and select the PDF you want to edit for free saved on your computer. Then click on the item Instruments which is on the menu bar and select the action you want to take on the file. For example, you can insert annotations, geometric shapes, comments, you can underline the text, cross it out and so on.

From the menu Document you can rotate pages, extract text and much more. If you then need to turn the PDF into an image, click on the menu Fillet, select the voice Export and then that Export as an image. Indicate your preferred output format from the menu Image Type:, adjust the various other options on the screen and press on Export ....

To save all the various and any changes made to the PDF, press the menu Fillet and choose Save copy (to save a copy of the file without modifying the original) or Save with name (to overwrite the source file).

Preview

Do you own a Mac? In this case you already have everything you need to edit your PDF files for free: Preview, the program already included in macOS to view and edit images and… PDF!

To use it, just double-click on the PDF of your interest and press the icon of pen located at the top right. Then you will see a toolbar appear with all the tools useful for editing the document: the button Aa allows you to select the text already present in the document, the one with the serrated square allows you to select portions of the document, the one with the fountain pen to draw on the file and so on. You can also highlight the text contained in the PDF document and rotate its pages.

At the bottom of the toolbar there are icons to determine the thickness of the edges of the elements inserted in the document, the border and fill colors of the latter and the style of the text to be entered in the PDF.

Changes made to PDFs will be automatically saved to the original files. If you don't want to overwrite the original document, select the item Export as PDF from the menu Fillet and indicate the name and location for saving.

Edit PDF files for free online

Now let's move on to the useful tools to edit PDF files for free by acting online. As anticipated at the beginning, there are several services used for this purpose that can be used directly and comfortably from the browser window (any), without having to download and install absolutely anything on the PC. To find out more, keep reading.

iLovePDF

If you do not intend to alter the content of a PDF, that is, you do not want to modify the text but you want to convert it to other formats, reduce its size, split it or create a new one from various PDFs you have on your computer, I strongly suggest that you test iLovePDF.

This is a sort of "Swiss army knife" for PDFs that allows you to convert, edit and create this kind of file directly online. Works with any browser, requires no registration and has no upload limits. It also protects users' privacy by deleting all files uploaded to its servers within a few hours.

To use it, all you have to do is connect to its home page, choose one of the many available functions, drag the documents to work on in the browser window and wait a few moments for the upload to complete. If you want more detailed examples of how it works, read these tutorials of mine: how to merge two PDFs, how to convert PDF files to JPG and how to compress PDF online.

Edit PDF files for free on smartphones and tablets

Do you often find yourself working on the go and therefore are you looking for an app that allows you to edit PDF files even from your tablet, if not even from your smartphone? No problem, you can rely on Exodus PDF.

It is a free application for Android, iOS and Windows Mobile that allows you to view PDF documents and modify them freely by adding texts, highlights, geometric shapes and many other customizations to them. It does not make speed its greatest asset, but it works and does its duty very well. Try it and you will not regret it.

Alternatively, you can rely on another of the following applications.

• Foxit PDF (Android / iOS / Windows Mobile) - Excellent app at no cost thanks to which you can easily edit PDF files by inserting annotations, highlights and much more. You can also unlock some advanced features, such as the ability to protect your files with certificates, through in-app purchases.
• Universal Book Reader (Android) - You can immediately guess from the name, it is actually an app for reading eBooks which not only allows you to export more than 50 different file formats in PDF or ePub format but also allows you to edit these documents by adding highlights and various other customizations to the texts of the same.
• Apple books (iOS) - It is the eBook and PDF reader installed “as standard” on all the devices of the “bitten apple”. As for PDFs, in addition to allowing you to view them, it provides users with a whole series of useful functions for editing them, which is why I have chosen to tell you about them in this tutorial of mine.

For more information and to get acquainted with further useful resources in this regard, I invite you to consult my post focused specifically on apps to edit PDFs and my article on apps to read PDFs.

How to edit PDF files for free