How to write on PDF

Do you need to edit a PDF file by adding text or simple annotations to it but none of the software or apps in your possession allows you to do this? I already know what you are thinking… that you will surely have to purchase one of those expensive and complicated professional document editing solutions. But no, you are very wrong!

By now there are many tools available at no cost (or almost) and within anyone’s reach, not only for computers but also for smartphones and tablets, which allow you to perform the operations in question in a very simple way. Do not you believe it? Then take a few minutes of free time just for you and find out how to write to PDF thanks to the solutions I’m about to suggest.

In the following lines, you will find those that, in my humble opinion, represent the best tools for adding texts and notes to PDF documents by spending zero euros, or a little more. All you have to do is find the application that you think could do the most for you and start using it. Happy reading and good work!

Index

• Preliminary information
• How to write to PDF for free
  • LibreOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)
  • Acrobat Reader DC (Windows / macOS)
  • Preview (macOS)
• How to write to PDF online
  • PDFzorro
  • Other solutions
• How to write to PDF from tablets and smartphones
  • Xodo PDF (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
  • File (iOS / iPadOS)

Preliminary information

Before getting to the heart of the guide, going to explain how to write on PDF, it is my duty to provide you with some preliminary information about it.

If you are not aware of it, you should know that PDFs can be saved in the form of images or documents consisting of text. In the first case, documents can only be edited by adding new contents: it is not possible to modify the text already existing in them (as they are composed of images). In the second case, however, there are no problems and the texts are freely editable, in a similar way to what happens in Word files.

To completely modify PDFs saved as images, it is necessary to turn to OCR solutions (acronym for optical character recognition), i.e. tools capable of carrying out optical character recognition and which are therefore capable of transforming images into editable texts. . All clear? Well then we can proceed.

How to write to PDF for free

Having made the necessary clarifications above, let’s get to the real heart of the matter and see how to write to PDF for free with some excellent solutions for Windows, macOS and Linux. Put them to the test now and you will see that you will not regret it.

LibreOffice (Windows / macOS / Linux)

If you need a complete solution that allows you to add custom texts in your documents and write to editable PDFs, don’t think twice and install LibreOffice.

Haven’t you ever heard of it? Bad! It is an excellent free productivity suite, which supports all Microsoft Office file formats and allows you to edit PDFs by adding text, highlights, drawings, geometric shapes and other customized content to them. If the PDFs are in text format, it also allows you to edit existing text.

LibreOffice is released under an open-source license and is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. To download the suite to your computer, visit its official website and click the Download xxx version button.

At the end of the download, if you are using Windows, open the .msi file obtained and, in the window that appears on the desktop, press the Run button. Then click on the Next button, select the Typical option and press the Next, Install, Yes and Finish buttons to complete the setup.

If, on the other hand, you are using macOS, open the .dmg package obtained, drag the LibreOffice icon into the Applications folder, right-click on it and select the Open item from the menu that appears. Then press the Open button in the window that appears on the screen, in order to start the program going to circumvent Apple’s limitations towards applications from non-certified developers (an operation that must be carried out only at the first start). Once this is done, close the program completely by pressing cmd + q on the keyboard.

After performing the above steps, again on Mac, go to the LibreOffice website again and click on the Translated User Interface button, to download the Italian translation of the suite (not necessary on Windows, as it is integrated “as standard” ).

Once the download is complete, open the new .dmg package obtained, right-click on the LibreOffice Language Pack executable inside it, select the Open item from the menu that is shown to you and press the Open and Install buttons. Then, select the entry / Applications / LibreOffice.app from the window that appears and click on the Install button.

If a warning regarding permissions appears, click on the Yes button, identify me, type the password of your user account on macOS and click on the OK button (twice in a row), to complete the setup.

At this point, regardless of the operating system in use, import the PDF you want to write on into LibreOffice by clicking on the Open file button on the left in the main program window. Once this is done, Draw, the suite software for creating and editing printable documents, will open.

You will be able to edit the document by adding notes, filling in forms, etc., using the special tools that you can find on the toolbar visible at the top and side.

When you are satisfied with the result, save your edited PDF by selecting the Export to PDF option from the LibreOffice File menu and you’re done.

Acrobat Reader DC (Windows / macOS)

Another software you can turn to to write to PDF from a PC is Adobe Acrobat DC. As easily understood by the name itself, this is the program from Adobe, the company that developed the PDF format, and which allows you to create and edit documents of this type.

It is available for Windows and macOS and is basically free. Some functions, however, are reserved for subscribers of the Pro version, which requires the subscription of a paid subscription (at the base cost of 18.29 euros/month) and you can try it for free for 7 days.

To download Adobe Acrobat DC on your computer, go to the program’s website and click on the Download Acrobat Reader button. When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and click on the Yes button in the window that appears on the desktop. Then, wait for the download of the components to make the program work to be completed and press the Finish button.

If you are using macOS, on the other hand, open the .dmg package obtained and double-click on the .pkg file in the window that appears. Next, hit the Continue button (twice in a row), type your Mac admin password and click the Install Software button. Then conclude the setup by clicking on the Close button.

Now that, regardless of the operating system used, you are shown the Acrobat Reader DC window on the screen, decide whether to make the software the default reader for PDFs, then click on the File menu at the top left, then on the item Open to it attached and select the PDF file you want to work on.

Then, select the Tools tab and use the functions and tools offered by the program to add notes, fill in and sign the document, etc.

When the changes are complete, save the changes made to the document by clicking on the File menu located at the top left and choosing the Save as item from the latter.

Preview (macOS)

If you own a Mac and none of the solutions I have already recommended convinced you in a particular way, you can consider using Preview. It is the default macOS application for viewing and editing PDFs and images and, even if not everyone knows it, it is one of the best free solutions for writing to PDF on Mac.

To use it, first open the document you are interested in taking action by simply double-clicking on its icon. If Preview is not the default application for opening PDFs, right-click on the icon of the file of your interest and select, from the context menu, the items Open with> Preview.

After opening the document, click on the pencil icon located at the top right, in order to enable the display of the toolbar with the editing tools. Then click on the buttons attached to the toolbar in question to add text to the document, insert your signature etc.

Once the changes are complete, simply close the document by clicking on the circular button with the “x” in the upper left part of the window. The changes will be saved automatically.

How to write to PDF online

You don’t want or can’t download new programs on your computer and would you like me to show you some solutions to write to PDF online? I’ll settle you immediately. In fact, below you will find those that I believe to be the most interesting of this type.

PDFzorro

The first web service for writing on PDFs that I suggest you consider is PDFzorro. It is a free and very easy-to-use solution, which allows you to modify the text already present in the documents, to add signatures, notes and much more. Note that it does not require registration, but by logging in it is possible to save the history of the edited documents.

To use it, visit its home page, click the Upload button and select the PDF you want to edit from your computer. Alternatively, you can drag the PDF of your interest directly into the browser window, in correspondence with the box located in the center of the screen. If the file is on Google Drive, you can also get it from there, by clicking on the link click here, to open PDF directly from Google Drive.

Once uploaded, press the start PDF editor button, select the page of the document on which you want to intervene from the list on the left and click on the editing tools to use that you find in the boxes at the top left: you can type your texts with the keyboard, but also write freely with the virtual pen, add lines, etc.

Once the changes are complete, click on the Finish / Download button located on the left and choose, by pressing the buttons on the left, whether to download the highlighted PDF on your computer, save it on Google Drive or send it via email.

Other solutions

Did the online service that I have already offered you not particularly convinced you and would you like to understand if there are valid alternatives? Yes, of course! You can find them in the list below.

• PDFescape– free web service that allows you to write on documents in PDF format and make changes of various types, acting directly from the browser window. The only thing to take into consideration is that it only allows you to upload files with a maximum size of 10 MB, which must not consist of more than 100 pages. There is no obligation to register, but by creating an account you can keep the history of the edited files.
• DocHub– this is an online service that allows you to make all sorts of changes to various types of documents, including PDFs. It’s easy to use, works from any browser, and it’s free, but you need to register. Eventually, it is also available in a paid variant (at a cost of $ 4.99 / month), which allows you to unlock some extra features.
• PDF Buddy– another online service to edit files in PDF format, also adding texts and modifying existing ones. Basically it is free and can be used with any browser. Registration is not mandatory, but by creating an account you can keep your files online and enjoy other benefits. It should also be noted that it is possible to subscribe to one of the paid plans (with prices starting from $ 5.99 / month) to take advantage of extra functions.

How to write to PDF from tablets and smartphones

Now I want to tell you what are the best solutions for writing to PDF from tablets and smartphones. You can find them reported in the steps below and are usable on both Android and iOS / iPadOS.

Xodo PDF (Android / iOS / iPadOS)

The first tool to write to Android PDF and to write to iPhone PDF (as well as iPad) that I invite you to consider is Xodo PDF. It is a free app that allows you to view and edit files in PDF format, even adding texts and modifying existing ones.

To download the app on your device, if you are using Android, visit the relevant section of the Play Store and press the Install button. If you are using iOS / iPadOS, instead, access the relevant section of the App Store, press the Get / Install button and authorize the download via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password. Then, tap on the Open button that appeared on the screen to start the app or select the relative icon that has been added to the home screen.

Now that you see the main screen of the app, select the PDF document you want to write on, tap on the pencil symbol located at the top right and use the tools you see appear in the toolbar at the top to insert customized texts, signatures, etc.

Once the changes are complete, click on the “x” located at the top: by doing so, the changes made to your PDF will be saved automatically.

File (iOS / iPadOS)

If you have an iOS / iPadOS device and the above solution has not particularly convinced you, you can take advantage of File, the default file manager of Apple mobile devices, which, perhaps not everyone knows, also allows you to make changes to PDF files. Note that it can also be used to write to PDF with a pen, using the iPad’s Apple Pencil.

To be able to use it, start the app on your device (the icon is the one with the white background and the blue folder ) from the home screen (if you can’t find it, you can download the application again from the relevant section of the App Store ) , select the Browse tab and open the PDF you are interested in taking action. If you want to import a PDF to File from another app, after opening it in the app in which it resides, tap the share button and choose the Save to File option from the menu that appears.

Now that you see the document on the screen, to be able to write on it, proceed as follows: tap the pencil icon at the top right, press the (+) button at the bottom and select the Text option. You can also add a signature, write by hand etc., using the other available commands.

When the changes are complete, tap on the End item located at the top left and all the changes will be saved on the document.