How to add text to a PDF for free, even forms that aren't fillable

To add text to a PDF for free, open it in S-PDF's Edit PDF tool, choose Text, click where the words should go and type, then save and download. It works online in any modern browser, needs no sign-up and adds no watermark, and the same steps fill in the forms most people are stuck with: the ones with no fillable fields.

How to add text to a PDF in 4 steps

1. Open your PDF. Go to Edit PDF and click Choose PDF file, or drag the file onto the box. Each task takes one PDF of up to 50 MB. If the file is password-protected, remove the password first with Unlock PDF.
2. Add a text box. Choose Text in the toolbar, click on the page where the text should start and type. Pick the font (Sans, Serif or Mono), a size from 6 to 144 pt, bold, italic and a colour.
3. Put it in place. Drag the box to move it and pull its corner handle to resize it. Double-click a box to retype it, and remove one with its × or the Delete key.
4. Save and download. Click Save PDF. On the result screen you can have the file emailed to you, or skip that and download it straight away. It comes back as yourfile_edited.pdf.

There's no account to create, no watermark, no daily limit and nothing to pay at the download. Type in Latin, Greek or Cyrillic and your words go in as real text. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and other scripts are added as a picture of the text, which prints and displays correctly but can't be searched or copied.

Edit PDF has no undo button. If a text box goes wrong, move it, retype it or delete it. Nothing is final until you save, and even then Back to options on the result screen takes you back to the editor with your text still editable.

Text is only one of the tools: our guide to editing a PDF online for free covers images, shapes and drawing too.

How to fill in a form that isn't fillable

Many PDF forms are a printed page saved as a PDF: the lines and boxes are drawn on, but there are no fields to type into. To check, open the PDF in your browser and click a blank field. If you can type in it, the form is fillable and you can fill it there as it is. If nothing happens, add the text yourself.

Only have the form on paper? Scan to PDF turns photos from your phone's camera into a PDF, and Edit PDF adds text to scanned pages just as it does to digital ones.

Line your answers up with the boxes

1. Zoom in on the first field so you can see its line or box clearly.
2. Use one text box per field, not one big box for the page. Separate boxes are easier to nudge into place.
3. Sit the text just above the line, as you would write it by hand. Inside a box, leave a small gap on the left.
4. For fields with one square per character (dates, postcodes, reference numbers), choose Mono, which gives every character the same width. Adjust the size, adding spaces if needed, until each character lands in its square. If it still won't line up, give each character its own text box.
5. Check the whole page at normal zoom before you save, and again in the downloaded file.

Ticks, crosses and dates

For a tick box, type a capital X and centre it in the square, or draw a tick with the Draw tool, which also lets you write on the PDF by hand. Type dates in the format the form asks for, such as DD/MM/YYYY. Signatures are covered below.

Match the font, size and colour of the page

• Font. Look at letters like "T" and "a". Small strokes at the ends of the letters, as in Times, mean Serif. Plain letters, as in Arial or Helvetica, mean Sans. If every letter takes the same width, like a typewriter, use Mono.
• Size. Zoom in a long way and put your text next to a printed word. Change the size until the capital letters are the same height. If you're unsure, start at 10 pt.
• Bold and italic. Turn them on only if the text around your answer uses them.
• Colour. Black matches most printed documents. If the form asks for black or blue ink, use that colour.

These are three standard fonts, not the document's own, so a close look will show small differences. When new words must look identical to the old ones, change the existing text in PDF Studio instead.

Fix or replace a word that's already there

Edit PDF adds text on top of the page. It can't change the words already in the PDF, but you can cover one and type over it:

1. Choose Whiteout and draw a box slightly larger than the old word, so no edges of its letters show.
2. Add a text box on top and type the new word, matching the font and size.
3. Working on tinted paper? Swap Whiteout for a Box filled and outlined in the paper's colour; a white patch would give the edit away.

The covered word hasn't gone anywhere: a search or a copy and paste will still find it. For something private, such as an account number, use Redact PDF so it is actually removed.

When the new words must match the old ones exactly, use Edit text in PDF Studio instead. Click a line and retype it; the replacement keeps the font, size and colour, using the PDF's own font where possible. Each line is edited on its own and nothing reflows, so a much longer replacement runs into the words next to it. Our guide on how to edit text in a PDF goes into detail.

Add a signature, date or check marks

Edit PDF can place a picture of your signature with the Image tool (PNG or JPG), but two other free tools are built for signing:

• Sign PDF lets you draw your signature with a mouse or finger, type it in a handwriting-style font or upload a picture of it, and add initials, your name, the date, a check mark and extra text. Use it on the copy you downloaded from Edit PDF.
• PDF Studio has Sign, Date and Check mark tools next to Text, plus undo and redo (Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y), so you can fill in and sign a form in one go.

Either way you get a simple electronic signature, not a certificate-based digital signature.

Add text to a PDF on your phone

Edit PDF runs in the browser on iPhone, iPad and Android, so there's no app to install. Tap Choose PDF file, pick the PDF from your phone's files and follow the same steps. For precise placement:

• Zoom in before you tap, so the text box lands near the right line, then drag it into place.
• Turn the phone sideways for a wider view of the page.

For the options built into each device, see how to edit a PDF on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows.

What saving (flattening) means

When you click Save PDF, your text boxes are merged into the page itself. This is called flattening, and it's why the result looks the same in every PDF viewer and on paper. Comments added by some apps can look different, move or disappear in other viewers; flattened text stays where you put it.

The trade-off: in the downloaded file your additions are no longer separate boxes. Use Back to options on the result screen to change something and save again, and keep your original in case you want to start over later.

Which free tool to use for what

Frequently asked questions

How do I type on a PDF for free?

Open the file in Edit PDF, choose Text, click on the page and type, then click Save PDF and download. It's free, online and needs no account.

How do I fill in a PDF form that isn't fillable?

Add one text box per field and line each answer up with its line or box at a high zoom. Pick the font closest to the form's own, type a capital X in tick boxes, then sign with Sign PDF.

Can I add text to a PDF without Adobe?

Yes. Edit PDF works in any modern browser with nothing to install. On a Mac, Apple's guide to filling out forms in Preview shows how to add a text box to a form that won't let you type. Microsoft says the PDF reader in recent versions of Edge has an Add text option in its toolbar. Menu names vary by version.

Why does my added text look different from the rest of the page?

The PDF has its own font, while Edit PDF offers three standard ones. Pick the nearest and match the size by eye at a high zoom. For identical-looking changes, use Edit text in PDF Studio.

Can I edit the text after saving?

Yes, while you're still on the result screen: Back to options reopens the editor with every text box editable. In the downloaded file the text is merged into the page, so for later changes start again from your original.

Is it really free, with no watermark?

Yes. There's no sign-up, no watermark, no daily limit and no payment step at the download. Your form is processed on our own servers and removed automatically afterwards; to remove it sooner, use the My files page.

Published 29 October 2026 · Last updated 29 October 2026