# What's the best way to edit a PDF document?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 27, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601 "2019-05-27T18:04:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/1 "2019-05-27T18:04:38Z")
So I’ve not had much experience with PDF files, except for reading them. But I am searching for the simplest way to edit such documents. So far I’ve tried the following:
1. I used an online service that converts my PDF documents to Word, but it always seems to screw up the formatting (IOW, the Word document ends up not looking like the original PDF).
2. I’ve tried ‘Select All’ in the PDF doc, then copy/paste into the body of a Word doc, but it ends up looking really weird.
If I buy Adobe software, will that allow me to modify a PDF that someone sends me?
Are there any other options out there that I don’t know about?
Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/2 "2019-05-27T18:42:08Z")
Adobe will gladly sell you software that will allow you to easily edit any PDF file. The question is whether it’s worth it to you. How often do you need to edit PDF files? If it’s quite often then just buy the capability from Adobe. I had it at a company I used to work at and it came in handy when I needed it once in a while… but it was free to me. I’ve tried online PDF editors but they never worked that well for me. YMMV.
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### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/3 "2019-05-27T18:45:59Z")
One free tool to try (well 2, if you use Linux MasterPDF is also an option \*):
[Inkscape](https://inkscape.org/).
A quick example on how to open and edit a PDF:
> **[How to edit a PDF with Inkscape](https://tatica.org/en/2015/07/13/edit-pdf-inkscape/)**
>
> Today at work I had to edit a PDF that was block but I needed to change a small piece of info, so we could send it back to a client. I had no idea how to do it,so I read a bit and tried options lik…
The PDF should have text elements and not only images, although with pages with pure images one can add a text box over the text you want to edit, another limitation is that it looks at lines of text as separate elements but all can be selected, moved around, or erased to then add a text box that you can change. After the changes one can save the whole thing as a PDF again or other formats if one wants to.
One limitation to know: Inkscape can only edit a single page.
For multiple pages one can look at a free tool like Masterpdf on linux, be sure to download a version 4.x of MasterPDF because after 5 and over in Linux the free tool will add a watermark on all pages saved, like it does in all versions in Windows.
One can also get around the limits by looking at the many free simple editors that just add a page or extract a page from a PDF document, edit the single extracted page in Inkscape and then later add the corrected page to the larger document.
- Inkscape is also available in Windows and can be made to work in some Macs.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/4 "2019-05-27T19:12:34Z")
What kind of editing are you trying to do? But, yes, Acrobat Pro works great. As for free tools, you have Libreoffice, PDFtk, Inkscape, PDFedit, etc.
To _create_ a nice-looking PDF document like an article or book, honestly, I’d just use LaTeX or ConTeXt which are designed for high-quality typesetting.
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### Author:  [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/5 "2019-05-27T19:52:32Z")
Thanks, Dopers. I’ll try some of the free links that have been offered up & if they don’t work right, I think I’ll have to buy Adobe Pro. The weird thing is, I went to their website & it looks like you can only ‘subscribe’ to the software for $14.99/month. Does not appear to have any option to just buy it.
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/6 "2019-05-27T20:31:41Z")
What version of Word do you have? Word can open a PDF file and convert it automatically. I have had very good success with this for straightforward business documents but not so much if you have complex layouts like a magazine or newspaper.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/7 "2019-05-27T20:36:05Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#):
>
> Thanks, Dopers. I’ll try some of the free links that have been offered up & if they don’t work right, I think I’ll have to buy Adobe Pro. The weird thing is, I went to their website & it looks like you can only ‘subscribe’ to the software for $14.99/month. Does not appear to have any option to just buy it.
You can [buy it](https://www.adobe.com/products/catalog.html?types=pf_252Fdesktop&types=pf_252Fmobile&types=pf_252Fweb&filters=de_252Fpdf); it’s called Acrobat Pro 2017 instead of Acrobat Pro DC. $449 if you have no discounts.
---
### Author:  [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/8 "2019-05-27T20:46:20Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> What version of Word do you have? Word can open a PDF file and convert it automatically. I have had very good success with this for straightforward business documents but not so much if you have complex layouts like a magazine or newspaper.
I have version 16.16.10 (2016?). I am only trying to convert straightforward business documents, but I don’t see this as an option. Can you let me know what version you are working with? Maybe I need to upgrade. Might be cheaper than buying the Adobe software…
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### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/9 "2019-05-27T21:09:13Z")
Speaking of word processors like Word, that reminded me of another free option that also allows one to edit PDF,s
[LibreOffice.](https://www.libreoffice.org/)
It does not have the page limitation of Inkscape but the issue of fonts and the elements separated by lines is there. Of course one can easily remove the text lines and add text fields.
> **[Using LibreOffice as a PDF Editor - gHacks Tech News](https://www.ghacks.net/2018/02/13/using-libreoffice-as-a-pdf-editor/)**
>
> While you can use LibreOffice apps to edit spreadsheets or Word documents, you may use it as well to create, edit and save PDF documents.
> [@](#):
>
> LibreOffice Draw offers a simple straightforward option to edit PDF documents. It is most suitable for basic PDF documents with little to no formatting or advanced layouts. The program does not offer the same level of functionality as Acrobat Reader or other commercial PDF editors but it is sufficient for basic tasks.
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/10 "2019-05-27T22:00:06Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#):
>
> I have version 16.16.10 (2016?). I am only trying to convert straightforward business documents, but I don’t see this as an option.
Right-click on the PDF file, select Open With, and then select Word.
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### Author:  [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/11 "2019-05-27T22:37:34Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#):
>
> Right-click on the PDF file, select Open With, and then select Word.
I’m using a Macbook Air and this isn’t working. Is there another way to select ‘Open With’ besides using right click?
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/12 "2019-05-27T22:56:41Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#):
>
> I’m using a Macbook Air and this isn’t working. Is there another way to select ‘Open With’ besides using right click?
In Word, select Open and then Browse. The file dialogue box should give you options for which types of file to look for. The default is Word Documents but you can change that to PDF Documents. (In Windows anyway, that’s all I have access to right now)
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/13 "2019-05-27T23:08:42Z")
I use Foxit as a PDF reader. They have another product PhantomPDF that supposedly allows you edit PDFs. They claim “Get Everything in Acrobat at a Fraction of the Price”. There is a free trial. I have never used PhantomPDF however so I can’t say how well it works.
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### Author:  [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/14 "2019-05-27T23:22:50Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#):
>
> I’m using a Macbook Air and this isn’t working. Is there another way to select ‘Open With’ besides using right click?
The built in Preview app that comes with macOS is pretty good at editing PDFs.
Some more info from Apple on how to use it here
> **[Annotate a PDF in Preview on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/annotate-a-pdf-prvw11580/mac)**
>
> In Preview on your Mac, add notes, text, shapes, and other tools to mark up a PDF.
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/15 "2019-05-28T00:03:05Z")
> [@DPRK](#):
>
> You can [buy it](https://www.adobe.com/products/catalog.html?types=pf_252Fdesktop&types=pf_252Fmobile&types=pf_252Fweb&filters=de_252Fpdf); it’s called Acrobat Pro 2017 instead of Acrobat Pro DC. $449 if you have no discounts.
You mean I don’t have to use Acrobat DC? I hate it with the passion of a thousand suns.
I subscribe to the insanely expensive Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Whatever. It’s over $600/year, but I do graphic design work as a freelancer, and I need Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign and the Bridge. It’s deductible and I more than recoup the cost anyway. BUT I HATE ACROBAT DC.
I need to investigate this.
---
### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2019, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/16 "2019-05-28T09:15:23Z")
> [@markn\_1](#):
>
> I use Foxit as a PDF reader. They have another product PhantomPDF that supposedly allows you edit PDFs. They claim “Get Everything in Acrobat at a Fraction of the Price”. There is a free trial. I have never used PhantomPDF however so I can’t say how well it works.
I’ve used it with good results. Some of the files I needed to use it for were absolute bitches, with tons of too-tight fields and stuff like that. You know how some people will use low dashes in blank “fill here” spaces in .docs, so when you write there everything gets out of whack? Several of the files were like that, including one form I had to fill weekly, and I was able to fix them easily.
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### Author:  [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/17 "2019-05-28T19:45:52Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#):
>
> You mean I don’t have to use Acrobat DC? I hate it with the passion of a thousand suns.
>
> I subscribe to the insanely expensive Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Whatever. It’s over $600/year, but I do graphic design work as a freelancer, and I need Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign and the Bridge. It’s deductible and I more than recoup the cost anyway. BUT I HATE ACROBAT DC.
>
> I need to investigate this.
Be grateful we’ve progressed beyond Acrobat Distiller.
I actually prefer using Illustrator to edit PDFs. DC crams extra tool bars onto old operating systems, and at least with Illustrator I don’t have to navigate through chunks of text blocks.
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### Author:  [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/18 "2019-05-28T19:48:22Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#):
>
> I am only trying to convert straightforward business documents…
Generally, business documents are put into pdf format so that the recipient can’t edit them – a minimal protection against fraud and falsified documents. If you have a legitimate reason to be editing these documents, the originator should be willing to send them to you in a Word or similar format.
Why are you doing this again?
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### Author:  [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/19 "2019-05-28T19:58:39Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#):
>
> I actually prefer using Illustrator to edit PDFs.
This. Came here to mention that Illustrator is my go-to for editing PDFs even though I also have Acrobat Pro. The Preview app on a Mac is a good choice for the things that it does, but that feature set is pretty limited.
---
### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-edit-a-pdf-document/834601/20 "2019-05-28T20:09:42Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#):
>
> So I’ve not had much experience with PDF files, except for reading them. But I am searching for the simplest way to edit such documents. So far I’ve tried the following:
>
> 1. I used an online service that converts my PDF documents to Word, but it always seems to screw up the formatting (IOW, the Word document ends up not looking like the original PDF).
>
> 2. I’ve tried ‘Select All’ in the PDF doc, then copy/paste into the body of a Word doc, but it ends up looking really weird.
>
> If I buy Adobe software, will that allow me to modify a PDF that someone sends me?
>
> Are there any other options out there that I don’t know about?
>
> Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I have never found any software that converts a non-trivial PDF to anything else without massive glitches and formatting problems, and if anyone ever does, I’d sure like to know about it. It’s almost like outputting any document to PDF is one-way.
I have Acrobat Pro but I rarely use it for editing so I’m not closely familiar with its capabilities, but I think editing PDFs is intrinsically limited compared to doing it properly on the original source material. I’ve used it for things like splitting up a big PDF or eliminating some pages from it and the like. Remember also that what you can do with any PDF can be limited by protections imposed by the author.
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