PDF is short for portable document format. All PDF is a file that can be display on any devices. When you convert your document into a PDF, its formatting remains unchanged and a bit hard to edit. However, it can be converted back to any format so you can edit your pdf files as you like.
PDF Tools are FREE PDF functions to merge, split, reorder, delete, encrypt, decrypt, rotate, crop and reformat PDF pages, to add information, header, footer and watermark, to convert images to PDF, PDF to images or PostScript to PDF, to delete, flatten and list form fields, to scan to pdf, to create transparent image, and more.
The following table explains each free function. Please click each item to see the details.
| 1. |  | Merge | Merge or Combine two or more PDF files into a single PDF file. |
| 2. |  | Split, Reorder or Delete | Split, Extract, Reorder or Delete PDF pages from a PDF file into a new file. |
| 3. |  | Encrypt and Decrypt with Security Options | Encrypt or Decrypt PDF documents (Master Password or User Password may be required). Protect PDF files with passwords and prevent PDF files from being printed, copied, changed, filled, extracted, signed, assembled or merged. Supports Adobe® Standard 40-bit Encryption and Adobe® Advanced 128-bit Encryption |
| 4. |  | Rotate and Crop | Rotate a PDF page by 0, 90, 180 and 270 degree. Crop a page to modify its layout of Print or View by specifying its margins. |
| 5. |  | Reformat | Put multiple pages into one page to save paper and inks when printing hard copies. Add note lines for handout. |
| 6. |  | Header and Footer | Add Headers and Footers to present information, such as date, time, page numbers, or the title of the document, in the top or bottom margins of a document. |
| 7. |  | Watermark by Stylized Text | Add Stylized Text Stamp. |
| 8. |  | Watermark by Image | Add Stamp using image file (bmp, jpg, gif, png, tiff, and wmf). |
| 9. |  | Convert Images to PDF | Convert images (bmp, jpg, gif, png, tiff, and wmf) into a PDF file with layout options. |
| 10. |  | Convert PDF into images | Save PDF pages into images (png, jpg, bmp and tiff) with DPI options. |
| 11. |  | PDF Form Fields: Delete, Flatten, List | Delete, Flatten or List the PDF Form Fields inside a PDF file. |
| 12. |  | Convert PostScript(PS) File into PDF | Convert PS files into PDF files so Adobe Reader can read them. |
| 13. |  | Add Information | Add information (title, author, subject, keywords, created, creator, producer, version) to PDF documents. |
| 14. |  | Free Scanner | Scan your paper form or photo as an image file (PNG, JPG, BMP, TIF, GIF) or a PDF file. |
| 15. |  | Create Transparent Image | Create a transparent image with options to adjust transparency options. |
A free PDF editor will let you modify images and text in PDF files without the need to convert them to a different format or pay for expensive dedicated software, and we’ve rounded up five of the very best options right here.
Editing a PDF isn’t as straightforward as opening it in Microsoft Word or Apple Pages – it requires its own separate application in order to make the desired changes.
Whether you’re using them for business, school, or general use, PDF files are a fantastic way to share information. The great thing about PDF documents is that their content doesn’t change no matter what kind of program you use to open them or what device you’re viewing them on. This makes PDF documents ideal for important information that could be open to misinterpretation if the document’s style or formatting was changed.
The one problem is that there aren’t very many free PDF editors. This is because Adobe, the original creator of the PDF format, still owns some technologies associated with it. Adobe charges software manufacturers a fee for working with PDFs which is why most programs can save documents in PDF format but can’t edit them.
1. SmallPDF
With Smallpdf’s Edit PDF tool, you get a simple user interface that allows you to add text and image content to your PDF files. This platform also offers simple e-signing, and the ability to add comments and highlights to information already stored in your PDFs.
The Smallpdf system actually contains lots of other PDF modification tools too. Along with the editor function, there’s a variety of options to convert PDFs into easier-to-edit formats such as Word and Powerpoint files, and you can save space by merging individual PDF documents into a single file.
But the best thing about Smallpdf is that it’s a cloud-based platform. In other words, you can access it from any supported device simply by visiting the Smallpdf website and dragging and dropping a PDF into your browser.
Don’t be thrown off by the prompts to begin a ‘free trial’ – you only have to do that if you want to install the Smallpdf Desktop program for offline editing.
2. Sedja
PDF files are a good way to store professional or financial information, which means that their contents are often sensitive. Sejda is a free online PDF editor that you can trust with important documents because all uploaded files are wiped from its servers after five hours.
Aside from security, Sejda is a good choice if you are after a free PDF editor with a user-friendly interface. Sejda’s single menu bar makes it easy to find all the editing options necessary for adding text, links, images, and signatures to PDF documents.
When you’re done editing a document in Sejda, you just need to click the ‘Apply Changes’ button and proceed to save the finished product in your Google Drive account, Dropbox system, or locally.
Sejda does come with some limits, but they aren’t restrictive enough to cause problems for casual users. You can only perform three tasks and upload 50MB, or 200 pages of information to the Sejda platform every hour.
3. PDFescape
PDFescape is an excellent option for online PDF editing. Simple to use and available to anyone with a web browser, PDFescape may be all you need to edit and annotate PDF files.
Previously, PDFescape had a limit of either a 10MB or 50-page PDF file. That 10MB file-size limit remains in place, but you can now edit files of up to 100 pages for free.
PDFescape offers ample annotation tools. You can use the app to fill out forms, create form fields, insert text and web links, highlight text, add sticky notes, redact or strikeout text, crop and rotate images, add or remove pages and even lock and encrypt PDF documents.
You’ll have to contend with severely limited font options, however. PDFescape offers five fonts, one of which is a generic “signature” font that looks nothing like your own signature. But otherwise, you’ll find a lot more tools in PDFescape than you will in the typical, bare-bones free PDF editor.
4. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Adobe’s free PDF reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, connects to the Adobe Document cloud and other cloud storage systems like Box, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive, letting you open, view, share and comment on PDFs from anywhere and on any device you want.
Acrobat Reader DC’s coolest feature is that it can read text out loud, guiding you along with any document that’s challenging to read. Adobe’s free PDF reader is great for any busy professional who needs to annotate PDFs on the go or on their commute.
5. Skim
Skim is a PDF reader that was originally designed to help academics read and annotate scientific papers in PDF format, but they’ve now improved their functionality to let anyone view any type of PDF file on the reader. On Skim, you can highlight text, take notes, take snapshots, export notes as text, and integrate with third-party apps like BibDesk, a bibliography manager.
6. PDF-XChange Editor
Unlike other options in this list which are primarily web-based, PDF-XChange Editor is available only as a desktop app for Windows. While there are both free and paid versions of the program (the paid version starts at $46 per year), the only restriction is that PDFs in the free version are saved with a watermark. The app is full-featured and includes a wealth of editing and document management features as well as the ability to extract and edit the text in the PDF using OCR. This Windows-only desktop app gives you a lot of features but watermarks your PDFs.
Pros:
- A wealth of editing features
- OCR can extract text from PDF
- No file size, page, or time restrictions on free version
Cons:
- Program is for Windows only
- Free version adds watermark to PDFs
7. Apple Preview
A few of the options in this list are Windows-only; this one is only for the Mac. Apple Preview is built into macOS and is the default PDF viewer. But click the markup button near the search bar and you’ll see a new toolbar with options to add text, graphics, signatures, and more to your PDFs. It’s missing some of the more generous document management and editing features – there’s no OCR, for example – but it’s included with your Mac and there’s nothing to buy. Apple includes a PDF editor in MacOS.
Pros:
- Included with your Mac
- The editing tools are built into the default PDF viewer
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Only for Macs
- No OCR
- Lacks a wealth of editing tools
8. Ashampoo® PDF Pro 2
Best for editing, converting, merging, and creating PDFs.
Ashampoo® PDF Pro 2 Pricing: It is available for $29.99. It is a one-time payment. For home use, it can be used on 3 systems but for commercial use, it requires one license per installation. Its free trial is available to download.
Ashampoo PDF Pro 2 is an all-in-one solution for managing and editing PDF documents. It has functionalities to create, edit, protect, convert, and merge the PDF. You can encrypt the document if required.
It has functionalities for splitting up the PDFs into smaller documents and you can give a custom number of pages. It supports Windows 10, 8, and 7 platforms.
Features:
- Ashampoo PDF Pro 2 has functionalities for comparing two PDFs side by side.
- Its snapshot function will let you capture the perfect screenshot of PDFs.
- It provides a new & simplified text formatting dialog.
- It contains the auto-repair feature.
- Its toolbar will show the recently used page operations.
Ashampoo® PDF Pro 2 will help you to create the right size documents for any device. It provides backward compatibility by supporting PDF 1.4. With its new menu structure, it is easier to use.
Conclusion: The pdf is one of the most commonly used file formats on the Internet, if not more so. It is almost impossible to find the answer to a specific question about pdf data online, unless there is a problem associated with it. This is why every business owner needs one of the best free pdf tools that will make their job easier when manipulating or viewing PDFs.