STEP 01
Open the file
Drop your PDF into the editor. It loads in the browser.
Free PDF tool · no account
Type anywhere on a PDF
Add a note, fill in a blank, write on a form that has no fields. Click where you want it and type.
The EveryTask PDF editorOpen the editor
The whole flow
A clear path from file to finished document
Add a note, fill in a blank, write on a form that has no fields. Click where you want it and type.
STEP 02
Click where the text goes
Pick the text tool, click the page, and type. Set the size and color as you go.
STEP 03
Download
The text is written into the file, not layered over a preview of it.
Step by step
How to add text to a pdf
Everything you need is ready in the browser.
Open the file
Drop your PDF into the editor. It loads in the browser.
Click where the text goes
Pick the text tool, click the page, and type. Set the size and color as you go.
Download
The text is written into the file, not layered over a preview of it.
How do you write on a PDF that has no form fields?
You place text on the page directly, at the position you click.
Plenty of documents that look like forms are not forms. A scanned application, a PDF exported from a design tool, a printed template someone photographed, all have lines and boxes drawn on them, and none have anything to type into. Clicking does nothing because there is nothing there.
Adding text sidesteps that entirely. You are not filling a field, you are putting words at coordinates on the page, the same way the rest of the document was made. To anyone opening the finished file it is simply text on the page.
What is the difference between adding text and editing text?
Adding puts new words on the page. Editing replaces words that are already there. They are separate tools because they are separate problems.
| Add text | Edit text | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Places new text | Replaces existing text |
| Where it works | Anywhere on the page | On existing text runs |
| Font | You choose | Matched to the original |
| Works on a scan | Yes | No |
| Best for | Filling blanks, notes | Fixing a typo or a figure |
A useful test: if you are writing where there is currently nothing, add. If you are changing something that already reads on the page, edit.
Adding text works on scanned documents, which is worth knowing. You cannot edit a scan because there is no text to click, but you can write on top of one perfectly well.
How do you line text up with what is already there?
Match the size first, then place it. Getting the size right does most of the work of making it look intentional.
Body text on a business document is usually 10 or 11 point; headings are 14 to 18. If you are filling a line on a form, look at the printed label next to it and match that. Text that is noticeably larger than everything around it is the main reason additions look pasted on.
For a line with a rule under it, place the text so it sits just above the line rather than on it. Handwriting sits above a ruled line, and a form reads as filled in rather than typed over when it does the same.
Zoom in before placing anything fiddly. Positioning at 100% on a laptop is guesswork; at 200% it is precise, and the position is stored in document coordinates so it stays correct at any zoom afterwards.
Can you add text to a scanned document?
Yes, and this is one of the few PDF operations that works exactly the same on a scan as on a native document.
A scan is an image of a page. You cannot select or edit what it shows, because to the file it is a picture rather than words. But nothing stops you drawing new text on top of a picture, which is what adding text does.
So a scanned form can be completed on screen, printed or emailed, without printing it out and filling it by hand. The typed text is real text in the finished file, selectable and searchable, even though everything behind it is an image.
Before you start
What this tool does not do
It does not reflow around existing content. Text is placed where you put it. If a line runs into something already on the page, move it or shorten it.
It does not create real form fields. What you add is text on the page, not a field somebody else can type into. Sending a document for another person to complete needs actual fields, which we do not create.
It does not match the document font automatically. You choose the font and size. The edit tool matches an existing font; adding text does not, because there is nothing to match.
Ready to work on your PDF?
Open the editor to work on your file in the browser, with no account or watermark.
Got questions?
Add text to a PDF answers
Can I change the text after adding it?
Yes, while you are in the editor. Click it to reposition or retype. Once downloaded it is part of the page.
What fonts are available?
The standard PDF fonts, which cover Helvetica, Times and Courier. They render identically everywhere.
Will the text be selectable in the final PDF?
Yes. It is written as real text, so it can be selected, copied and searched.
Can I add text in a different color?
Yes, from the color picker before you place it.
Related tools
Keep the document moving
Keep going
Try more PDF tools
Everything you need to take a document from raw file to reviewed, signed and filed.