Pagewright PDF Editor
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Guide

How to edit text in a PDF on Windows

Change a word, a date or a whole paragraph in an existing PDF, and keep the page looking the way it did.

Updated · Screenshots from Pagewright on Windows

Before you start

You need Pagewright installed on Windows 10 or 11 and a PDF whose text you can select (a "digital" PDF). If the page is a scan — a picture of text — run OCR first; OCR text is for searching and copying, not for editing.

1. Open the PDF

Choose File → Open (Ctrl+O), drag the file into the Pagewright window, or double-click it if Pagewright is your default PDF app. Opening a file never changes it.

The document opens in its own tab, with page thumbnails on the left.

The document opens in its own tab, with page thumbnails on the left.

2. Turn on the Edit text tool

Choose Edit Existing Content → Edit text, or press Shift+E. Each paragraph and line you can edit gets a dashed outline. On the right, Click selects chooses what a click opens:

  • Whole paragraphs — the paragraph rewraps as you type (the default);
  • Single lines — each line is replaced in place.
Editable paragraphs and lines are outlined.

Editable paragraphs and lines are outlined.

Text that can't be edited yet — right-to-left or vertical text, Type 3 fonts, or text inside a repeated graphic — is outlined in grey. Point at it to see why.

3. Click the paragraph and type

Click the paragraph (or move to it with Tab and press Enter). A box opens over it and wraps your text the way the page will. Type your change. Shift+Enter starts a new line; Esc cancels.

The paragraph editor wraps your text at the paragraph's own width.

The paragraph editor wraps your text at the paragraph's own width.

Press Enter to apply. The paragraph is redrawn at its original width, line spacing, indent and alignment, with the original font if it has every character you typed. If Pagewright has to use a different font, it tells you which.

The edited paragraph, rewrapped in place and marked with a green outline.

The edited paragraph, rewrapped in place and marked with a green outline.

Text below an edited paragraph doesn't move. If your new text is longer than the space it had, Pagewright keeps it and warns you that it may overlap — shorten the wording, or edit the next paragraph too.

Made a mistake? Ctrl+Z undoes an edit and Ctrl+Y redoes it.

4. Save

Choose Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S) to write a new file and keep the original as it was, or Save (Ctrl+S) and choose whether to replace the original — Pagewright then keeps a backup of the previous version. Every save is read back by two independent PDF readers before Pagewright reports success.

Saved and verified: the old wording is gone from the file.

Saved and verified: the old wording is gone from the file.

Good to know

  • The old words are removed from the file, not covered up, so they can't be copied or found by search afterwards.
  • A paragraph that mixes fonts or sizes takes the style of its first word when you edit it.
  • Pagewright can't replace or move images that are already in a PDF yet.
  • If the PDF is digitally signed, saving a changed copy invalidates the signature; Pagewright warns you first.

Related: Edit PDF text — feature details · Organize pages