Add Text to PDF
Click on a PDF page to add text there - free.
Your PDF is rendered and edited inside this page. It is never uploaded.
Click anywhere on the page below to place the text, then click "Add text" to confirm.
What this tool does
Choose a PDF, click anywhere on the rendered page to mark where text should go, type the text, and add as many pieces as you need across any pages before downloading the edited PDF.
Renders each page so you can click exactly where you want to add text, rather than entering coordinates by hand.
Lets you add multiple pieces of text across different pages before downloading.
Draws the text as a real vector text object directly onto your original PDF pages - the preview is only used to pick a position, it's never itself part of the output.
Converts your click on the rendered preview back into the PDF's own bottom-left-origin point coordinates, accounting for the display scale, so text lands exactly where you clicked regardless of zoom or page size.
Tracks every placed piece of text with its own page, position, content and size, so you can review or remove any of them individually before the final download applies them all at once.
How to use it
- Choose a PDF.
- Click where you want text, type it, and click "Add text".
- Repeat for more text or pages, then download.
Why use this tool
Filling in a form that has no fields, or annotating a page, needs text placed exactly. Clicking on the page puts it where it belongs.
Why we built it
We built the add text to PDF tool with a clickable preview, so you place text by clicking where you want it rather than guessing coordinates. Fill real forms with the PDF form filler and sign with PDF signature.
Related tools worth a look: the PDF Markup and the PDF Watermark.
Who this tool is for
- People filling in forms that have no fields
- Students labelling pages
- Office staff annotating documents
When to use it
- Filling a non-interactive form.
- Adding notes or dates.
- Correcting small details.
- Labelling pages.
Why clicking a preview beats typing coordinates
A visual click is far more reliable than guessing X and Y numbers.
Positioning something on a page by typing raw coordinates means trial and error - guess a number, check the result, adjust, repeat. Rendering the actual page and letting you click exactly where you want text removes that guesswork entirely, converting the click position back into the precise coordinate the PDF format actually uses behind the scenes. The rendered preview exists purely to pick that position - the text itself is drawn as a real, sharp vector object directly onto your original PDF page, not baked into a rasterized copy of what you clicked on.
Only pdf-lib's built-in Helvetica font is used
Font choice here is limited to what doesn't need embedding extra font data.
Text is drawn using pdf-lib's StandardFonts.Helvetica, one of the 14 standard PDF fonts every PDF viewer already knows how to display without any font file being embedded in the output. That keeps the tool simple and the resulting file small, but it also means there's no font picker or bold/italic option here - embedding a genuinely custom font would mean loading and shipping real font-file bytes into the browser, which this tool doesn't do.
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | One PDF; click where text should go. |
| Options | Text, size and page. |
| Output | A PDF with the text added. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| An error mentions encryption | The PDF is password protected. | Unlock it first with the Unlock PDF tool. |
| Text is in the wrong spot | The click position was off. | Undo and click again. |
| Font cannot change | A standard font is used. | Use an editor for custom fonts. |
Assumptions and limitations
- An encrypted or password-protected PDF can't be read and edited - it needs to be unlocked first.
- Text is added in a standard sans-serif font at a fixed color - there's no custom font or color picker.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add text to a PDF for free?
Choose your PDF, click where you want the text, type it, and click "Add text" - repeat as needed, then download.
Can I add text to more than one page?
Yes - switch pages using the page selector and add text to any of them before downloading.
Does clicking the preview affect the actual PDF?
No - the preview is only used to pick a position. The text is drawn as a real vector object directly onto your original PDF page, not onto a flattened copy.
Does this work with password-protected PDFs?
No - an encrypted PDF needs to be unlocked first before it can be read and edited.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything happens entirely in your browser - your file is never sent to a server.
Can I choose a different font or make the text bold?
No - text is drawn using pdf-lib's built-in Helvetica font at a fixed weight and color; there's no font picker or bold/italic option.
How accurate is the text placement compared to where I clicked?
Very - your click position is converted from the preview canvas's pixel coordinates back into the PDF's own point coordinate system using the exact render scale, so the text lands at the position you clicked regardless of page size or zoom.