QuireHow to add text to a PDF
Short answer: every major platform has a free text tool. On Windows, open the PDF in Edge and choose Add text. On a Mac, use the Text tool in Preview’s Markup toolbar. In Chrome on a computer, choose Add text in the PDF viewer. On a Chromebook, use Text in the Gallery app.
All of these put new text on top of the page. None of them change the words already in the PDF; for that, see why you can’t edit the text in a PDF.
Updated 15 October 2026. Edge steps follow Microsoft’s Edge PDF page; Mac steps follow Apple’s Preview guide.
Add text with Microsoft Edge on Windows
- Open the PDF in Edge
On Windows 10 and 11, Edge is the default PDF reader, so double-clicking a PDF usually opens it there. Otherwise right-click the file and choose Open with › Microsoft Edge.
- Choose Add text
Select Add text in the PDF toolbar.
- Click and type
Click where the text should go and start typing.
- Move or restyle it
Select the text box to move it or change the font.
- Save
Select Save, choose where to save the PDF and give it a name.
Add text with Preview on a Mac
- Show the Markup toolbar
Open the PDF in Preview and click the Show Markup Toolbar button if it isn’t showing.
- Choose the Text tool
Click the Text button. Apple’s guide says to type your text, then drag the text box where you want it.
- Keep a copy if you need one
Preview saves as you go. Choose File › Duplicate before you start if you want the untouched original.
On a form that won’t let you type in it, Apple suggests the Text Box tool in the form-filling toolbar instead. See how to fill out a PDF on a Mac.
Add text in Chrome or on a Chromebook
In Chrome on a computer, choose Add text in the PDF viewer, set the font, style and colour, click on the page and type, then choose Download › With your changes. The full steps are in how to annotate a PDF in Chrome. On a Chromebook, Google’s help says Chrome can’t add text annotations, so use Text in the Gallery app; see how to edit a PDF on a Chromebook.
Add text with Quire PDF
Quire PDF is our Chrome extension. Its Text tool places new text on the page. Text you add stays editable: in our tests, added text could be revised after saving and saved again.
- Open the PDF
Click the Quire PDF icon, choose Open a PDF, or drop the file on the page.
- Choose Text
Click where the text should go and type. Drag the box to move it.
- Save a copy
Save a copy downloads the PDF with your text. Your original is never overwritten, and a recovery copy is kept in your browser after each change.
Like the other tools here, Quire adds text; it doesn’t rewrite or replace the original text.
Covering old text with new text
A common trick is to draw a white box over a word and type a new one on top. It looks right on screen, but the original text is still in the file and can be selected, searched or copied. Google warns about this for Chromebook tools, and the same goes for every annotation tool here, Quire PDF included. Don’t use it to hide anything private.
Questions
Can Adobe Acrobat Reader add text for free?
Yes. Adobe says the free Reader can add comments, sticky notes and free-text annotations, and fill and sign forms. Changing the existing text needs a paid Acrobat subscription.
Will the text show up in other PDF readers?
It should. Open your saved copy in a second reader once to check before you send it.