Somebody sends you a PDF, it needs one change, and you are nowhere near a computer. Your phone can do more with a PDF than it looks like, but there is one thing its built-in tools cannot do: change the text that is already there.
What your phone can do on its own
iPhone and iPad
Open the PDF in Files or Mail and tap the Markup button (a pen tip). You can:
- draw and highlight;
- add a text box, a signature or a shape;
- fill in form fields, if the PDF has them.
What you type goes on top of the page. You cannot select an existing word and change it.
Android
Open the PDF in Google Drive or your phone's PDF viewer. Depending on the app and the phone, you can annotate, highlight, add text, fill in forms and sign. Again, you add to the page; you do not change what is printed on it.
Good for: signing, filling in forms, and adding a note.
Changing the text that is already there
To fix a typo, update a date or change a name, you need an editor that edits the text itself. PencoPDF runs in your phone's browser, so there is nothing to install:
- Open pencopdf.com/edit-pdf-text in Safari or Chrome.
- Tap Select PDF file and choose it from Files, Drive, or your downloads.
- Tap the line you want to change, then tap again to type in it.
- Correct it, tap away, and download the finished PDF.
The new words are set in the page's own font, at the same size and in the same place. It works on scanned documents too: they are read as they open, and you can change the words on them with the scanned PDF editor.
Tips for editing on a small screen
- Turn the phone sideways for longer lines. The page gets more room.
- Zoom in on the line before you tap it, so you pick the right one.
- Check the result at full size before you send it. A misplaced letter is easier to miss on a phone.
- Sign in the same place. Sign a PDF lets you draw your signature with your finger once the text is right.
Where the file goes
Your file is uploaded to be edited, processed on servers in Germany, and deleted 24 hours after your last edit. The download is saved wherever your browser saves files: Files → Downloads on an iPhone, the Downloads folder on Android.