PDF Editor Tool — Edit PDFs in the Browser

PDF Editor — Edit PDFs in the Browser

A privacy-first, client-side PDF editor demo. Add text, images, highlights, reorder pages and download the updated PDF.

About this PDF Editor

This PDF Editor demo enables basic PDF edits directly in your web browser. Files are processed locally — they are not uploaded to any server in this demo. The editor supports common tasks such as adding text overlays, placing images, highlighting content, rotating pages, and reordering pages. It is intended as a privacy-first, client-side solution for simple edits and for creating quick annotations.

Key features

  • Open a PDF file (.pdf) from your device — processing happens in the browser.
  • Add text boxes anywhere on a page, with basic font sizing and color options.
  • Insert images (PNG/JPEG) and position them on the page.
  • Highlight areas and draw simple freehand annotations.
  • Rotate pages and reorder them using thumbnails.
  • Save the edited document as a new PDF for download.

How it works (high level)

  1. The browser reads the PDF bytes and uses pdf-lib to extract pages as images or canvases.
  2. Each page is shown as a canvas where you can add overlays (text, shapes, images).
  3. Overlays are composited into the page image when you save; pdf-lib assembles a final PDF containing the edited pages.

Limitations & recommendations

  • This demo focuses on client-side editing of rasterized pages. Editing original PDF text objects (true PDF text editing) is limited in-browser — for precise text-level PDF editing consider professional desktop applications.
  • Large PDFs with many high-resolution pages may be memory- and CPU-intensive in the browser. For very large jobs, use a desktop or server workflow.
  • Fonts embedded in the PDF will be preserved for thumbnails; added text uses web-safe fonts and may not match embedded fonts exactly.
Privacy note: This demo processes files locally in your browser. If you deploy a server-based editor, disclose upload, processing, and retention policies in a clear privacy policy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I edit the original text inside the PDF?

In this demo, text edits are implemented as overlays (new text painted onto the page image). Precise replacement of embedded PDF text objects is complex and not fully supported in a lightweight client-side demo. Desktop PDF editors or specialized libraries provide more precise text-level editing.

Are my files uploaded or stored remotely?

No. Files are read and processed locally in your browser for this demo. When implementing a production service, ensure you provide a clear privacy policy describing any upload storage or processing.

Which browsers are supported?

Modern desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) are recommended. Mobile browsers may work but can be limited by available memory and file APIs.

Is there a limit to file size or number of pages?

Limits depend on the user's device and browser. Very large PDFs may be slow or may fail due to memory constraints. For large documents use desktop or server-side tools.