10 Best Free PDF Editor For Windows 10 – Looking for the best programs to edit PDFs online and for free in 2022? You are in the right place.
Portable Document Format (PDF) is one of the most useful formats out there. It allows you to manage any document, from professional invoices to employee contracts. That is why it is widely used in various industries, including legal, real estate, medical and education.
Compared to other formats, it offers several advantages.
- Does not change formatting: it allows you to view a file exactly as you created it, regardless of the device or program you use.
- Takes up little space – Gives you the ability to compress relatively large files, saving you storage space.
- It has legal value: it is the only format compatible with the digital signature, necessary to make a legal and binding document.
The downside, however, is that you can’t easily edit or replace text and images in a PDF unless you use a free or paid PDF editor. Since some technologies associated with the format are still owned by Adobe (the company that created it), it’s not always easy to find programs to edit PDFs.
Don’t despair – we’ve compiled this list just to help you choose the best free PDF editing program available on the market today.
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What is the best free PDF editing program?
In this list, you will find the best programs to edit PDFs online. We’ve also included a few editors for Windows 10, as well as that, lets you make changes on the go. All the editors you find in this article are free or available with a free trial.
The 10 best PDF Editor For Windows 10
1. SmallPDF
SmallPDF is a cloud-based PDF editing program. This means that you can access the editor at any time and from any device. It has a clean interface and allows you to edit PDFs for free in a couple of clicks, without having to download complicated tools on your tablet or desktop. SmallPDF also has a Chrome extension .
This free PDF editing program is ideal for highlighting parts of text, adding comments, converting files to DOC or DOCX format, and even merging the content of various documents. It also offers you a function to sign PDFs online, ideal for managing digital contracts economically.
With this free PDF editor you can:
- highlight parts of text and add comments;
- merge multiple documents;
- convert PDF to Word file;
- convert JPG and other formats to PDF;
- insert digital signatures;
- compress files without quality loss.
Advantages: easy to use; accessible from any device; includes additional functions.
Disadvantages: limited free use.
Suitable for: Those looking for a free PDF editor to make quick edits.
2. PDFescape
PDFescape is another free online PDF editor that is intuitive and packed with many useful features. It allows you to edit files online or on desktop, depending on your needs, or scan documents directly into the application.
Although only the online version is free, PDFescape offers you many useful features, such as a form filling system, a function to password protect files online, and the ability to add freehand annotations. And, like many other PDF editing programs, it allows you to insert clickable URLs into your files.
With this PDF editor you can:
- view and edit PDFs for free;
- password protect files;
- create and fill in forms;
- add annotations;
- share documents online.
Advantages: accessible from any device; password protect files; allows you to rotate and annotate documents; adds text and images to PDFs.
Disadvantages: You can upload documents up to a maximum of 10MB.
Suitable for: Those looking for a PDF editor to edit standard invoices and other small files.
3. Sejda
Sejda is one of the most advanced free PDF editing programs. It is designed to help you manage documents more productively. The text editor that does not add watermarks and the ability to delete parts of the document are two of its most notable advantages.
Sejda also allows you to extract specific parts from PDFs or split them by size, text and pages. In addition, it puts at your disposal a signature tool, necessary to make documents legally binding, and an intuitive interface in which you will easily find everything you need.
With this PDF editor you can:
- merge or split files;
- easily modify and sign documents;
- compress files;
- protect documents;
- convert PDF to various formats.
Advantages: easily accessible; intuitive interface; allows you to add images and hyperlinks.
Disadvantages: Only edit 3 PDFs per hour (maximum 50MB per file).
Suitable for: Those looking for a PDF editing program to make small changes (eg fill in fields).
4. PDF Candy
Like many of the PDF editing programs we’ve already talked about, PDF Candy is a versatile editor accessible from any browser. You can use it to customize and edit your documents, but also to password protect them and convert them to other formats.
It also gives you the ability to split PDFs into multiple files, resize their aspect ratio and rotate pages. And, if you want to give your texts a more professional look, PDF Candy allows you to add graphic content and typographic elements such as page numbers, headers and footers.
With this free PDF editor you can:
- convert PDFs into many formats;
- extract images and text;
- password protect files;
- edit, resize and rotate PDFs.
Benefits: Lets you rearrange pages, extract text and images via OCR, and edit metadata.
Disadvantages: bundles many tools on the same page.
Ideal for: editing and extracting text from PDFs.
5. PDF2Go
PDF2Go is another free PDF editing program accessible from any device. allows you to convert and edit PDFs for free directly from your browser. It is packed with useful features that you can take advantage of to join multiple files together, password protect them, and so much more. Is your PDF too heavy? Use PDF2Go’s Compression feature to reduce its size and aspect ratio in a couple of clicks.
Unlike most PDF editing programs, this software also helps you to repair corrupt or damaged documents directly from the device you are using. Also, if you don’t want to create an account, you can log into the service through your Google account.
With this PDF editor you can:
- convert PDF to various formats;
- edit, resize and rotate PDFs;
- optimize PDFs for the web;
- make PDFs searchable on search engines;
- repair corrupt documents;
- add or remove passwords from PDFs.
Advantages: numerous features; various tools available; encrypted uploads.
Disadvantages: You can upload up to a maximum of 50MB.
Suitable for: Those looking for an editor to optimize and repair PDFs.
Best PDF Editors for Windows
7. PDFelement
Created by Wondershare, PDFelement is the best of the free PDF editing programs. Created to help you easily design, edit and sign PDFs, this editor has all the features a modern business could need. . If you need to convert PDFs and create professional forms, this award-winning software is the solution for you.
Thanks to the digital signature feature, you can sign documents and contracts in a couple of clicks. The page manager allows you to quickly find all the content you need. PDFelement also allows you to merge documents, split pages and password protect files.
With this PDF editor you can:
- modify texts, images, links, pages and backgrounds;
- add signature fields in the case of contracts;
- merge or split pages;
- manage pages and do quick searches;
- create forms;
- OCR functionality;
- convert PDF to various formats;
- comment and annotate documents;
Benefits: Change or remove background, add images and links, edit embedded modules.
Disadvantages: the text editor does not always work correctly.
Suitable for: Those looking for PDF editing programs to fill out forms and add signatures to files.
8. AbleWord
Don’t be fooled by the minimalist graphics of the AbleWord website, because the free PDF editor is fantastic. In addition to using it to read all types of documents, including DOC and DOCX files, you can use it to open PDFs and edit them at no cost.
AbleWord is a user-friendly program that combines word processing with PDF editing. While it doesn’t offer many advanced features, it allows you to:
- open the edition and edit PDF for free;
- save documents in PDF;
- open many types of different formats;
- check spelling and insert images.
Advantages: simple interface; standard formatting functions; PDF to Word conversions.
Disadvantages: Lacks advanced text editing features.
Suitable for: Those looking for PDF editors to make small changes and convert PDF to DOC or DOCX format.
9. LibreOffice
Based on Open Office, LibreOffice is a powerful and complete suite designed to increase office productivity. Much more than just a free PDF editor, with LibreOffice you can create just about everything: flowcharts, charts, and even text documents.
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The Draw function allows you to edit PDFs for free in just a few clicks : enlarge the text to be edited to add new elements, such as images and titles, or to change the colors. Then save the project by clicking on Export.
With this PDF editor you can:
- take advantage of a full office suite;
- use the Draw function for PDF editing;
- create and modify components such as images and tables;
- change headings, colors, and other graphics.
Benefits: full productivity suite; allows you to edit any type of text; it does not add watermarks.
Disadvantages: complex for beginners.
Best for: Editing standard PDFs, without layout or advanced formatting.
10. PDF Expert
PDF Expert is a free PDF reader and editor. It includes tons of themes and scrolling options and allows you to enhance and edit PDFs thanks to the built-in editing function.
With PDF Expert you can add freehand annotations to personalize text, but also highlight sections, add stamps, delete content and include comments. The annotation summary feature allows you to easily export your notes.
With this PDF editor you can:
- read and edit PDFs at lightning speed;
- insert colored notes;
- underline and annotate documents;
- edit images;
- export notes in seconds;
- rearrange pages;
- password protect files.
Advantages: ideal for devices; great annotation tools.
Disadvantages: it allows you to convert only certain types of images to PDF.
Suitable for: Those looking for PDF editing programs to open, read and annotate documents.
11. Xodo PDF Reader & Editor
Xodo PDF is one of the best free PDF editing programs , ideal if you need to process a PDF when you don’t have a PC at your fingertips.
The app has a clear and clean interface, perfect for those who don’t have much experience with tools of this type. It allows you to do quick searches in the document and to highlight and annotate the parts that interest you.
Unlike other free PDF editing programs, its strengths include an ultra-fast viewing engine and editing function, thanks to which you can write directly to the PDF, change image sizes and even fill out forms or request signatures. . The app also gives you the opportunity to upload and sync files across Google Drive and similar platforms.
With this PDF editor you can:
- use a variety of Microsoft tools;
- automatically synchronize documents with cloud platforms;
- add and request electronic signatures;
- change image size or rotate content;
- underline and annotate documents in real time.
Benefits: Quickly view PDFs, take notes on blank PDFs, add annotations in real time.
Disadvantages: Lacks a function to password protect files; it does not allow you to split or merge documents.
Suitable for: Freelancers who want to edit invoices and contracts in PDF format.
10 Free PDF editors: best programs to edit PDF in 2022
Take a look at the best free PDF editing programs we’ve shown you in this list and find out what’s right for you. If you are looking for a simple and effective solution to adjust the size of images in a document or require signatures, all these PDF editors offer the right features.
Let’s recap. Here are 10 of the best PDF editing programs available for Windows 10 and online:
- SmallPDF
- PDFescape
- A meeting
- PDF Candy
- PDF2Go
- PDF Element
- AbleWord
- LibreOffice
- PDF Expert
- Xodo PDF Reader & Editor
Which of these free PDF editing programs will you try?