How to find and replace text in a PDF
Change wording across a document, and know when this approach will not work.
A PDF is a description of a finished page, not an editable document, which is why editing one is never quite as smooth as editing a word processor file. Within that constraint, replacing text works well for the job it is suited to: swapping a name, a date, a version number across a document you no longer have the source for.
The steps
- Upload the PDF you want to change.
- Type the exact text to find and what it should become.
- Optionally limit the change to certain pages, and choose whether capitalisation has to match.
- Run the tool and download the rewritten file.
Keep replacements a similar length
Replacement text is drawn where the original sat. A substantially longer replacement can overflow the space the old text occupied and collide with what is beside it. Swapping one company name for another of roughly the same length is reliable; replacing a word with a sentence is not.
Check the result, especially in tables and anywhere text sits in a tight column.
Scanned documents cannot be edited this way
If the page is an image of text, there are no text objects to find or replace. The test is simple: try selecting the text in any PDF reader. If your cursor cannot select it, this tool cannot change it.
Replacing is not redacting
Leaving the replacement blank removes the text, but reach for Redact Text if the reason you are removing it is that it is confidential. Redaction is built for that purpose and deletes the underlying content deliberately and verifiably.
