There are some fantastic free PDF editors around, so we've rounded up the very best to make your life easier.
PDF documents are designed to look and behave exactly the same way on any device. That makes it a brilliant format for sharing, but editing them is another matter. Most office software and photo editors let you export documents in PDF format, but editing requires a dedicated tool. That's because PDF was initially a proprietary format owned by Adobe, and it still owns some of the technologies associated with it. Other companies can license those technologies, but only for a fee that's usually passed on to you – the user.
There aren’t many free PDF editors, and even fewer that won’t leave your documents with unsightly watermarks. That's why we've hand-picked the very best free PDF editors, which offer all the tools you need and won't spoil your work with unsightly watermarks.
The best free PDF editors at a glance
- Apowersoft Online PDF Editor
- SmallPDF
- PDF-XChange Editor
- Sejda
- PDFescape
There are some fantastic free PDF editors around, so we've rounded up the very best to make your life easier. PDF documents are designed to look and behave exactly the same way on any device.
1. Apowersoft Online PDF Editor
A powerful free PDF editor that works right in your browser
Plenty of editing tools
The best free PDF reader 2018. A dedicated free PDF reader will let you do so much more than just open documents. If you want to merge several PDFs, convert them to a different format, extract images, tweak text or split them into individual pages, there's a free PDF reader that will make it straightforward. It’s second only to Able2Extract in this regard. It’s also able to rearrange pages and areas of a PDF, but it’s not the best option if you need to edit and markup your PDFs, especially if you’re a Mac user. Free Software and Options. Still not sure if you need to buy a PDF editor? Here are some free options and alternatives. Sep 08, 2019 Top 10+ Best free PDF Readers For Windows 10/8.1/7 1. Adobe Reader. Foxit Phantom PDF. PDF-XChange Editor. Nitro Reader. Expert PDF Reader. Nuance Power PDF. Best PDF Editor For Windows. Below mentioned are the 10 Best free PDF Editing Software for Windows 2019. Nitro Pro PDF: There are many different softwares that help one in the task of editing PDF files or saving/transferring their work onto the PDF file format.
Apowersoft Online PDF Editor is a powerful PDF editor that's free to use, and runs in any modern web browser.
Before you can use the online PDF editor, you’ll need to click ‘Launch online’ and download Apowersoft’s launcher – a browser add-on. This take a little extra time, but the effort is well worth it.
The PDF editor will open outside your current browser window. You can edit text – very unusual for a free PDF editor, and very handy.
Text won’t always flow the way you’d like it to, so you may need to spend some time tweaking alignment and text box size, but it’s very impressive for a free PDF editor. Your exported PDFs won’t be watermarked either. We're converted.
2. SmallPDF
A compact but powerful PDF editor
Cloud-based
Limited free trial
SmallPDF is a cloud-based PDF editor, which means it can be used through any device using an internet browser.
It uses a simplified interface to make it easy to edit or add text, as well as drawings or images. Using drag and drop, you can add or remove content as required.
Best Windows 10 Software 2018
It also comes with a PDF to Word editor, which means if you need to make more detailed edits in a Word doc you can, and even better is that formatting should be preserved.
Uploads and edits are made securely via SSL, so you don't need to worry about third-parties accessing your PDF documents, which could be a concern if the information in them is confidential. Free pdf creator download for windows 10.
You can also use SmallPDF to fill in forms, esign, unlock, or protect a PDF. Files can be imported directly from online storage providers such as Google Drive and Drop Box.
Overall, SmallPDF is a compact but powerful PDF editor, that should be able to help you achieve most initial edits required, with the helpful doc conversion for more complicated edits.
While it's not free to use continuously, there is a 14-day free trial, which can be useful if you only need to get a few documents edited. After that, pricing begins from around $5 per month.
3. PDF-XChange Editor
Another superb tool for editing text in PDFs, with built-in OCR
Text editing
If you need to edit the text in a PDF, PDF-XChange Editor is ideal. It lets you retype, delete, and reformat text, and adapts well if the document uses a font that isn’t installed on your PC. You can also attach comments, split PDFs, and extract pages.
One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s best features is the ability to use OCR to recognize text in scanned documents – ideal if you only have a printout rather than the original file (a handout from a lecture, for example).
Some of the features visible in the menus and toolbars are only available in the premium version of the software, PDF-XChange Editor Plus, but you can easily hover your mouse pointer over an icon to find out if it’s included.
If you go ahead and use a premium tool anyway (adding polygonal shapes or new text boxes, for example), your document will be watermarked. Look out for a warning message underneath the main toolbar before saving your work, just in case.
The paid-for downloads, PDF-XChange Editor costs $43.50 (£35) for the normal version, but for additional features such as form creation and use you will need to buy PDF-XChange Editor Plus, which costs $54.50 ($48).
4. Sejda
An online-only free PDF editor with a great choice of tools
Cloud storage
Free online PDF editor Sejda offers an excellent range of tools, with an added layer of security: all files are deleted from its servers after five hours.
You can add text, images and links, sign documents, add annotations, and insert ellipses and rectangles. There’s also a ‘whiteout’ option, though this simply draws a white rectangle – it doesn’t remove any data. There’s no OCR either, so you won’t be able to edit text in scanned PDFs.
When you’ve finished editing, click ‘Apply changes’ and you’ll be able to download the document, send it to Dropbox or Google Drive, delete it, or access a shareable link. The link will expire after seven days.
There are limits on the free service: every hour, you can process no more than 200 pages or 50MB data (whichever comes first) and perform no more than three tasks. That’s pretty generous, but if you need to perform more tasks, there are weekly, monthly and annual passes available.
At $5 (about £4, AU$7), a weekly pass would work out quite expensive over a long period, but is perfect if you’ll only be needing the full tool for a short time and don’t want to commit to a longer subscription.
5. PDFescape
A free online PDF editor that lets you add new text and images
Lets you add media
There are two versions of the PDFescape PDF editor: a free web app and a premium desktop program. Here we're using the online editor; if you download the desktop software, you'll only receive a trial of the premium edition. It's suitable for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari, and will probably work fine on other Chromium-based browsers too.
PDFescape's online editor lets you create new text boxes on the page, but unless you upgrade to the full desktop software there's no way to edit existing text either, you you can create simple geometric shapes and – as with Sedja, above – add white rectangles to obscure parts of the document when it's printed.
PDFescape lets you select a picture from your PC, then drag a rectangle to insert it. You can insert text fields too, enabling you to create simple forms – a rare and welcome feature for a free PDF editor.
- Check out our guide to the best free PDF to Word converters
As our basic PDF reading needs are fulfilled by web browsers, the need for a free PDF reader software is decreasing. Still, there are some tasks like annotation, digital signature, PDF editing, form filling, etc. that need advanced PDF reader software. So, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best PDF readers for Windows PCs. This list for 2019 includes the likes of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, SumatraPDF, Foxit Reader, etc.
10 Best PDF Readers for Windows 10, 8.1, and 7
Choosing the right PDF reader that suits your needs in the year 2019 isn’t a tough task, but you need to know about the available options. So, let’s tell you about different software for viewing and reading PDF documents and help you decide which one’s best for you:
1. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
If you’re looking for a powerful program to read PDF files, I’d like to recommend Adobe Acrobat Reader. It’s not uncommon to come across a PDF file that demands an advanced PDF reader. Here, I’m talking about the fillable forms that you can’t take care of using a basic PDF reader software for Windows. It’s still the recommended PDF solution for all tasks and the most popular of all the ones mentioned on this list.
While you might find it heavier as compared to the likes of SumatraPDF, which is ranked #2 on this list, it turns out to be useful when all the other solutions fail. You can use it for reading in different modes, text highlighting, adding notes, filling forms, digital signatures, add stamps, etc. This free PDF reader for Windows also supports a tabbed view, which means that you can open multiple PDF files simultaneously.
So, if your needs aren’t simple, you don’t want to just “read” PDF files, and you need advanced features, downloading Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is the right choice. It’s also the best PDF reader for large files that some lightweight programs are unable to process fully.
Note: On the download page of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, the bundled options for McAfee Security Scan Plus and True Key by Intel Security are already selected. Make sure to untick them to avoid installing the software that you don’t need. If you’re downloading the same on your Mac, you won’t face this issue.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
2. SumatraPDF
SumatraPDF is an open source and lightweight PDF reader software that you can install and use on your Windows computer. Licensed under GPLv3 license, SumatraPDF supports formats other than PDF as well, including the likes of EPUB, MOBI, FB2, CHM, XPS, and DjVu.
As I mentioned above, this free and best PDF reader is very light and its 64-bit installer is just about 5MB in size. If you’re looking for a good PDF reader software that can simply deliver an amazing reading experience with fast performance and basic features, SumatraPDF is the right PDF reader for you. But, it lacks advanced features like annotations, document signing, and form-filling.
It supports various keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate easily and improve your reading experience. Sumatra also comes with easy previewing of LaTeX documents and you can configure different text editors to integrate Sumatra. It also supports running in restricted mode.
Supported platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
3. Your web browser
If your main demands are viewing PDF files and you don’t need features that come with advanced PDF reader software for Windows, you don’t need a dedicated software. Your web browser like Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Opera come with integrated PDF readers. They are a part of your web browser and updated regularly with new features along with your browser.
As you click on a PDF link, the web browser starts opening the PDF file on its own and provides you a clutter-free reading experience. All browsers allow you to use features like adjustable text size, rotation, download, and printing. Just in case you want to open locally stored PDF files using your web browser, you need to simply drag it to an open browser window to open the file. You can also right-click on the file to choose your browser using “Choose Another App” option. If you don’t open or view PDF files regularly, your web browser is the best PDF reader you can get.
Supported platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7
4. Nitro Reader
Nitro Reader is another popular name in the world office and productivity software. I personally like this free PDF document reader as it tries to strike the perfect balance between usability and features. It doesn’t come loaded with tons of unnecessary features that one never uses. Its slick interface looks like just any other application from Microsoft’s Office suite.
Apart from all the basic features, Nitro Reader also comes with a handy QuickSign feature for digitally signing documents a simple task. You can also secure your documents and make sure that they are opened by the people who’ve received a digital certificate from you. So, Go for Nitro Reader if you wish to use a no-nonsense PDF reader that also have a nice UI.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
Best Free Pdf Software 2018 Reviews
5. Foxit reader
If you’re looking for an excellent and free PDF reader for Windows 10 or older versions of Microsoft Windows, your search might end with Foxit Reader. Just like Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Foxit too is a popular name in the world of document readers. Compared to Adobe’s PDF reading solution, Foxit is comparatively lighter. Foxit’s website is well designed and it doesn’t try to ship some extra bloatware to your PC. However, it does try to install Foxit PhantomPDF editor’s 14-day trial during the installation process, so take a look at that.
With its recent release in 2016, Foxit also introduced its new online ConnectedPDF Document Management System. Its Text Viewer mode removes complex formatting and displays a plain Notepad-like view of the file. The collaboration features further improve your PDF experience by letting you work online and share with others. It’s an advanced software for reading PDF files, and it comes will all the necessary features.
Supported platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
6. Google Drive
Just like your web browser, Google Drive is another way of opening a PDF file without any external tools. Moreover, it also acts as a place to store your data, which makes it a great way to store documents, view them, and share with the concerned people.
Apart from by opening a PDF in its bare minimum format, you can connect external Chrome apps to this PDF reader to add extra functionality. Moreover, you can simply choose the option to open a PDF via Google Docs and convert that PDF into an editable doc format.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
7. Slim PDF
Just like SumatraPDF, Slim PDF is another lightweight and best PDF reader for Windows operating systems. It calls itself the world’s smallest desktop PDF reader. I don’t know about the validity of this claim, but its download size is of just 1.43MB. In my system, it was just about 5MB. So, if you’re looking for an extra small size PDF reader for your old computer, Slim PDF has the potential to end your search.
Just as one would expect, this good and free software for reading PDF files is simply focused on reading, viewing, and printing your PDF files. It loads very quickly and lets you complete your job in less time. Please note that it doesn’t support many popular keyboard shortcuts, so don’t get disappointed due to that. Also, it doesn’t let you highlight you text word by word. Anyway, it’s a portable PDF reader software that just works.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
8. Expert PDF Reader
Expert PDF Reader is another free PDF reader for Windows for 2019 that you can download and use to view PDF files easily. It comes with a new interface and all the basic features. You can add notes, highlight the text, create a text box, etc. You also get the facility of creating custom stamps and managing them. The signature feature is also included in Expert PDF Reader software.
The latest release of Expert PDF Reader Professional comes with new features to preserve PDF files for a long period of time. There are new options to optimize the file size and OCR function as well to get the most out of your workflow.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
9. Javelin PDF Reader
The second-last entry on the top PDF readers list is Javelin PDF Reader. It comes with all the basic PDF reading functionality that one needs to complete daily chores. The overall interface is super clean and you can choose from most of the common reading modes like full screen, continuous, side by side, etc. Compared to the likes of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and Foxit reader, Javelin is pretty lightweight.
If you want to use a lightweight PDF reader software that can also help you with the viewing of DRM-secured PDF files, Javelin reader, with its 2MB download size, could turn out to be the best choice out there.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
10. PDF-XChange Editor
PDF-XChange Lite is a free PDF reader for Windows 10 that has been completely revamped and simplified. This software doesn’t take much time to open and provides a lightweight experience for reading, printing, annotating, saving images and text, etc. from a PDF file. Prior to this, the software was called PDF-XChange Viewer and it didn’t have the basic editing functions available for free. You also get features like OCR and digital signature as well.
As claimed by the developers, the free version of PDF-XChange Editor provides more than 60% of the features that ship with the paid version.
Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP
Which best PDF reader do you use?
So, which free PDF reader software is your current favorite in 2019? Depending on your usage and needs, your choices might defer but you’ll surely find a suitable solution on this recommendation list. In my opinion, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and Google Drive are enough to get different types of jobs done. Don’t forget to try them out and tell us your results.
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